NZCPS Christchurch Newsletter

Newsletter No. 10

March 2001

Hello everyone,

It was good to see some new faces at the meeting last month. Here’s hoping for some more at this month's meeting. For those of you who are too busy to make use of the meetings and seed bank, please remember that these will only remain available as long as there is a demonstrated demand for them.

Are you looking to buy some CP books? Mike Gilson has sourced the following:

1. Carnivorous Plants by Slack, UK reprint by Marston House. US version no longer available from Amazon. These are on special in UK, we can land them in NZ for ~$NZ 75.00 inc p&p. There are only a few copies left, need to be quick.

2. Savage Garden, Peter D'Amato, available in NZ @ $NZ 36.95. Again limited copies available.

3. Carnivorous Plants of Australia, Vol 3. Lowrie. Available ex Australia at around $NZ 80.00 inc p&p

If you're interested you should contact Mike A.S.A.P. on 332-8168 or email him at:

He is quite happy to take orders by phone or email but will need money up front.

Autumn, I hear you say? Well yes - if I'm collecting Sarracenia seed already Autumn can't be too far away.

Most CPs will be reaching the end of their summer growth shortly. Watch for pest populations that have increased over the summer months and treat accordingly. Mildew and fungus can start making a noticeable impression on many collections right about now, so ensure that there is sufficient air-movement and that dead growth is removed on a regular basis. Water plants well when the weather is hot but make sure that they aren't too damp during extended cold spells. Collect seed as it ripens, label/date it and either put it aside for spring sowing or send it into the seed-bank.

Start trimming back older pitchers as they start to die back. Look for scale/mealy bug infestations that may have developed over summer and treat them now. Untreated infestations will severely weaken the plant over winter.

Identify small plants that are too large for their pots so you know which ones to repot in spring - this sounds silly but once a plant has lost all its pitchers it can be hard remembering if it was big enough to warrant repotting.

Sooty mildew may have made it's mark on your plants over the summer. There are sprays available to help eradicate this, but many growers prefer to use a damp cloth to manually remove it.

Don't repot Sarracenia at this time of year. Doing so may result in root and/or rhizome disease during winter. Wait until the end of winter just before the plants start growing again (hard to pick, I know).

Remove old flower scapes to prevent excessive self-seeding. Make sure that you collect the seed of annual Drosera in order to make sure that the species remains in your collection. Tuberous Drosera will be thinking about growing soon, so it's a good time to repot/divide them and any tuberous Drosera seed can be sown.

These should have increased in size considerably over the summer to the point where they can start looking untidy. Prune back if you feel that it is warranted and take cuttings from the removed material if you can keep them nice and warm for the next few months while they get established.

These have a propensity to rot over winter, so it is very important to remove all dead growth right back to the rhizome. Often the tail-end of the rhizome will have died and this can be removed also.

Don't try to repot Dionaea at this time of year. Wait until spring/early summer.

Keep these plants clean and healthy by removing any large, dead leaves and old flower scapes. Many of the Mexican Pinguicula will be flowering at this time of year so remember to collect the seed.

These wee plants have a tendency to disappear over winter, so I like to give them a bit of a wake-up call at the end of summer by dividing them up and giving each chunk some new potting mix to grow into. This stops them from being overwhelmed by moss during winter and letting some light through to the plant. Again, remove old flower scapes in order to try and stop some of the more aggressive ones from self-seeding throughout your CP collection.

Remember to collect seed from your plants as it ripens and send any surplus into the seed-bank.

Drosera arcturi - Mt Ruapehu x 25
Drosera binata - Lake Ohia x 3
Drosera binata - Otaki Forks x 3
Drosera binata - Pueora x 13
Drosera binata x 5
Drosera capensis x 5
Drosera peltata ssp. auriculata x 4
Drosera stenopetala - Otaki x 9
Drosophyllum lusitanicum x 10
Nepenthes gracilis - Kentridge, Singapore x 2
Pinguicula grandiflora x 1
Pinguicula lusitanica x 3
Pinguicula moranensis x 1
Proboscidea louisianica x 18
Sarracenia flava x 2
Sarracenia purpurea ssp.venosa x 1
Utricularia monanthos - Queenstown, Tasmania x 4

Important bits regarding seed:

• When ordering seed, make sure you include an S.A.E.
• Seed costs $1.00 per packet.
• Cheques should be made out to NZCPS-Christchurch Branch.
• If you wish to donate seed, please put the harvest date on it and ensure that it is free of floral parts – this will make the job of the seed-bank director that much easier.
• Once any donated seed has been divided up into saleable packets you will be credited with 1 packet of free seed for every 3 packets that result from your donation.

Seed orders and donations should be sent to:

Fern Norton

Seed Bank Director

P.O. Box 7

Sefton

North Canterbury

Alternatively the seed-bank should be available at most meetings.