i think i am addicted

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DaveW
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by DaveW »

A quote from the Web:-

"Insectivorous plants are the ones that derive most of their nutrition from the insects they trap and consume. These plants grow in humid areas where plenty of sunlight and moisture is found. The nutrients in the moist soil are scarce. That is why they trap and digest insects to absorb nutrients."

The wet habitats lack nutrients which is why the insectivorous plants supplement them by insect trapping. The false Pitcher plant I showed grows in normal dry soil therefore does not need extra nutrients. Steve's picture illustrates a very wet habitat.
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

Steve-0 wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:53 pm
Option B - Southwest USA.

and get shot by police instead of cartels :lol: :lol: :lol:
joking aside it is a good alternative. plenty of cacti viewing to do down there!
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

Aiko wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:13 pm

Could it be you are referring to an Arum or Amorphophallus plant, by any chance?
They are not carnivorous, but do have smelly flowers that attracht flies and the flowers do resemble pitchers a bit.
no its neither of those. although now i want an amorphophallus!!!
it could be that it was just an abnormally large specimen that i saw. i cant remember the details.
it was pretty much the same thing as the first one in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk2RlOVX_Ck
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

DaveW wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:50 pm Graham Charles no longer takes visitors Prickle, but the biggest cactus nursery in Britain you can visit (by ringing up for an appointment during Covid so not too many visitors arrive at once in order to retain personal spacing) is Southfield Nurseries. This covers about four or five times the area of Grahams greenhouses.

https://cactusland.co.uk/about.php

https://cactusland.co.uk/main.php

Also see:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/nurseryuk.html

thanks for the links! i think a day trip might be coming soon :D
cactus-mall seems to be down right now.
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Steve-0
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Steve-0 »

prickle wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 12:19 pm
Steve-0 wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:53 pm
Option B - Southwest USA.

and get shot by police instead of cartels :lol: :lol: :lol:
joking aside it is a good alternative. plenty of cacti viewing to do down there!

Yeah, I had that very thought when typing the response. lol. Our culture and society is really messed up. At least the sensationalism, angry attitudes, irresponsibility, lack of civility....don't get me started....not going down that rabbit hole today. A good life is about good choices, good thoughts, selfless actions, good karma, generosity and humility when needed. It's working for me. :)

But the general feeling of being and staying safe in the US is on a whole 'nother level from many of our neighboring countries south of the border.
ilariav
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Location: SW Washington zone 8a

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by ilariav »

I keep both carnivorous plants and cacti as well. I keep my cacti in the green house 9-10 months a year and the sarracenias(pitcher plants) outside. I find the care requirements are similar in a weird way. One must pretty much stand in water and the other is dry, but the schedule is easy for both.
The thing to remember is that carnivorous plants can't be planted in soil. You put them into peat.

this is the nursery I like. They are local to Portland OR.
https://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/ They have a really nice care manual that is downloadable.

I've gone for the more green forms. Some forms/varieties are very red with red flowers.

The difference between the sarracenias, and the "false pitcher plants" above is, Sarracenia pitchers are LEAVES, and the Dutchman's Pipe pitchers are FLOWERS.

Depending on the variety, sarracenias are hardy thru zone 8 into zone 7 and colder for a few. They easily take frost and snow.
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prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

Steve-0 wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 2:09 pm A good life is about good choices, good thoughts, selfless actions, good karma, generosity and humility when needed. It's working for me. :)
amen! shame some people never figure that out.
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

ilariav wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 3:27 pm I keep both carnivorous plants and cacti as well. I keep my cacti in the green house 9-10 months a year and the sarracenias(pitcher plants) outside. I find the care requirements are similar in a weird way. One must pretty much stand in water and the other is dry, but the schedule is easy for both.
The thing to remember is that carnivorous plants can't be planted in soil. You put them into peat.

this is the nursery I like. They are local to Portland OR.
https://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/ They have a really nice care manual that is downloadable.

I've gone for the more green forms. Some forms/varieties are very red with red flowers.

The difference between the sarracenias, and the "false pitcher plants" above is, Sarracenia pitchers are LEAVES, and the Dutchman's Pipe pitchers are FLOWERS.

Depending on the variety, sarracenias are hardy thru zone 8 into zone 7 and colder for a few. They easily take frost and snow.
you guys are not really doing my bank account any favours :lol:
sounds to me like they would grow quite easily in UK :D
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Aiko
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Aiko »

prickle wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 8:46 pm sounds to me like they would grow quite easily in UK :D
Sarracenia's grow easily up here in the Netherlands. I think the UK would be the same. I should be able to offer some seeds from my in 2013 sown Sarracenia oreophila plants, if you want to give them a try next year. If the seed pods ripen well, they will be on my free seed list.

