Pinguicula - Carnivorous plant

[jay]

This little guy is in with my Fdk. After Dark seedlings. I have some fungus/sphagnum gnats in there and I don't want to put any chemicals on them right now. So I thought I would try one of these little carnivorous plants. I posted a picture when I did my update of the seedlings but thought it should be here.

Well, after 5 days I would have to say that it is doing it's job. You can see the comparison between day 1 and 5. I might just have to get a couple more of these. It gives off a scent that attracts insects. The leaves are a bit sticky, not really to my touch, but enough for the little monsters. When it "catches" a bug it curls the leaves to pool digestive liquids around the bugs.

Picture 1 - The Ping on Saturday.

Picture 2 - The Ping today (Thursday)

Picture 3 - Close up of a gnat that has been nabbed by the Ping. It was fighting to get away with no luck.

These are supposed to flower as well. I am looking forward to that.

[patticake]

How totally cool!

I had sticky traps, but still had the gnats. Finally one morning I was misting my chids, and noticed a huge spider-web. (these are in my basement) I have no more gnats! Mr. spider took care of them! I like the natural way also!

Where did you get that plant? It's awesome!

[Rocinante]

Fascinating, Jay! I know of a little "mom & pop" garden shop in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn that sells carnivores. I've been having a little trouble with fungus gnats in my Dendrobiums. They love that coco husk! You've convinced me, I'm gonna give it a try as well.

[jay]

I actually bought it from Lowe's. Gubler's Orchids is the supplier of carnivorous plants and orchids in this area. There are several places online that you can get them as well. There are several varieties and hybrids. This one cost $5.00.

From what I have read they don't like drafts. I have it in a humidity dome right now with my seedlings. Not sure if it will do well with my open air orchids.

[arleneg]

Thanks for sharing the pics of the Ping. at work.

I checked OSH yesterday. They didn't have any. I might have to check Home Depot and Lowes this weekend. I'd like to trade the fly paper for Pings. Fly sticky papers are very sticky to the touch. They do work. But I don't like it when I bump into it when watering the plants. Yuck.

[patticake]

Originally Posted by arleneg

Thanks for sharing the pics of the Ping. at work.

I checked OSH yesterday. They didn't have any. I might have to check Home Depot and Lowes this weekend. I'd like to trade the fly paper for Pings. Fly sticky papers are very sticky to the touch. They do work. But I don't like it when I bump into it when watering the plants. Yuck.

Arlene, I know just what you mean! One day I was bending over the grow-cart tray, and the ends of my hair got stuck on a sticky paper! I'm glad it was just the ends... Time for a hair trim anyways.

[solay]

It looks like the Ping is working out for you. I have tiny gnats now too and they are multiplying. Time to get some Pings! The plant itself is kinda cute too. Do you see the leaves curl up immediately or is it a slow process? Thanks.

[Rocinante]

Here's a link to another Carnivore website I found:

Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Sale by Sarracenia Northwest

[made4engineering]

There are epiphytic species of Butterworts Someday I will grow them ... someday

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by jay

From what I have read they don't like drafts. I have it in a humidity dome right now with my seedlings. Not sure if it will do well with my open air orchids.

They do like protected positions but I grow my Mexican Pings in a breezy shadehouse (40-60% humidity) and they grow quite happily. No doubt they'd probably sulk with hot dry winds but I don't think you need to be concerned about growing them with typical 'orchid' ventilation. They should do well. If you've got them in a humid enclosure just make sure you gradually harden them off if you want to grow them with your other orchids. The flowers are quite pretty. The Mexicans are mostly shades of pinks and purples - ~1".

[norris]

Jay,we get Gubler's plants here also. My 2nd orchid came from them. Have you been to the Gubler greenhouse? and I read on their website that you can visit their greenhouse, I would like to do that sometime, I know it is out there in the desert in Landers CA.

[Jennifer]

This is awesome! I need one of these to catch the fruit flies that are always in my kitchen. I generally keep lots of fruit around, especially in the spring and summer. Fruit flies love me, but that relationship isn't reciprocal! I'll keep my eyes out for one of these little guys. Living in Wilmington, NC, we usually have access to a wide variety of carnivorous plants considering a lot of them grow natively here. Thanks for sharing!

