FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey guys. Iv got some seeds on the way for the Drosera Gigantea. Can i germinate the seeds in the distilled water like the flytrap seeds? I had pretty good success with the water method for the flytrap seeds so ill probably use that method if it works. Also i'm pretty sure they're found in Western Australia so they wouldn't need a dormancy would they? We're just at the end of spring here in Aus, summer starts 1st of dec so it's a good time for my little flytraps and sundews.

Nice find! I've never grown tuberous sundews myself, but I know folks who have and have done some research. I definitely want to add one or more tuberous sundew to my collection one day.

Gigantea are perennial, but they are native to Australia like you thought. They hibernate in the dry season by retreating into a little tuber fairly deep under the soil. The tubers look like tiny tomatoes, see attached - that one is from a two-year old gigantea - it's a little less than 1cm diameter). A mature plant will have a tuber that's about a 3cm in diameter.

Mature plants are about 1 meter tall (if you didn't know this, no I'm not kidding); eventually you will need a several-gallon pot for each plant (probably 3- or 5-gallon pots would suffice). I'm pretty sure it takes years for them to reach maturity (4-5 maybe?) from seedlings though.

I don't think they'd respond well at all to water germination, but I can't say for certain because I don't know that it's ever been tried. I've seen a lot of people recommend a 40:60 sphagnum peat/silica sand (or quartz) mix. They do take a while to germinate.

Regarding germination, you need to read these:

Scarification: http://www.carnivorousplants.org/seedba ... cation.htm
I've seen gibberellic acid (GA3) and smoke water (google them) recommended to help with scarification --> germination

Good notes from Barry Rice on using a simple fire to "scarify" (scroll down a bit): http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3160.html - this is likely the method I would use, rather than finding/buying acid or "smoke water".

Here's a quote from someone on GardenWeb who did this method and got his d. gigantea seeds to germinate:

The ones that grew were sprinkled on damp sand/peat mix . Then I made a little fire of toilet paper and some dry grass & very small twigs. I left the ashes, etc., then I watered it from the top occasionally and they grew!!

The top of one of the plastic cups caught on fire - be careful!

Gigantea can be hard to germinate, but it'll be an awesome experience. Keep us updated (pics!!) and let us know what you do / how it goes.

Good luck.

G'day mate, the Drosera gigantea seed will be really tiny - about half the size of the full stop at the end of this sentence. If you try to germinate them in water, they will probably rot.

The seeds are usually released from the plants at this time of year (late Spring, early Summer) and they lay dormant on the ground until the rains arrive in Autumn. During the Summer they are exposed to hot & dry conditions and will need to experience similar conditions if they are to germinate.

This Sundew is a tuberous one - it forms a tuber under the soil and it will go dormant during the hotter months of the year. From early Summer to late April all above ground growth will die off and resume growing again only after the first Autumn rains arrive. During dormancy allow the soil to dry out - keeping the soil too wet will cause your tuber to rot.

Happy growing,
Linton.

linton wrote:During dormancy allow the soil to dry out - keeping the soil too wet will cause your tuber to rot.
Linton.

Do you need to let the soil dry completely before re-watering while it's hiding in a tuber, or keep the soil barely damp?

Not even barely damp, in nature the tubers are sometimes 4-6 inches below the soil. Summer rains during dormancy are very brief and the moisture will not penetrate the soil this far. There is very little moisture present in the top 12" of soil by the end of Summer. I find that keeping the pot in a cool, shady location helps, and the occasional watering from the bottom of the pot (stand in a very shallow tray) is sufficient during dormancy. Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.