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Post by Pat on Mar 30, 2017 0:12:13 GMT -5
Last March, jamesp sent me a big box of pitcher plants (sarracenia), the soil and the pots for them. I put them out under a young apricot tree where I could keep an eye on them. They feasted well on bugs, but not as well at those in James yard. I figured that since they live in swamp land, and San Jose is hardly swamp land, I would keep them wet during the dry months, and hope they survived at other times. They dried out a lot, and today, we found these! IMG_1687 by Pat, on Flickr The photo is of just one bud, but there are many. Maybe they have acclimated to CA weather! Sturdy plants! Thanks, jamesp !
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2017 0:19:40 GMT -5
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2017 3:10:37 GMT -5
OK Pat. I want to ask you to take your scissors and individually cut the dead foliage off to about 2 inches tall. Be careful not to cut emerging bloom stalks and new green pitchers. The blooms stalks pop up first, then the pitchers next. If you have lots of bloom stalks your plants are happy and mature. You are almost guaranteed large pitchers to follow. For every bloom stalk you should have about 3 large pitchers. After the pitchers come up and harden they will start eating bugs, in about 1-2 months. Young pitchers do not eat bugs, they need to mature. Remember that fertilizer pretty much kills pitcher plants, they need to get ALL their fertilizer from bugs.
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Post by Pat on Mar 30, 2017 9:56:53 GMT -5
Thanks, jamesp. I needed the directions. At what point should they be divided and planted in the ground?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2017 10:07:54 GMT -5
Thanks, jamesp. I needed the directions. At what point should they be divided and planted in the ground? Divide plants in the last cold month when they are still dormant. Just before buds come up. Cut foliage back just before buds come up too.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2017 10:11:49 GMT -5
Mine have no foliage right now, just bloom stalks. One or two varieties have petals already.
I'll take a photo if get a chance today. Looks like peat with only bloom stalks sticking up.
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droseraguy
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Post by droseraguy on Mar 30, 2017 10:12:24 GMT -5
They will do fantastic there. Have a friend that lives in Morgan Hill who breeds and grows them by the bucketful. Just keep the fertilizer away from them !
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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 30, 2017 10:25:08 GMT -5
Mine have no foliage right now, just bloom stalks. One or two varieties have petals already. I'll take a photo if get a chance today. Looks like peat with only bloom stalks sticking up. Yay, Pat ! Good to see they are doing so well for you. Mine are long dead, dead, dead. Too hot here! The sun can be scorching at times!
However, I do have a lovely red maple tree that hitch hiked as a seedling with the first batch of pitcher plants James sent from GA. The leaves are just starting to pop out, but it has some amazing little flowers on the uppermost branches right now. Never seen maples bloom. Will try to take a minute for just one pic today.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2017 10:25:25 GMT -5
They will do fantastic there. Have a friend that lives in Morgan Hill who breeds and grows them by the bucketful. Just keep the fertilizer away from them ! Best advice droser. An expert in Atlanta was spraying foliar fertilizer and getting good results.. Never tried it. I have used high grade potting soil and seen better growth. Go figure. I thought about putting a bug light in the greenhouse to attract more food. Installed one over the wife's goldfish pond and the fish over fed to death. Got chewed out for that experiment.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2017 10:27:52 GMT -5
Mine have no foliage right now, just bloom stalks. One or two varieties have petals already. I'll take a photo if get a chance today. Looks like peat with only bloom stalks sticking up. Yay, Pat ! Good to see they are doing so well for you. Mine are long dead, dead, dead. Too hot here! The sun can be scorching at times!
However, I do have a lovely red maple tree that hitch hiked as a seedling with the first batch of pitcher plants James sent from GA. The leaves are just starting to pop out, but it has some amazing little flowers on the uppermost branches right now. Never seen maples bloom. Will try to take a minute for just one pic today.