[tom499]

They are great plants. The temperate species can be grown outside most of the year, while the mexican pings are more suited to intermediate orchid conditions.

Need a dry winter, just about kept moist. For the rest of the year they should be kept in a shallow saucer if they're in good quick drying media. A heavier media can lead to rot with a water saucer, though like with orchids, good air movement keeps rot down.

Most need good light to grow well. They often make many growths and big clumps can build quickly creating nice flowers which can last several weeks.

I've got a couple of buds coming I type.

[jay]

Thanks everyone. I really wanted to try something other than sprays and chemicals with the seedlings. I know that there is the magic cinnamon extract solution, but I think it was mentioned that cinnamon can stunt growth temporarily and I didn't want to take the chance with these.

I will post pictures if and when it blooms. I may have to try a fly trap as well now.

[bkim]

That's really cool! I'll keep my eyes peeled for these.

[Andrew]

While we're on the subject of Pings, I thought I might post a pic of my latest experiment in my ongoing 'convincing my wife that carnivorous plants are attractive enough to grow in the entertaining area in order to free up valuble space in my shade house' project. This is a compact form of Disa uniflora growing with Pinguicula 'Sethos'. I got the idea when I tried to save on sphagnum by growing Ping leaf cuttings in old Disa mix only to find stray Disa tubers shooting amongst the Pings. I’m growing the pot under Disa conditions. The Ping seems to have adapted well.

[arleneg]

Andrew,

That's creative. The arrangement looks great. I like.

[myorchid]

What a great setup. I love the look of the arrangement! Great job!

[tom499]

That is a very nice arrangement Andrew.

Ping roots are so shallow they won't give the Disa any trouble,and you'll get a lovely display if they decide to flower at the same time.

May have to give that a go sometime

I think CPs are beautiful, but I know they're an aquired taste hehe out of all of them Pinguicula are probably the most angelic, though many of the Utricularia look totally harmless, their trap systems hidden in the soil. All you see are the tear drop shaped leaves and the alien flowers

[Andrew]

Tom,
The shallow root system was the main reason I chose Pings to go with the Disa. Aside from Cephs, which I couldn't see working, there's not a lot of CP's that like early autumn repotting but the Mexican Pings can be repotted at anytime without setback. My main concern with the Pings was with the higher light levels and wetter mix that I grow my Disa in but the Pings seem to have adapted well. It's probably the stronger light that lets them tolerate the wetter mix. They also handle the low concentration fertiliser I give my Disa.

FWIW tuberous Drosera and Australian terrestrial orchids also grow well together in pots, although given they grow side by side in the wild it's probably to be expected. That's probably another thread though.

[tom499]

Yes, lets not mention lovely Drosera just yet

To be almost back on topic, heres P. agnata which opened up today. Bit small but I like it.

[jay]

Calling in the reinforcements!

Here is another Ping and a Sundew. There were still plenty of gnats available so I got some more bug munchers.

[arleneg]

Tom -- Oh, I like that flower. Thanks for sharing.

Jay -- I like the leaves on that Ping and the look of the sundews. Anyway, I ordered 4 carnivorous plants...two Pings and two Droseras. They arrive towards the end of this week. Two will go in the orchid room; one in the girls' bathroom; one in the master bathroom. I hope the Droseras work.

[tizzycat]

The flower is great Tom, good things in small packages eh?

[tom499]

Couple more in flower. Once they awaken from their winter slumber they will sporadically flower until late autumn, temperatures and light depending.

P. Weser (fake) - purple
P. gracilis x moctezumae - pink

[tizzycat]

I like those very much, well worth having.

[kid a]

I got two pings at Lowe's on my lunch break today and brought them back to work with me. I opened the lids on the plastic containers for about 20 minutes and the leaves llok they have shrivelled up. They didn't look that great when I got them. Are the leaves very thin in thickness? Maybe it is because I touched it?

[jay]

I would put the lids back on them. They do not like breezes at all. I have mine with my seedlings where the humidity is very high and a very slight breeze.

The leaves are thin and they do curl up when they catch bugs. This allows them to 'pool' the digestive liquids on the bugs. They also like it very wet. I think I am not keeping mine wet enough, but I am nervous to add too much water. Must be the orchid grower in me.

