FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Do plants that produce seeds also produce gemmae, or is it one or the other? How should gemmae be treated as far as storage and planting vs. seeds?

Gemmae don't store as long as seeds and should be planted quickly. Only certain plants produce gemmae. Pygmy sundews and some pinguicula. Most plants that produce gemmae can also produce seeds if pollinated.

Panman wrote: ↑Wed Feb 14, 2024 10:02 pm Gemmae don't store as long as seeds and should be planted quickly. Only certain plants produce gemmae. Pygmy sundews and some pinguicula. Most plants that produce gemmae can also produce seeds if pollinated.

Would I plant gemmae in the same manner as I would seeds? And if a plant produced both seeds and gemmae, say, would one or the other germinate or grow more quickly?

Gemmae are going to sprout and grow faster than seeds. Gemmae are modified leaves, optimized for fast reproduction

A couple of things if you haven't grown pygmies before. First, the gemmae are perishable so you will need to plant them as soon as you get them. They also don't like being transplanted and have a very long and thin taproot so you will want a pot that is at least 6 inches deep. They like well drained soil so equal parts of peat/perlite/and sand is my standard mix. I like to top the pot with 1/4 inch of chopped sphagnum so that they stay damp. Finally, keep them in high humidity until they b germinate. Then you can acclimate them to lower humidity. Good luck.

Panman, I’m curious. What kind of sand are you using?

Pool filter sand from Home Depot. It isn't course enough but it was all I could find. I'll probably go with pumice in the next one.

I use play sand from home depot. It's cheaper than pool filter sand, but also usually coarser. It used to be $5 for 50 pounds. Now it's $7...
I've actually grown pygmies in pure sand. It works, but you need to feed them more often.

Thanks Panman. I've been wondering how the filter sand would work, combining it with perlite. I do detest the perlite's STRONG tendency to float around and stick to everything when it rains and the plants are outdoors...or even indoor plants when the perlite keeps floating up and becomes a top dressing. Silicosis is/was a bad thing and I understand sandblasters getting away from using it, I just wish there were other popular uses for coarse sand that would create a sizable market so stores would keep it in stock.<sigh>

the pitchergrower, I've used play sand, too. It *seems* to do okay. I've done the vinegar test on it and some plants have been in it for a year+ and seem fine. I see that Quickcrete sells a filter sand...knowing that it is on the bottom rung on the ladder of filter sands I wonder if it might be possibly a less screened, maybe with coarse particles in it than a more expensive filter sand. When I find busted bags at the BBSs...I can't resist a rub between the fingers to check it out! But, my rub tests are few and far between due to distance to the stores. Another thing, I believe, is that different "Lots" of sand of the same brand can be a good bit different from a previous one. And then there's the chance of leachable minerals being in it. We just need more CP growers to drive the demand up for coarse silica sand!!!!

Panman wrote: ↑Thu Feb 15, 2024 1:06 pm Pool filter sand from Home Depot. It isn't course enough but it was all I could find. I'll probably go with pumice in the next one.

I wouldn't mind trying pumice, but...$$$

Yeah, I did the 3 gallon for $30. I think I'm going to like it better in some of my mixes than perlite. It is a good bit heavier, though.

I ordered from Amazon. From the pics it looks to be medium coarse. I will let you know the results.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VHK3S9T?re ... tails&th=1