Question
   About a month ago I bought a Darlingtonia from my local garden center. It was growing in about 1/2 peat moss 1/2 dried sphagnum moss. It is only about 2 inches tall so I put it about 6-7 inches away froma fluorescent light. I hesitated to put it outside because hear in Memphis ,TN, It gets up to over 100 degrees in August and cools to about 75-80 degreees at night.  It was already in rough shape when I bought it, but I tried to water it daily. I put it in 1/3 orchid bark 2/3 peat moss. Our water's hardness is only 25ppm. New leaves started sprouting But they soon wilted.  When I went on vacation for a weeek the soil dried out and all the leaves turned brown. Could the soil drying out for only a few days kill all the leaves? How long should a wait before I give up on the plant?  
     My flytraps' flowers have all closed up. How long before I can harvest the seeds? I have heard that after harvesting seeds you can souk them in Gibberlic acid to avoid having to stratify them. Is this true?
                     Thanks for your help,
                                     Dustin

Answer
Hi Dustin,

I'm afraid your Darlingtonia is on it's way out.  When you see new foliage wilting, it's pretty much gone.  I feel for you.  We just lost a big pool of Darlingtonia at the nursery due to a breakdown in the soil media.  (When they were planted, I ran out of pumice and tried to use just perlite.  Pumice creates a different structure and more aeration.  When the bark started to decompose, the media became too heavy.)

As soon as your seedpods turn black they will open up.  You'll see the little black seeds at the top.  You can sow them immediately.  You don't need the gibberlic acid.  Flytrap seeds don't need stratification.  That's why they mature so much earlier than other temperate cp.


Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com