FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone. I was wondering what kind of care these plants require to thrive. How should I germinate their seeds? Are they like D. finlaysoniana in care and germination?

Raistlarn wrote:Hi everyone. I was wondering what kind of care these plants require to thrive. How should I germinate their seeds? Are they like D. finlaysoniana in care and germination?

They're like finlaysoniana but a little fussier. Warm tropical temps, lots of food, watch the water, and lots of light.

Similar to D. regia, they like to die tiny. If you get one to 1/2 inch tall, you should be OK. I'm still working on my technique. I grew one to adulthood and got seeds. But I still lose more than I win with this species.

Good growing,
Mike

Ok. Thank you.

You might contact Fishman. He's growing hartmeyerorum now. I think his are growing quicker and healthier than mine did.

Good growing,
Mike

Pm sent, thanks:)

Pm received. Can I post the pm? So people will have access to the information on growing this species of Drosera.

Raistlarn wrote:Pm received. Can I post the pm? So people will have access to the information on growing this species of Drosera.

I appreciate it. I re-read my pm that I sent to you this morning. I would like to fix some minor grammatical errors before it is posted. Ill make the corrections and post it up. Basically the same as i sent you, except without all my poor typing skills (i was being rushed at work this morning and messed up a little on the pm lol).

Good morning,
I based my growing method with this
particular plant with info given from the following excerpt from the ICPS site where it reads:

"D. hartmeyerorum grows in wet Pandanus savannas in lateritic sands (i.e. an iron-rich, tropical sand substrate) marked by high humidity (but usually not submerged in water) and high temperatures throughout the year."..

- Although i do not have lateritic sand (which is sand that is rich in iron and in some cases aluminum), At the time, I personally chose to use pool filter sand. I used a fine hand sifter to get the small grain out and i keep the larger grain for my medium. I use a strict 1:2 mix of peat & sand. It is a rather sandy soil that these prefer, similar to D.serpens or D.finlaysoniana, basically others from the Indica complex. With D.hartmyerorum however, i do not let them sit in a watering tray all day. After sowing the seeds, I put a clear covering over them to elevate humidity to levels near 80%-90%. Poke 2 or 3 pinholes in the cover. Set the pot in water for a couple of minutes to let the soil wick some up through the bottom of the pot. Take it out of the water and let the seeds begin to germinate by standing in a warm and humid climate. Temps held around 80F-90F are perfect. Try not to let the soil get too wet by over watering, otherwise you will begin to have issues with algae. Although it doesn't appear to hurt the plants, it is an unsightly occurance. If you have a seed germinating mat to generate a little heat, the better the chances are, as these do grow in a warmer climate year round. Once you notice the red specks begin to appear, continue to leave them under the cover. Check on them once a day to give them some fresh air, and then replace the cover. Once you begin to notice the condensation on the inside of the cover going away (lessening), that is a sign to bottom water again for a little bit. Only give the pot what it will soak up and then pull it away to let it dry some in between waterings. Just make sure you always have a little condensation under the bottom side of the cover. That way you will be assured they're not drying out. Continue to let it sit under the cover until the seedlings get about an inch or so taller. Once they reach that height, you can begin to lower the humidity a little. Keep in mind though that these plants do enjoy higher humidity than most plants. Once you see mucilage covered tentacles, begin foliar feeding them. A very dilute light MaxSea spray once every other week, or a simple bloodworm meal will suffice. Always keep media warm and moist but never completely drenched. Grow them to maturity hopefully and harvest some seed maybe. This is how I grow this species in particular, and it works wonders for me.
Best of luck

Good growing
~AB

*I want to add that I didn't discuss or bring up lighting in the original pm this morning. I haven't grown D.hartmeyerorum outdoors. I have kept mine under a pair of 600 watt mars II pro panels and they germinated just fine and to this day are continuing to grow exceptionally fast. I'm sure any lighting will work as long as its good and bright.
I'm most positive that many growers have different techniques that work for them with this species, but if this even helps one person then that makes me happy. I'm not too good of an advice giver usually anyways lol. I usually just grow plants and send in seeds to the seedbank.

I must also mention that Mike can give solid advice for these as well, as he's pretty much the one who inspired me to grow these for myself (after I saw his, I just had to have one). I do very much appreciate the vote of confidence however. Thanks!
~AB

I have a question I cannot get access to iron rich sand or pool sand and within reasonable amounts but I do have red lava rocks would the oxidized iron in those lava rocks be good when crushed up instead of the red sand or pool sand

I've never had any issue growing them over the summer. For me they are typically "brain dead" easy ... almost a weed at times. (I didn't bother sowing any this year, and still had one pop up in a pot I had never sown with them.) I do admit, I don't pay attention to my germination rates as I always have enough for my needs so don't care if my germ. is 10% or 100%. I've grown them in pure sphag and I've grown them in a mix of peat and Turface. Hasn't seemed to make a difference. I give them full sun (though I'm in Michigan, so do take that into account if you are in the deep South). I grow with the pot sitting in water at all times. I don't do anything special or use anything special. They grow, bloom, and set seed just fine.

Keeping them going over the winter for me is a challenge, but one I generally don't bother with anyway as I have major space issues being in an apt, so I typically treat them as a strictly summer annual.