FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello Everyone,

Some seeds I got from FTS red batch have germinated and one or 2 have their cotyledons extended. I am wondering when is the best time for them to be in the direct sun? Or should I stick with indirect sun/light for now until more maturity?

BTW I live in San Jose CA and the weather is around 80 to 90 degree at this time.

Thank for the help everyone!

I'm curious as to others' opinions on this. I would not do it just because they are so fragile. A more contained system would be easier to maintain. I can see them frying out in the sun if it's a particularly hot day!

I would give them a little bit of shade for their first year of growth, keeping them under a shade cloth in direct sunlight could work

I agree with pieguy. I usually keep seedlings or small plants in greenhouse conditions or under a shade cloth until they get larger and more established.

Matt wrote:I agree with pieguy. I usually keep seedlings or small plants in greenhouse conditions or under a shade cloth until they get larger and more established.

I'm glad I stumbled across this thread. My seeds are 11 weeks post planting and 7-8 weeks post germination. I was getting ready to move them to direct sun within the next few weeks.

The FTS page on growing from seed says "Once most of the seeds have germinated (within 4-6 weeks) the covering can be permanently removed and the seedlings then placed in direct sunlight." So is there definitely a real possibility of them getting sun burnt?

I planted my seeds directly in the pot they will be in the next couple years. I had them in direct sun with a screen for a couple weeks, then I moved them to a shaded spot that gets about 4 or so hours of direct sun in the evening and removed the screen. I'd say it was about an 80% germination rate so far.

Matt, do you think I should just leave them where they are, at least until they break dormancy in the Spring?

parker679 wrote:The FTS page on growing from seed says "Once most of the seeds have germinated (within 4-6 weeks) the covering can be permanently removed and the seedlings then placed in direct sunlight." So is there definitely a real possibility of them getting sun burnt?

I haven't raised plants from seed in years now because I do them all through tissue culture. I did grow some from seed when I was in Boulder and I remember that the top of the soil would dry out too quickly and get too hot (black peat gets hot in direct sunlight) when placed in direct sunlight. The rhizome of baby flytraps probably doesn't go any deeper than a millimeter or two, so it is highly affected by temperature changes on the surface of the media. For that reason, I chose to keep them under shade cloth to prevent them from cooking on the top of the peat moss. The seed article was written by Steve and he may have a different experience growing from seed than I do. But I believe that he keeps his seedlings in a greenhouse until they're older. So when he writes "Once most of the seeds have germinated (within 4-6 weeks) the covering can be permanently removed and the seedlings then placed in direct sunlight." he may be meaning in direct sunlight in a greenhouse.

parker679 wrote:Matt, do you think I should just leave them where they are, at least until they break dormancy in the Spring?

As with most things like this, it's probably best to watch for any negative results such as dehydration or sunburn and adjust your growing conditions accordingly. With my limited experience growing from seed, I'd say they'd probably be OK where they are. If they appear to be doing fine, you could increase sunlight and watch them closely for any signs of decline. During the winter months, there's very little chance of them getting sunburn or too hot, I'd guess? I don't really know what the weather is like in Tallahassee during the winter. Sunlight up here in Oregon virtually couldn't burn anything from November through March. So during the winter, they'd probably be fine in full sun all day.

Thanks Matt.

I think I'll leave them where they are for now since they're doing fine and once they get bigger I'll start giving them more hours of direct sun and monitor them.

With the current size, largest trap is maybe 1/8 an inch, my worry is that once I see a negative reaction it's already too late.

As usual your advice is greatly appreciated.

Wow I learned a lot in this page good job guys!

Good tips guys, thanks!

Isn't humidity a factor too? It is harder to control the higher humidity that seedlings prefer when the plant is outside in direct sunlight. But this would also depend on your location and climate I suppose.

jamzjamz

New grower here also in San Jose.

Curious to know if you've had any challenges with the weather here for VFTs, Sarracenias, Drosera, and Highland Nepenthes.

I think some of the ones I can foresee are our cold winter temperature, the hot afternoon sun, and reduction of humidity during the day.

Other wise, I've heard Northern California is one of the best place to grow Cps, would you agree?

i found that slightly shaded seedlings grow bigger quicker. THe ones in full sun seemed to grow very slowly