Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I have received some seeds from a Hirt's Garden and I was wondering how to sprout each different type.

I already have a collection of my own which I sprouted this last spring of S. purpurea, D. Spatulate, and D. Muscipula but I wanted to expand my collection and order different seeds which I know require hot or cold stratification.
Since I plan on skipping the first year of these seeds dormancy period I am wanting to germinate them now.

I have some cape sundews and will be cold stratifying these for 6 weeks in order to break their dormancy and will then place them under 12,000 lumens of light for 12-14 hrs a day and using distilled water.

I also have Parrot pitcher seeds which I will be hot stratifying and a mix of unknown (most likely Lowland) Nepenthes seeds. Will both these Genus be able to be treated with Gibberelic Acid in order to stimulate germination?

I currently have 2 Nepenthes growing quite well but have never germinated their seeds before, do they need a special treatment which would differ from regular c.p.s'?  (ie: medium, stratification time, temp etc...)

I was also wondering if using the gibberelic acid means I could skip the cold stratification or if doing both would result in a higher percentage sprouting.


I also have my N. Ventrata which had the bottom leaves (4-5) yellow, then die off. I know that this pattern is normal but I was surprised at the amount of leaves which did this and the quantity all at once. The current live pitchers are producing nectar so I suspect the plant is fine but figured I would ask an expert for certainty.


Please feel free to point out any mistakes I am making or point out any method which would work better then mine.
Thanks ahead of time, (and sry for the lengthy message)

Yann R

ANSWER: Hi Yann,

First, I'm going to refer you to our care sheet section on our main website.  You'll find our recommendations for germinating various types of carnivorous plant seeds:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

The only seeds that you'll need to stratify are Sarracenia and temperate sundews.  Tropical sundew and Nepenthes seeds don't require stratification.  They will germinate within a few weeks in warm temperatures (70?80癋 or 21?27癈).

The term stratification refers to the process of exposing the seeds to very cold, damp conditions.  The cold temperatures breaks down an enzyme that inhibits germination.  This enzyme prevents the seed from germinating before the onset of winter.  Once the enzyme is broken down from cold (sometimes freezing) temperatures, the seed can germinate when the temperature warms up again.

So when you use the term "hot stratifying," I'm not certain what you mean by that.  If you refer to the process of pouring hot water over the seeds, avoid doing this.  It is not at all necessary to do this with carnivorous plant seeds of any type.

(To avoid confusion, it's not necessary to use the term cold or hot when it comes to stratification.  Stratification is always cold.  If you meant that you weren't going to stratify your seeds, then it's best to use the phrase "germinating without stratifying."  Some seeds require intense heat before they'll germinate, and this process is called scalding, which I'm not sure if that's what you meant by "hot stratifying.")

You can use gibberilic acid (GA3) to bypass the stratification process with temperate seeds.  You can also use it to speed up and improve the germination rate with tropical seeds.  However, I'm not a big fan of using GA3 because carnivorous plants metabolize hormones much differently than regular plants.

GA3 increases a plant's metabolism.  As metabolism increases, so does its nutritional requirements.  However, unlike a regular plant, a carnivorous plant is not capable of absorbing nutrients through its roots. Instead, it must absorb nutrients through its leaves, which isn't as efficient as its roots.  The plant now becomes at risk for nutritional deficiencies.  

GA3 also stimulates leaf growth, but not root growth.  This will severely limit the size of your seedlings.  In the end, when using GA3, you might end up with small, weak seedlings that will remain small for the first few years.  In contrast, when I've germinated seeds without GA3, the plants reached maturity much quicker.  So while you may have faster germination with GA3, you sacrifice long-term growth.  Again, this occurs mostly with carnivorous plants. Regular plants respond better to GA3 because you can fertilize the plants their roots and leaves.  

If you still want to use GA3 on your carnivorous plants, use no more than 200 parts per million.  Soak the seeds for 24 hours before sowing.  Once the seeds are sown, avoid using additional GA3.

With your Nepenthes x ventrata, I can't really comment about the leaf die off.  I don't know enough about your growing situation to offer any helpful guidance.  I'm also not sure if this is a plant that you've had for a while or if you recently acquired it.  This too will make a difference in my recommendations.

For now, just make sure that your plant is getting lots of sunlight from a sunny south or west window.  Also make sure the soil is of the appropriate consistency, composition and moisture.  For details about growing Nepenthes, you can also find the care sheet on the care sheet section of our website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

If you need further assistance, I invite you to submit a follow-up question.  Please provide additional information about how you're growing your Nepenthes.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jacob,

Thanks for your previous answers, they've been a tremendous help.
To clarify about my Nepenthes:

I do not have very good windows which would acclimate the plant with enough sun so I have an indoor light system setup.
It consists of 2 T5 (24 inches) and 2 T12 of (48 inches)
The T5 are both 24W with one being 6500K and the other around 3000K.
My T12 are each 4100K at 40W.

The pot consists of a large coconut fiber 'bowl' about a foot in diameter and around 6-8 inches deep. It sits on top of a table and the lights are suspended about 6 inches over the plants. I obtained the Ventrata and a Sanguinea from a 'death in a box' from a HW store around April of March of '08.
The 2 Nepenthes are both in the same 'bowl' and I am thinking separating them would most likely be better for the plants themselves to have their own room. Both are oozing in nectar and lush green/red though the nectar on my Sanguinea tends to have a dark brown color on some places.
I water the medium daily from the top with distilled water and I believe that this water is sufficient as I am seeing green moss growing from the dried sphagnum and spreading onto the peat moss.

But like I explained in the previous message, my Ventrata suddenly had 4-5 leaves yellow then brown. (all leaves on the very bottom of the plant). I have noticed though a sudden increase in the size of the pitchers. There currently are 4 pitchers 6inches tall all oozing with nectar. Maybe this is just a sort of 'growth spurt'?

So should I separate the plants? and I am correct in assuming that my ventrata is just growing? And is the 'brown' nectar normal?

Thanks,
Yann

Answer
It's a bit difficult to say why there was a sudden drop in leaves.  It could be coincidental with the plant entering its vining stage.  The main thing is that you're seeing copious nectar secretion, which is indicative of adequate lighting.  Since you're relying on artificial lighting, however, we have to also consider the possibility that the lower portions of the plant isn't getting the same light intensity as the upper portions.  This is always an issue when growing large plants under artificial lighting.  The lighting is uneven, which is something you might need to accept if natural sunlight isn't available.

Some growers address this issue by using mylar for lateral reflection.  This will help, and would possibly encourage basal shoots.  But overall, your plant is doing just fine.  The brown nectar is also normal as it sits there for a few days.

I also recommend separating the plants.  As both plants mature, their roots will entangle and become difficult to separate.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin