QuestionI live in the area of Toronto Ontario, Canada.
I am building a bog in my backyard and planting some plants I'm purchasing from you. I am however interested in adding Rotundifolia sundews to the collection of pitcher plants.
I'm hoping if I get started on the stratification process, I could possibly have small planters for the bog.
My question is, what is the best way to speed up this process to ensure spring plants.
This species is native to ontario.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks guys.
Jim
AnswerHi Jim,
Since you're going to have a bog garden the simplest way to get D. rotundifolia started out there is is to simply broadcast scatter the seeds right now. Germination will begin once you're starting to have temperatures consistently above freezing. It will take rotundifolia roughly two years to reach maturity from seed. If you can get seed from your local plants, that is going to be best since they are used to your climate.
If you want to start them in another container use a seed flat or cat litter pan half filled with peat moss. Put some chopped live sphagnum on the surface of the peat and scatter your seeds across the top. Keep it wet and outside. Germination will happen in spring. If the tray is buried in snow for most of the winter, that's fine. Just be wary of thunderstorms that might wash out your peat.
I wish I could recommend sowing them in pots or cell-plug trays, but my experience has been getting very poor results that way. They seem to like it best when the seed is scattered over an open surface. We get them popping up all over the nursery on pots of Sarracenia, but my intentional planting has had poor results. Drosera intermedia is like that too.
Once you get some germination in the spring, D. rotundifolia seems to do best in the presence of live sphagnum moss, and just slightly shaded by larger plants during the heat of summer. They like plenty of sun, but tend to wane when in hot locations.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com
