FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

With things growing and stirring outside, I thought I would post a couple pictures from the collection. A substantial portion of the collection was acquired while the plants were in dormancy to minimize shipping and acclimation stress, so it is really exciting to see them go into active growth!

Happy growing, everyone!

VERY nice collection!

Las Vegas weather has been crazy lately. It is not unusual to see occasional snow flurries, but the recent snow storms here in the desert have been quite an experience.
Very magical to see sights like this... at least for a desert dweller like me.

Bad weather like this tends to magnify as it crosses the rest of the States. Be careful out there, everyone!

This is such a beautiful time of the year with so much stirring, sprouting, and blooming. Went through tons of repotting this spring that resulted in many plants moving into new permanent growing containers, and the plants have responded with fantastic growth to start the season. Thought I'd share some pictures taken during the last few weeks.

Very very nice.

Where did you get the solid white trays?

Fieldofscreams wrote:Very very nice.

Where did you get the solid white trays?

Those came from Amazon. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O ... UTF8&psc=1

Not the cheapest out there, but the extra cost was worth it. I purchased 2 24" white planter boxes from Lowes last year on clearance for $7 each (not pictured). The cheap plastic on the Lowes boxes have already turned brittle and begun to crack while the more expensive Amazon ones are still going strong despite the abuse and desert sun.

Afternoon temps are hovering between 105F - 110F, but don't tell that to my plants! The sarracenia have decided it is prime time to start sending up their fall flush of pitchers. Even the flavas are joining the show. Overall, I consider this a "cool" Las Vegas summer so far because temps have not yet reached 115F.

Very nice.

You have mastered the growing of CP's in the depths of hell.

Interesting to see them do so well in weather so deadly. Gives me hope for my plants.

Truly exceptional. Ah, the Dreamsicle. I admire your collection.

At least this year I recently acquired one of the larger Filiformis Tracyi.

The hunt continues, as always.

Can Drosera regia be successfully grown in the extreme desert climate of Las Vegas?

Part 1

I have wanted to try Drosera regia ever since I started growing CPs in 2017 but hesitated due to its culture requirements. Las Vegas is as hot and dry as locales go, and I didn’t want to deal with a fragile plant that would require a lot of special handling. A window sill or my outside growing area were the only options.

This year, I caved to temptation and decided to experiment with regia knowing the odds were stacked against the plant’s long-term survival. My goal was to have the plant survive a Las Vegas summer with a minimum of special treatment. So, a young regia joined my collection in April. Its largest leaf was 4 inches long. It had 3 roots… none of which exceeded an inch or so in length.
Because the regia would need to sit in water during the day to ensure it didn't dry out while I was at work, it was placed in a much larger, deeper container about a month after its arrival. The plant would eventually sit in 0.25 - 0.75 inches of water throughout the summer.
Regia spent lots of time outdoors during the spring, but once outside temps hit about 90F, the window sill of an upstairs room became its home. The plant received afternoon sun in a southwestern window and sent out leaf after leaf until outside temps reached 100F. At that point, dew production began to stall. (Note: This room is not cooled during the summer, and the room’s ambient afternoon temp hovers around 95F - 100F during the height of summer. Humidity is around 17% year-round.)

The regia was moved to a morning sun location in a southeastern window in the same room. It tolerated this new location at first, but dew production once again slowed as summer temps continued to ratchet upwards, and at 105F, I had no choice but to give the plant the cool nights it prefers by sticking it in the family fridge during the overnight hours, especially since the ambient overnight temp in its room rarely fell below 82F. This worked until 110F hit....

Can Drosera regia be successfully grown in the extreme desert climate of Las Vegas?

Part 2

The sulking regia was relocated to a northeastern window in the kitchen (where summer afternoon ambient room temp hovers between 83F-89F). The plant continued spending its evenings in the fridge but received only an hour of direct morning sun that varied from partial to full exposure. During the rest of the day, this location remains moderately shady. Despite the very limited sunlight, the regia seems happiest in this location, where it continues to reside with my pings.
With temps now trending downward, the plant has never been happier. It has proven to be another vigorous grower for me, readily sending up one leaf after another despite its growing conditions. Several roots have grown through the bottom of the container. Regia is fed heavily with crumbled freeze-dried bloodworms along with the occasional bug (this one loves to eat!). When daytime highs top out around 90F, I will reintroduce the plant to the great outdoors, where it will remain until near-freezing temps arrive.

Can Drosera regia be successfully grown in the extreme desert climate of Las Vegas?

Part 3

It certainly appears D. regia can handle the desert southwest with a minimum of fuss as long as sufficient overnight cooling is provided during the hottest months. A larger temperature drop during the cooling period seems to help regia deal with extreme heat during the day (the fridge is set at 55F).

The plant does not appear to be significantly affected by low humidity. It has continued to grow vigorously and produces ample dew. In my growing conditions, growth and dew production appear to correlate more to temperature and/or sunlight exposure than to humidity.

In Las Vegas, regia's temperature ceiling for window sill culture in a room that is not climate controlled appears to be reached when outside temps approach 110F. (I never tested the temperature at the window sill on such days, but it was certainly higher than the 95F - 100F the thermostat in the corridor was showing.) At that point, the plant needs to be placed in a cooler room. Regia does not appear to want lots of sunlight exposure when temps soar. In fact, when summer temps exceed 95F, I strongly suspect it would do fine in only moderate to bright shade in my growing conditions. D. regia has proven to be much more resilient than I thought it would be.
With summer waning, the remainder of the year should be a breeze for regia to handle. Next year, it will spend the entire summer back in the kitchen. No more heat tolerance experiments. Looks like this story might have a happy ending after all.

(Sorry about the 3-part post. For some reason, the system would not allow me to submit this as a single post.)