No way I sent you a plant with a foreign weed in it. Yes, You are correct about Scal heat. Cactus land.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 30, 2017 10:33:02 GMT -5
jamesp Yes, you did. I even told you about it, sent you a pic, and asked what it was, lol. No worries, not like it is a noxious weed or anything. It is in a medium (2 gallon?) nursery pot now, will be going out to Winnie and Pat's in Ramona soon for a permanent home in the ground. I just don't have room for another tree here. I save all plants and animals, when possible, find them good homes. Life is precious.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2017 12:01:19 GMT -5
jamesp Yes, you did. I even told you about it, sent you a pic, and asked what it was, lol. No worries, not like it is a noxious weed or anything. It is in a medium (2 gallon?) nursery pot now, will be going out to Winnie and Pat's in Ramona soon for a permanent home in the ground. I just don't have room for another tree here. I save all plants and animals, when possible, find them good homes. Life is precious. OK. Guilty. But don't tell the nursery inspector. Those guys have no idea what noxious aquatic weeds are. I have to tell them. Cutting my nose off to spite my face. Educating them so they can ticket me which they never have in 25 years. Red Maple, should be 600 feet tall in 2 years ha ha. Darn helicopter seeds fly in the wind and germinate in the pots. Chain saw and a wood burner took care of the Red Maple issue. Better than those liquid ambers ?? Liquid gums ?? What do you guys call a Sweet Gum ?? Forgot. Red Maple would have been a better tree most likely except it is a side walk breaker.
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Mark K
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Post by Mark K on Mar 30, 2017 12:43:16 GMT -5
I have a red Maple right outside my back door. Naturally the core trunk is dead 15 feet up and the lower branches are well. It is sitting on the razor's edge every time I take the saw out. The positives always outweigh the one negative. If I cut it down, it is forever. That is why I am taking my time on the decision.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 30, 2017 12:49:30 GMT -5
jamesp Yes, you did. I even told you about it, sent you a pic, and asked what it was, lol. No worries, not like it is a noxious weed or anything. It is in a medium (2 gallon?) nursery pot now, will be going out to Winnie and Pat's in Ramona soon for a permanent home in the ground. I just don't have room for another tree here. I save all plants and animals, when possible, find them good homes. Life is precious. OK. Guilty. But don't tell the nursery inspector. Those guys have no idea what noxious aquatic weeds are. I have to tell them. Cutting my nose off to spite my face. Educating them so they can ticket me which they never have in 25 years. Red Maple, should be 600 feet tall in 2 years ha ha. Darn helicopter seeds fly in the wind and germinate in the pots. Chain saw and a wood burner took care of the Red Maple issue. Better than those liquid ambers ?? Liquid gums ?? What do you guys call a Sweet Gum ?? Forgot. Red Maple would have been a better tree most likely except it is a side walk breaker. Took a photo of the red maple, it's about 4 feet tall now. It was not flowers I saw, but the winged seeds, lol. Gotta run, will try to post it this afternoon.
Winnie has no sidewalks within MILES of her property. She is what you would call "rural" out here. 600 feet? No problem!
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on Mar 30, 2017 13:38:04 GMT -5
Maybe they have acclimated to CA weather! Sturdy plants! Very cool thanks for the pictures I don't want this to come across as pessimism please - but I wonder if they have survived the winter because we had one of the most mild winters in history - with lots and lots of rain. We had one or two frosty mornings in early December and that was it. No hard freezes at all that I can remember.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 30, 2017 13:48:58 GMT -5
Pitcher plants are fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
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Mark K
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Post by Mark K on Mar 30, 2017 14:56:13 GMT -5
People often confuse pragmatism with pessimism.
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droseraguy
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Post by droseraguy on Mar 30, 2017 14:58:43 GMT -5
I don't want this to come across as pessimism please - but I wonder if they have survived the winter because we had one of the most mild winters in history - with lots and lots of rain. We had one or two frosty mornings in early December and that was it. No hard freezes at all that I can remember. Nah, a good frost won't hurt these I'd venture to say. Slow em down and burn em back a bit but that would be about it. I tend to kill them with kindness. Being the pots in for the winter and forget to give them a drink now and then. Illinois winter is hard on those southern pitchers.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2017 16:32:01 GMT -5
They will do fantastic there. Have a friend that lives in Morgan Hill who breeds and grows them by the bucketful. Just keep the fertilizer away from them ! He has a hoop house. No?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2017 16:38:15 GMT -5
I have a red Maple right outside my back door. Naturally the core trunk is dead 15 feet up and the lower branches are well. It is sitting on the razor's edge every time I take the saw out. The positives always outweigh the one negative. If I cut it down, it is forever. That is why I am taking my time on the decision. You are allowed to plant another
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