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By Sundews69
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#419675
Hey everyone,

I requested some Drosera regia seeds from the seed bank (thanks Shadowtski), but I've got some questions (and will probably have more later). When I soil fertilize with Osmocote pellets, how many should I use? When do I refresh the pellets on the soil surface? What type of Osmocote pellets should I use? When should I start using the Osmocote pellets on the soil? Immediately after I sow the seeds? Once the seeds germinate? How many pellets should I put on the soil surface? When should I transplant the seedlings into their own separate pots and how do I do it safely (without causing them harm)?

Thanks in advance!
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By ChefDean
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#419685
Ideally, don't chemically fertilize, but try to get springtails to colonize the pot so they can feed the seedlings. When they get bigger, feed them gnats, then size appropriate bugs as they get bigger still. Personally, I recommend against regularly applying chemical fertilizer, and simply use good lighting and bugs.
If you insist on fertilizer, use Maxsea at 1/4 tsp per gallon of water. If you don't have/can't get Maxsea, make a weak tea by dissolving a single Osmocote pellet in one cup of water. Test the water, to make sure you're under 50 ppm TDS to start. It's easy to adjust by adding another pellet to strengthen or more water to dilute, but you don't want to overdo it with the plant, especially when they're seedlings. By the time you see that you went too far, it's too late, you can't flush it out of the plant if it's too strong. Maybe try to germinate in a couple different pots and leave one alone just in case you kill the seedlings in one because you overdid it.
Put a single drop of the mixture on the media, along the edge of the pot once a week and let it migrate to the plants itself. If there's no noticeable effect after a few weeks, drop it closer. You'll know if it's having an effect when the seedlings closest to the drop site grow a little faster than the ones farther away. If you don't notice a difference, increase the strength. Once they get about two inch leaves (provided you didn't accidentally kill them), you can put a single drop on a boogery leaf once every week or two.
Take it slow, don't let teenage impatience get the better of you. Find what works and stick with that.
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By Sundews69
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#419689
Ok, my mom ordered springtails for her African Giant millipede and maybe I can take some if she has extra. So does regia not need any source of nutrients right after germination? They'll be fine until they're large enough to catch the springtails? Why do you recommend against chemical fertilizers of regia? I would use live bugs but I feel bad for them. Can I use the same hydrated meal worms I feed my ducks? And have you ever tried placing 3-6 Osmocote pellets on the soil surface yourself?
By Sundews69
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#419690
I also want to see what @Shadowtski says about my questions as I know he has good experience with regia too.
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By Shadowtski
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#419698
I only used Osmocote when I was killing off my regia seedlings.
Since then, I don't fertilize my media.
I have used a tiny hypodermic syringe with needle; give a micro-droplet of (1/4 tsp per gallon) of MaxSea to each plant, in the middle of one leaf.
The micro-droplet should be no bigger than the dewdrop on the leaf.
I would start with monthly feedings, increasing to 2-week intervals, when the plants got larger.
Regia seedlings need feeding but I think many are killed off by overfeeding.
just my 02¢ worth.
YMMV
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By Sundews69
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#419700
Thanks for the help!
Shadowtski wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 2:49 pm I only used Osmocote when I was killing off my regia seedlings.
Do you mean you use it to get rid of seedlings when you have to many or you use it if they are dying to nutrient deficiency to give them a boost? What kind of Osmocote pellets do you use? And how wet should I keep them when young and when old? I know they grow in similar terrain as Darlingtonia so should I just treat them (from a water standpoint) as I would Darlingtonia with flushing the pot every month or so? Should I let them dry out between watering? Thanks!
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By Shadowtski
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#419720
When I used Osmocote the seedlings died.
So I stopped using it.
The past few years, I have been top-watering regia when in small Peat-pots and only bottom watering when in one gallon or larger pots.
I don't keep them as wet as typical CPs.
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By Sundews69
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#420306
If I sow on peat/perlite instead of water, I can just do it as I would a normal Drosera, right?
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By DragonsEye
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#420314
Sundews69 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 1:50 pm Ok, my mom ordered springtails for her African Giant millipede and maybe I can take some if she has extra.
Out of curiosity, why did your mom get springtails? Millipedes are detritovores, so it wouldn't be for a food source...
By Sundews69
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#420321
DragonsEye wrote: Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:41 am
Sundews69 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 1:50 pm Ok, my mom ordered springtails for her African Giant millipede and maybe I can take some if she has extra.
Out of curiosity, why did your mom get springtails? Millipedes are detritovores, so it wouldn't be for a food source...
I'm not really sure, I think someone recommended she get them to clean out mold, algae, and waste. I can ask her tomorrow.
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By NightRaider
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#420323
Sundews69 wrote: I think someone recommended she get them to clean out mold, algae, and waste.
Yeah that's probably exactly it, springtails along with isopods are commonly used as a "clean-up crew" to keep the substrate, well, clean in bioactive vivariums.
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By Sundews69
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#420324
NightRaider wrote: Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:57 am
Sundews69 wrote: I think someone recommended she get them to clean out mold, algae, and waste.
Yeah that's probably exactly it, springtails along with isopods are commonly used as a "clean-up crew" to keep the substrate, well, clean in bioactive vivariums.
yeah, Serpadesign taught me well.
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By Sundews69
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#420347
Bump
By Sundews69
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#420382
If I sow on peat/perlite instead of water, I can just do it as I would a normal Drosera, right?
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By NightRaider
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#420383
Sundews69 wrote:If I sow on peat/perlite instead of water, I can just do it as I would a normal Drosera, right?
That's what I did. I don't know a ton about regia but I can't remember ever reading any reason why they'd be different as far as sowing and germination goes. I'll probably just keep them domed as usual and move them to deep 3.5" pots a little sooner than I normally would is all, assuming I get germination.
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