Post a picture when you get home. I can't wait to see them.

[bkim]

I was looking into some carnivorous plants and found one called a Cape Sundew (Drosera capensis). From what I've read, they are hardier than butterworts, do well in USDA zone 8-10. It can be hardened to live in indoor conditions and with lower humidity requirements.

[clarita]

We're just having this discussion on another thread titled
"Using a room fogger"

I posted some pics of my carnivours in bloom there

I have a bunch of carnivours. Couldn't live without them. They all flower. I love the Cape Sundews best! They are super easy and not very picky about conditions.

Clara

[bkim]

I just got a Drosera adelae (Lance leaf sundew) and a Pinguicula moraenensis from the site clarita linked: cobraplant.com. That was a great website with very detailed information about carnivorous plants. It made it easy for me to pick ones that are best for my growing conditions.

I picked ones that don't require full sun since they will be growing with my orchids. My orchids are facing a fully shaded southern window with supplemented CF lighting.

From first impression, the sundew seems easier to grow than the ping. The culture sheet says to water the ping only when needed and to not have it sit in water as the roots will rot.

[clarita]

VFT's require full sun not the pings or dews

Pings have no roots Really tiny shallow roots. They like it wet, especially in summer. I know they say not to do it but you'll see that its impossible to water the buggers from the top. You will wash off the "stick" or upset the roots. If you have it in good culture they won't rot. They drink a lot at this time of year. I don't sit them in a lot of water, just enough to keep them happy.

I put one outside this year. He sits under a spider palm and loves it.

Clara

[bkim]

That's good to know clarita. I'll add a smaller amount of water to the ping saucer than the sundew saucer. Thanks!

[tom499]

It is important to know which Ping your growing as their culture will differ depending on whether they are temperate, warm temperate, or tropical.
Temperate Pings like a mix of two parts peat, one part sand, which is quite a wet mix.
Warm temperate Pings like a more open mix of one part peat and one part sand.
Tropical Pings like an equal mix of peat, sand, perlite, and vermiculite. Some growers add dolomite, gypsum, or pumice.

Temperate and warm temperate Pings need constant moisture while Mexican Pings require much less in the winter when they form succulent leaves. The tighter the rosette the less water they need. A shallow saucer of water is fine, though it should be allowed to empty before topping up. An open mix will help minimize any chance of rot.

Top watering is one method, I grow mine in fairly large pots as many get pretty big over time, I usually gently lift a leaf and gently water the surface till the water starts to drain from the bottom. I prefer not to let mine sit in water as I keep the humidity quite high.

[kid a]

I did notice they didn't have much for roots at all. I ended taking those two back to Lowes and going to a different location and buying two more. I am afraid the won't help much with the small gnat issue if I can't leave them out of their little containers Oh, well I did pick up a venus fly trap and it's doing good so maybe that will help. I didn't get a chance to take pics yet though. They are all very small.

[jay]

If you can keep it from catching a draft from the A/C then you should be ok. Also it seems that Tom might be able to help with identifying your Ping and the individual cultural needs for it. Maybe if you post a picture, or if you have a tag, Tom can help out with this.

[kid a]

I will post a picture tomarrow. So far I haven't used the a/c. My grandma won't let me turn it on until it hits 90 in the house. She will only let me cool it to 80 which is fine I am getting used to it. I took a picture of my new paph just before I left the house today and forgot about them, lol. The new ones did the same thing when I took them out but I put them back in and they look just like they did when I bought them now.

[tom499]

If the pot has come in a plastic container, I would do as Jay says, keep it out of the AC draft and slowly remove the lid bit by bit over a period of time so the plant can adjust, like orchid seedlings.

A flower photo would be best, or abit of a description of any flowers seen on other pings from where you bought it.

I'll get to work this evening on Ping identification by leaf For basic types (intermediate, tropical etc) should be pretty reliable.

[kid a]

The box said butterwort I don't know if that helps. So far we haven't used the a/c this summer it has been getting around 85 tops in my room with 60-70% percent humidity.

[jay]

That should be ok, just acclimate it to the 60-70% humidity. While it is in that little container with the top on it will have nearly 100% humidity. Pop the top open a little to allow it to adjust slowly to the new environment.

