FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have a Pinguicula laueana “Red” and a Pinguicula gigantea x laueana “red” in my collection of cps. I have read/heard that they are only succulent in the winter months. By that I take it to mean that their leaves are stiff and rigid. Well, it is mid-May and the leaves on both of the above are stiff and rigid. Aren't they supposed to soften up in spring and summer? They both have good color but have grown only slightly under T5s presently at 14 hours per day. They do get a few gnats once in a while.

have you started watering again ?

in Mexico there are not winter months but dry months (from where their succulence or their passage in hibernacle , see the leaf arachnoides.)

so when they are grown in principle , they passe 2 period, a dry where they are dormant (succulent, etc.) and a wet where they grow with normal leaves that take insects

have you the possibility to leave them out now until October,you live in what country ?

jeff

Yes, I water them, tray method, I live in Wisconsin, USA.

Pings are weird, it’s one of the reasons I love them. I’ve hear various ideas about what triggers the switch to summer growth me but it seems to be largely a function of temperature and humidity for a time. So if they are in the house and AC is on, it the humidity might be a little low. That said, I still have a few that haven’t broken dormancy and we got no AC here in Seattle. They’re just weird. I have heard that watering them from the top can also help wake them up.


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Pinguicula laueana “Red”Pinguicula gigantea x laueana “red”

they are, indeed, dormant.

what substrate have you just sphagnum ?

may be the sphagnum pump all the water and nothing for your ping.

get them out?

see here for laueana:
http://www.pinguicula.org/pages/plantes ... aueana.htm

in situ for the substrate
http://www.pinguicula.org/A_world_of_Pi ... card_5.htm

jeff

These plants are in the original substrate as they were shipped from California Carnivores. The moss is just a top dressing but it makes top watering hard as water beads up rather than soak in. I often wonder if it is C.C.'s intention that the moss is to be removed. I have a similar issue with a D. aliciae, the top is covered with moss, the plant has divided but produces very little dew. Right beside it, is a D. spatulata that is covered with dew all the time. I can see where live moss would suck a lot of water.
Later: I went at the moss in both plants with a sharp Xacto knife, it was like cutting sod, was an easy 1/2" or more thick. I removed as much of the original media from it and replaced it in the pot. I put the live moss in a shallow tray of similar soil, I'll bet it isn't hard to grow.
For what it's worth, I called California Carnivores who said that the Pings are, just now, starting to turn carnivorous, theirs included. The moss is meant to stay but you can cut off the spore stalks. Sigh...

Pings have a large and deep root system, especially compared to moss. I can't imagine moss out-competing the ping for water, usually moss shows water stress first, giving you a heads up to water before the plant starts to suffer.

promethean_spark wrote:Pings have a large and deep root system, especially compared to moss. I can't imagine moss out-competing the ping for water, usually moss shows water stress first, giving you a heads up to water before the plant starts to suffer.

Actually pings root system isn’t that strong, especially when they’re in winter phase. And I’ve had that moss (it’s not sphagnum) get so thick and dense that the roots have trouble penetrating it.


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I got a couple of Pings that had winter leaves. I threw them in my warm , humid Greenhouse under a T5HO light



My P. laueana “Red” showing the change in leaves.





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Looking great!


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promethean_spark wrote:Pings have a large and deep root system, especially compared to moss. I can't imagine moss out-competing the ping for water, usually moss shows water stress first, giving you a heads up to water before the plant starts to suffer.

yeaaaaa-- most mexican pings have almost little to no root system on them. I had read that but after a lil contest win from Hollyhook the kid got her first pings - when we potted it up we had no idea how to even do it as there were virtually no roots to bury haah

we just sorta made a finger print, pushed the plant down onto it and mushed the medium around that area -- it was fine

That’s pretty much what I do. And since leaves tend to recurve in shipping and make it hard to keep the root zone in contact with the medium, I usually end up pulling off several lower leaves to use as pullings.


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