FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Well, I brought my (assumed) primuliflora inside for the winter, and it has been living under my grow lights. It had started flowering almost right after I brought it in, which I thought was kind of weird. Well, now it has five flower stalks! Is this bad? I mean, is this it's sign that it's dying but giving a last-ditch effort to reproduce? It seems like almost every new leaf that comes out is followed by a flower stalk, and the growth has definitely slowed down. It's not urgent, because it also has about a million plantlets surrounding it in the tiny pot, but it would be nice to know what's happening. Thanks!

I'm having trouble with my ping, its the same as the one you posted but all the tiny little plantlets that were in the pot started dying 1 by 1 after the mother plant died I separated them and planted them in different areas around my room and so far only 2 of them seem to have gotten established, the other just died.

Any tips you can offer? I heard this species was really easy to care for, but i'm just not having any luck with it

mo_carnivore wrote:Well, I brought my (assumed) primuliflora inside for the winter, and it has been living under my grow lights. It had started flowering almost right after I brought it in, which I thought was kind of weird. Well, now it has five flower stalks! Is this bad? I mean, is this it's sign that it's dying but giving a last-ditch effort to reproduce? It seems like almost every new leaf that comes out is followed by a flower stalk, and the growth has definitely slowed down. It's not urgent, because it also has about a million plantlets surrounding it in the tiny pot, but it would be nice to know what's happening.

Pinguicula primuliflora flower stalks.jpg

Thanks!

Your plan looks vigorous and healthy, it seems you're doing it right!


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Wikiwakawakawee wrote:I'm having trouble with my ping, its the same as the one you posted but all the tiny little plantlets that were in the pot started dying 1 by 1 after the mother plant died I separated them and planted them in different areas around my room and so far only 2 of them seem to have gotten established, the other just died.

Any tips you can offer? I heard this species was really easy to care for, but i'm just not having any luck with it

Can you provide some details about your growing conditions? What water are you using? Soil mix? Light?


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Bob Beer wrote:

Wikiwakawakawee wrote:I'm having trouble with my ping, its the same as the one you posted but all the tiny little plantlets that were in the pot started dying 1 by 1 after the mother plant died I separated them and planted them in different areas around my room and so far only 2 of them seem to have gotten established, the other just died.

Any tips you can offer? I heard this species was really easy to care for, but i'm just not having any luck with it

Can you provide some details about your growing conditions? What water are you using? Soil mix? Light?


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Well I planted the plantlets in multiple locations, and the only two that seem to do well is the one in a cup of pure LFS thats occasionally flooded (I keep Utricularia in there) and the other is inside my vivarium on some live sphagnum thats placed on top of a bromeliad leaf.

The thing that confuses me is that I was told to not get water on the leaves or else it'll rot, but the only ones that survived are the ones that get sprayed everyday All the other ones dried out even though i kept the LFS pretty moist.

I have the cup on my desk that gets about 3 hours of direct sunlight in the morning, and it seems pretty healthy, the other is of course getting light from the grow light in my vivarium.

mo_carnivore, your prim looks absolutely lovely and in wonderful shape! All of those babies are adorable. I had a Mexican Pinguicula flower constantly and profusely before as well, and I think it was probably the healthiest plant in my collection at the time.

Wikiwakawakawee, P. primuliflora can handle periods of flooding, so don't worry about getting water on the leaves. They appreciate some flooding once in a while, it seems!

Thanks, Grey. Is it okay that the primuliflora has not gotten a winter rest? I would put it outside, but it's a warm temperate species and where I live it gets down to the single digits.

I keep mine really wet. Right now they're in an bonsai planter filled with slightly mounded peat/perlite mix and I keep water in the tray all the time. The one that isn't doing as well is in a taller pot. Also the ones in less light (over toward the edge of my growing area) seem to be doing better. I'm growing under T5s, about 1.5 feet above the plants. I've read that they do well in live sphagnum too and am trying to grow some along so that I can try it.


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mo_carnivore wrote:Thanks, Grey. Is it okay that the primuliflora has not gotten a winter rest? I would put it outside, but it's a warm temperate species and where I live it gets down to the single digits.

That reminds me - I grow mine in a cool room (unheated) that ranges from the high 50s to mid 60s during the winter. Sometimes to almost 70 with the lights, but they always cool down at night. While the temps in their natural range might stay higher, they would almost certainly get cooler at night growing in moss with its high evaporation rate.

The only time mine have really had trouble was when the peat mix got too dry, and by that, I mean "not sopping."


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It is not an issue to keep your primuliflora flowering, and it may just flower nonstop, depending on your conditions. However, it is a sign that it hasn't slowed down for winter, and if you want your primuliflora to last more than a few years, you will need to find some way to give it a mild winter.

Those temps are not actually warmer than their natural range. Take for instance Sumatra, Florida. While days may be in the 70s, nights can drop into the low 40s. It can even dip below freezing during the winter there.

mo_carnivore wrote:Thanks, Grey. Is it okay that the primuliflora has not gotten a winter rest? I would put it outside, but it's a warm temperate species and where I live it gets down to the single digits.

I've found that primuliflora can take some freezing into the 20s, but it is very difficult not to kill it during this time, as the soil cannot dry out, nor can the air humidity be low. I think that warm temperates are harder than they are often made to seem; primuliflora is the only one that will last a few years without a winter rest.

Here is my original plant, which got a little light and water stressed. I took most of the offsets and planted them in the bonsai container. Lost a few when things got a little dry during an absence but the rest are happy.


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Thanks all! Sorry, I kinda took your thread for a moment Looks like I've had them too dry all this time

It's not dying by any means. The more humidity you give it. The happier it will be.

In terms of the plantlets, I look under the leaf it's attached to for a root, if not then leave it.