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By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#354403
Starting about 2 weeks ago, both my 'Big Pink' and 'Hercules' x self bloomed simultaneously.
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I've read and been told Hercules is a fertile hybrid so I've been cross pollinating the two plants as their blooms open. Just carefully plucking the anthers and rubbing them on the stigmas of the opposite plant. I'm expecting quite a few offspring with alba traits given the parentage of each dew, though my fingers are crossed for a wide-leaf red hybrid.

As the seed pods ripen, I'll be updating this post on my progress and will hopefully have some pictures of interesting seedlings in a couple months.
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By Joeynator3000
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Posts:  114
Joined:  Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:33 pm
#354410
I kinda wanna try this myself at some point with my Cape....isn't the toothpick thing easier?
By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#354411
It probably is but I wanted to avoid self-pollination. That's why I removed the anthers altogether.
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By Joeynator3000
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Posts:  114
Joined:  Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:33 pm
#354412
...Ah well, I'll worry about all that later, but yeah. Gonna see if I can grow an even better cape sundew. xD
By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#355373
Success!

Both crosses produced seed, with 'Big Pink' x ('Hercules' x self) making the most so far.
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I've shaken a couple seed pods on each plant so I'm expecting a lot more.

I planted some fresh seed last night on pure LFS as close to my lights as I could get them. Fingers crossed I'll see signs of life in a few weeks.
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If the seed turns out to be viable, I'll donate the rest to the seed bank for you guys to try your hand at these hybrids. My 'Big Pink' has also shot up another flower stalk. All of these seeds will be donated as well in due time.
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By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#356212
I was unable to get a good photo of them but I've noticed my first sprouts beginning to emerge from both seed sets. I'll update once they are of photographic size.

In the mean time, I now know that the seed is viable and will be donating the rest of what I have to the seed bank as soon as the last few pods ripen.
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By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#357261
They're still pretty small but already showing some nice color. More seeds have sprouted and the majority have red leaves.
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I'm wondering if I can feed them now to speed up their growth or should I wait for them to put out some more leaves?
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By ChefDean
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Posts:  9236
Joined:  Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:44 am
#357263
You can feed them as soon as a carnivorous leaf opens up fully and is boogery. The problem is getting a piece of food small enough that it can consume it. Too big and you can run into a mold problem.
I use nutritional yeast for my seedlings. You can crumble it into extremely small pieces and deliver them to a leaf with a toothpick.
Good luck.
By Sundeewz
Location: 
Posts:  110
Joined:  Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:35 pm
#357349
You could put a small droplet of Maxsea on a leaf by using a syringe. I've done this on pygmy sundews and it just stays there on the tiny leaf.
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By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#361876
Nothing worth taking a photo of yet although the seedlings are gradually gaining size. Nearly all are bright pink/red. They're still too small to make out any differences in leaf length and width although I expect that to change in a month or two.

Another thought crossed my mind today of attempting to cross the red variant of D. filiformis with D. anglica 'HI'. I know Southern Cross includes temperate versions of these species so this hybridization should be possible, right? In theory, this cross should have no or very minimal dormancy requirements. Shout out to Shadowtski for donating the D. anglica seeds to the seed bank. I can try this out thanks to you!
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By Aquis31
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Posts:  120
Joined:  Sat Apr 11, 2020 10:17 pm
#364068
You could update us on the condition of the plants, I was very curious, congratulations on the success :)
By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#364522
Aquis31 wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:18 pm You could update us on the condition of the plants, I was very curious, congratulations on the success :)
I repotted the largest and most vigorous looking seedlings today. This will be the pot they will grow into through adulthood. They're still small (largest is just under an inch across). I feed them once a week with powdered betta fish pellets so I assume the lack of root growth due to a saturated and shallow (~2 inches) media is why they've stayed small.

The plants themselves all exhibit a nice red coloration under bright light. They're still too small to make out any exciting leaf characteristics but I hope that will change quickly following the repot.
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By DesertLlama
Posts:  96
Joined:  Fri Mar 06, 2020 9:08 am
#366704
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Since repotting, the seedlings have really taken off. They lost their coloration but it looks as though the incoming growth may get it back. The leaf morphology on these are a bit variable but all seem to be wider than in 'Big Pink'. A few very strongly resemble their 'Hercules' parentage. Let's hope they take after 'Big Pink' in color next.
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By Apollyon
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Posts:  1663
Joined:  Tue May 05, 2020 2:49 am
#366708
Awesome man, seriously. I wanted to do this cross myself but my Hercules had a bad life for a while. I hope they turn out well for you. I'd love to see what these things look like a few months from now.
Supercazzola liked this
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