Open Day taster.

[aidan]

A few shots over the plants to tempt you all into a visit on the 27th.

[Brian Barnes]

Aidan,

Those are spectacular plants. I see you're getting the hang of that newfangled camera. ;D The shots look great!

Believe me... if the big pond wasn't in the way, I'd be there in a flash...with a bottle of two hundred year old scotch to toast the new greenhouse as well!

Happy Growing,

Brian.

[khoas]

Likewise, if wasn't a bit of water in my way, I would be there

[maxposwillo]

Wow! Great looking plants!

I will definetly need to visit your collection if I am England this summer!

Good Growing,
Max

[mannyherrera]

Aidan,

Have you divulged your grow method on any of the forums? I can see lots of beautiful plants, but not the setup. Are they in tubs or individual pots? Are they standing in water? And how the hell do you keep them so "clean"? That takes A LOT of pruning.

[aidan]

Manny,

I have spent the summer upgrading my facilities to a new 20 x 8m polytunnel. Full details may be seen on my site here -

www.insektenfang.com/ipforum/index.php?showtopic=3171

Plants are individually potted in my own propietary media mix - which is not a great deal different to that of many other growers, but works well under my conditions.

Pots stand permanently in water through spring, summer and autumn and are kept damp over the winter months.

I am a firm believer that anything still green is of value to a plant, but all dead leaves etc are removed as necessary.

Growing so many plants in close proximity to one another also means that pitchers do not generally become "over-fed" with prey items and rot, so plants often remain in good condition late into the growing season.

[mannyherrera]

Thank you Aidan. I used to stand my Sarracenia in water, but have since abandoned that method. The intense heat down here leads to rot, which can be exacerbated by the stagnant water. I still have problems with rot as it is. Has anyone found an effective way to prevent rot?

[stevestewart]

Manny,

I don't have a collection of Sarracenia like Aidan does , but there are several kinds of rot.
For a quick answer, full sun and lots of moving air has been my best defense for fungal and bacterial issues in Sarracenia. If the standing water gets sour, the tray used may need to be less deep. Keeping plants clean will do wonders to prevent rot.
Some Sarracenia clones seem to be more prone to problems than others as well.
I doubt Aidan needs to deal with as many insects, or pesky lizards, getting into his pitchers, like Floridians in the US do! ;D Most of my best fall pitchers all had lizards, just days after they opened! A screened room may help keep plants nice for you.

Take care,
Steven Stewart

[mannyherrera]

Thanks for the input Steve. Lots of direct sun and air circulation are not a problem here. I've grown Sarracenia outdoors for over a decade. Overall, I've had no problem. My collection is expansive and healthy. However, I get hit with rot "pot shots' here and there. It is a source of irritation. I employ both biological and chemical fungicides. But these do not eliminate rot for good. As for reducing some of the prey in the pitchers, that's impossible for me to do. I'm not sure if that's the problem as the rot seems to strike from the bottom, in the roots and rhizome. I'm always looking for more ideas to combat this problem.

[aidan]

Lizards, no. They are something of a rarity in these parts. ;D

"Over-fed" and rotting pitchers are however common. Freshly opened pitchers of outdoor grown plants in particular will fill to the brim in a matter of days and quickly rot, which is somewhat disheartening to see but apparently harmless. Like Manny, I have not noted rotting pitchers being responsible for the loss of plants. The same phenomenon may be seen in plants grown under cover but close to doors or vents.