I kept them out in the open in the last few years. They flowered for the first time this year, and seem to be happy being outside in the cold and rain throughout winter and in the heath in summer (although they are in a box that I keep filled with water during summer so the soil is always wet / moist).
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

Aiko wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:09 pm
Sarracenia's grow easily up here in the Netherlands. I think the UK would be the same. I should be able to offer some seeds from my in 2013 sown Sarracenia oreophila plants, if you want to give them a try next year. If the seed pods ripen well, they will be on my free seed list.

I kept them out in the open in the last few years. They flowered for the first time this year, and seem to be happy being outside in the cold and rain throughout winter and in the heath in summer (although they are in a box that I keep filled with water during summer so the soil is always wet / moist).
that would be awesome! thanks man!
i always just assumed they would need much warmer conditions. leaves more time to care for other new plants :D
ilariav
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Location: SW Washington zone 8a

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by ilariav »

One of the plants in my picture above is an Oreophila. That could be a good one for iffy climates as it goes into its winter dormancy early. The one pictured alone is a type of the hardiest variety, it can grow all the way up the east coast through New Jersey and into Canada. Their winters can be brutal, but they have snow for most of it.
You ought to be able to grow sarracenias and venus fly traps(drosera) outside most of the time in England, I bring mine in when it is going to be really cold if there is no snow, Sarracenia's native range is all the way from Florida(tropical) through New York and parts north depending on variety. That is USDA zone 11-12 down to around 4. Here in SW Washington State our typical coldest winter is around 20F or around -6-7C. I tend to cover them if it is going to be that cold unless I happen to have snow. Anything colder I move them. Just to be safe. They take light freezing and rain just fine. They like it wet. The major problem with hard freezing temps around here is it gets really dry.

I've found that many plants have a MUCH wider tolerance to cold and heat than you might expect. I keep "several "tropical" plants in my unheated greenhouse.
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

ilariav wrote: Sat Jun 20, 2020 3:53 pm One of the plants in my picture above is an Oreophila. That could be a good one for iffy climates as it goes into its winter dormancy early. The one pictured alone is a type of the hardiest variety, it can grow all the way up the east coast through New Jersey and into Canada. Their winters can be brutal, but they have snow for most of it.
You ought to be able to grow sarracenias and venus fly traps(drosera) outside most of the time in England, I bring mine in when it is going to be really cold if there is no snow, Sarracenia's native range is all the way from Florida(tropical) through New York and parts north depending on variety. That is USDA zone 11-12 down to around 4. Here in SW Washington State our typical coldest winter is around 20F or around -6-7C. I tend to cover them if it is going to be that cold unless I happen to have snow. Anything colder I move them. Just to be safe. They take light freezing and rain just fine. They like it wet. The major problem with hard freezing temps around here is it gets really dry.

I've found that many plants have a MUCH wider tolerance to cold and heat than you might expect. I keep "several "tropical" plants in my unheated greenhouse.
good to know, thanks.
this morning i noticed a couple of ants have discovered my potato plants so i need to act fast before they swarm. i think a few of these planted around my vegetable patch would do a great job of protecting them in the future.
dry wouldnt be a problem in UK. even frost doesnt stay for long before melting, at least briefly. if there is one condition this climate can provide its wet :)
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7george
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by 7george »

Steve-0 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:00 pm
Maybe someone should set up a Cactus Addiction Hotline @ 1-800-DONTBUYANOTHER1
Driving by stores with cacti I convince myself that plants there are heavily infested with bugs and spider-mites. Also overpriced. This helps most times. :D
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
prickle
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

just say no to cacti! do not do it just because your friends are doing it! if they jump off a cliff, would you? :D
CactiJim
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Re: i think i am addicted

Post by CactiJim »

bartab wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:03 am I started with a couple of succulents, and then decided I like cacti better. Gave the succulents to my wife. Found out packaged cactus soil is no good, and started bringing home pumice from different sources. Chicken grit, but hated the size and color. Picked up some sieves off of Amazon. Got a different size chicken grit. Then discovered California Gold granite, and found a source which is just the right size. Do I want lava rock or not? Red or black? Why not try both. Coir? Let's try it in small amounts. Oops, this other brand of coir is triple washed instead of double. I'm finally down to pumice, grit, a little lava mixed in, and might add coir for a few plants. Don't even get me to begin on pots. It's worse than deciding on substrate. I sneak plants in through the garage or back gate when my wife isn't around. If one is coming through the post I am sure to keep an eye out for the postman. My trips up to a local grower are quick runs "up to the store". Any extra substrate materials went into my tomato garden. Extra pots are hidden in the garage. You will be broke in a couple of years.
I laughed reading this comment. Who is your supplier? They sound very similar to mine. I go to a landscape company in Chino, CA. They have so many things: lava rock (black and burgundy); pumice, CA Gold DG, coconut coir; bonemeal, bloodmeal, dolomite Lime, almost everything!
-Jimmy, Phoenix, AZ
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