[arleneg]

I didn't acclimate my Pings and Droseras. They seem to be doing fine. (fingers crossed) However, I bought them from cobraplant.com. I think they covered the plants just before shipping. They arrived 2 days after they shipped. So the plants weren't covered for long, compared to the ones that are shipped to stores and are on the shelf for a while.

[arleneg]

Here's a pic of my 2 Pinguicula moranensis and 2 Droceras roseana. It was taken a few days ago.

[myorchid]

Those are really cute! Where did you get those?

I just bought a Drosera today from Lowe's. It seems to be OK.

I will post pictures of it tomorrow.

[solay]

Those are really cute Arlene. I remember that site when I was looking for a pitcher plants. I'll have to check them out again.

I have a gnat problem too and might need some Pings.. Been spraying but they are still around. Such a pain!

[arleneg]

I thought they are cute, too, especially D. roseana. I'll try to take a macro shot of the Drosera. They're tiny that you can't really see them in that pic I posted.

Cindy -- Yeah, check them out.

Last night, I was checking on my Pings. The one in the girls' bathroom caught a couple gnats!

[myorchid]

Here is a picture of my Drosera that I got at Lowe's. So far it is doing OK.

[solay]

Has it caught any bugs yet? Wish I had a Lowe's nearby. Just have a Home Depot. Not much in terms of selection.

[myorchid]

I haven't seen it get any bugs. Last week I had some of those little gnats flying around. I sprayed with Brooke's recipe and now I haven't seen any gnats.

Hopfully I have some bugs for it to eat!

[bkim]

I got my D. adelae and P. moranensis yesterday from cobraplant.com. The Ping has no dew left but the Drosera looks fantastic.

Funny thing was I checked this morning if they caught any bugs and instead found a drowned gnat in the saucer of water they're sitting in. LOL!

[jay]

I am new to carnivorous plants. My sundew was not too happy until I put the whole pot in a small container of water. In the last 2 weeks it has put out new leaves and grew more dew.

Here is the interesting part. I hope you can see from the photos that the new dew is red! Is this normal?

Any ideas to what type of sundew I have?

It also appears to be starting some very small babies in the moss. They are about the size of a tack.

[Andrew]

Drosera adelae.

[jay]

Thank you Andrew. Is it normal for the dew to be clear on some and red on others?

[arleneg]

Jay,

You probably have gotten hints on your sundew's care. Just in case you want more care info, check out...

Care Sheets : Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Sale by Sarracenia Northwest

I see you got some gnats on there. Yesterday, when checking on my sundews, I found a couple gnats on one and one on the other.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by jay

Thank you Andrew. Is it normal for the dew to be clear on some and red on others?

Your plant looks fine. The red colouration is just a reflection of the amount of light it's getting. Drosera adelae has quite low light requirements compared to most other sundews. When grown in a shady position the plant stays green and the leaves can get quite large: 6"+ leaves aren't uncommon. While full sun can burn this D.adelae, it can tolerate up to lightly filtered sunlight. However, as the light is increased, the tentacles turn red (as your has), the leaves start take on a bronze/red colour and the diameter of the plant gets smaller. The plants will still grow well under these conditions and be healthy (although smaller).

[BillC]

I thought this might be of interest to all who have posted in this thread. The pic was shot in Ireland; the plant spotted by roadside near Cullenagh Lake, Co Cork. Pic. courtesy of J R Crellin 2005. Pinguicula grandiflora (Bladderwort family)
Lentibulariacea

I think the flower is very pretty.

Bill

[bkim]

Nice picture Bill!

My Drosera and Ping are doing great! Both are growing new leaves, the dew is coming back, and they're catching lots of bugs.

[lynda]

Tomorrow or Sunday we were planning on going to Lowes so I will be sure and keep a eye out for these carnivorous plants. I make some really exotic wine and knats/midges are a real problem. I'm also going to check out cobraplant.com

[Nancy]

lynda, I would order from cobraplant before I would go back to Lowes. I found with the Lowes plants that I didn't get one well grown plant but rather two or three small plants. I also had to spend time aclimating them to my humidity before I could get them out of the boxes. Cobraplant has a very large selection and helps you pick out the plants that will grow best under your growing conditions. The two plants I ordered did not have to be aclimated and have done just fine. Hope this helps.