- Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:03 pm
#37305
Report from the New Mexico Greenhouse
December 30, 2009, Steve Doonan
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and this month's full moon, and the winter solstice occurred just about 10 days ago, so the days are already getting longer and the new year is almost here. I'm looking forward to it; 2010 looks like it's going to be a great growing season.
It's not the ideal time of year for young plants to go from the warm, cozy, disease-free environment of their little sterile growing jars to the wide world of sharp variations in air temperature, having to gather their nutrients from photosynthesis instead of the relatively nutrient-rich gelled medium of tissue culture, and being exposed to all kinds of microorganisms they must develop a healthy resistance to or disregard of, but that's what's happening down here in the FlytrapStore greenhouse in New Mexico.
Recently I have received a lot of micropropagated Venus Flytrap clones from Matt's FlytrapStore tissue culture operation. I have lots and lots of little baby TC plants just bursting with energy (sometimes called "the TC effect") and ready to grow and adapt, and now that the days are getting longer and temperatures in the greenhouse can get up in the 60s or even low 70s during sunlight hours on some days, they are all set to get a good head start on this coming growing season while their older brothers and sisters are still sleeping deeply during their winter dormancy.
It's a bit of a challenge keeping the greenhouse temperature managed so that some Flytraps can be comfortably dormant while others can grow, but I'm managing to do that by placing dormant Flytraps low where the air is coldest, and the small babies up higher where the air is warmer.
In addition to 100s of Czech Giant, Fang, Jaws, and other known Flytrap Clones, I'm growing part of a first batch of ex vitro (out of tissue culture) clones of Flytrap Store tissue cultured seedlings that were selected because they look promising or special in some way. Any that continue to exhibit superior, unique or interesting characteristics as they mature may be named and tissue cultured to a greater extent, then sold and distributed.
SO--even though it's mid winter, the coming year's growing season is already underway here in the Flytrap Store greenhouse in New Mexico.
December 30, 2009, Steve Doonan
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and this month's full moon, and the winter solstice occurred just about 10 days ago, so the days are already getting longer and the new year is almost here. I'm looking forward to it; 2010 looks like it's going to be a great growing season.
It's not the ideal time of year for young plants to go from the warm, cozy, disease-free environment of their little sterile growing jars to the wide world of sharp variations in air temperature, having to gather their nutrients from photosynthesis instead of the relatively nutrient-rich gelled medium of tissue culture, and being exposed to all kinds of microorganisms they must develop a healthy resistance to or disregard of, but that's what's happening down here in the FlytrapStore greenhouse in New Mexico.
Recently I have received a lot of micropropagated Venus Flytrap clones from Matt's FlytrapStore tissue culture operation. I have lots and lots of little baby TC plants just bursting with energy (sometimes called "the TC effect") and ready to grow and adapt, and now that the days are getting longer and temperatures in the greenhouse can get up in the 60s or even low 70s during sunlight hours on some days, they are all set to get a good head start on this coming growing season while their older brothers and sisters are still sleeping deeply during their winter dormancy.
It's a bit of a challenge keeping the greenhouse temperature managed so that some Flytraps can be comfortably dormant while others can grow, but I'm managing to do that by placing dormant Flytraps low where the air is coldest, and the small babies up higher where the air is warmer.
In addition to 100s of Czech Giant, Fang, Jaws, and other known Flytrap Clones, I'm growing part of a first batch of ex vitro (out of tissue culture) clones of Flytrap Store tissue cultured seedlings that were selected because they look promising or special in some way. Any that continue to exhibit superior, unique or interesting characteristics as they mature may be named and tissue cultured to a greater extent, then sold and distributed.
SO--even though it's mid winter, the coming year's growing season is already underway here in the Flytrap Store greenhouse in New Mexico.
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