Oh My, Spring isn't Going as Planned

I just noticed recently that some of my pitcher plants are putting up flower stalks. I finally squeezed in front of the car in the garage to look at the VFTs to see if they're doing anything. They're the color of bean sprouts! That spot on the shelf got the least amount of light.  I moved them onto my grow rack until I can put them outside (we're still getting temps dipping below freezing, and I'm afraid to take them from a 55-60 degree garage and put them out into the 30s). I also moved my purple pitcher plant to my grow rack.

The trouble is, I want to repot all these this spring, but I haven't had a nice day to do it outside yet, and I need to get perlite without fertilizer. The place I found 3 miles up the street that sells it doesn't open for the year until April 16, and the only other place I know of to get it (where I got it before) is almost an hour away, near my sister's house. I guess I could stop in and pat her cat on the head while I'm in the area if I go to that one. I've also ordered it from Amazon.com.

I wanted to divide my VFTs, but since they're already growing and not healthy, I may not. I might not have to repot all my plants, but I probably will, because they grew mold, and even though I controlled it with a sulfur-based fungicide, I'd sleep better knowing they have peat that had never been moldy.

I also repotted a friend's VFT I've been taking care of for the winter today. I also spilled a cupped VFT onto the carpet today. Whoops.

Shelf for dormant plants in the garage.

North-facing window, the only source of light for the shelf of dormant plants.

My VFT planter after I turned it 180 degrees. This clump of VFTs here was in the back dark corner, and now looks like bean sprouts.

S. leucophylla 'Tarnok' putting up six flower stalks.

There's a cupped VFT under there somewhere.

A cutting from D. capensis, looking like a curled up millipede.

Pot of cupped VFTs in its new home in a tray, so there'd be room for S. purpurea on the rack.

Recently toppled cupped VFT in its new home in a tray, so there'd be room for S. purpurea on the rack.

Planter of VFTs looking like bean sprouts in their new home until I repot.

VFTs looking like bean sprouts.

VFTs looking like bean sprouts.

S. purpurea just inches away from six T5 bulbs, with potential to burn, until it's moved outside.

Friend's VFT, freshly repotted. D. capensis in the foreground, showing off its flower stalk.

Nepenthes ventricosa Problems

It keeps putting out new leaves, but they don't grow fast at all, like they did back when it was in the window, and one leaf grew all crinkly. I looked at the plant more closely and saw a lot of globs under the leaves. After posting on TerraForums.com, it sounds like that's just nectar, and the problem with it putting out tons of new leaves that don't develop is because it's too hot for the plant. It's probably partly due to my bad sleep schedule, and since it's wintry, I keep the heat on when I'm awake. So the days have been cooler than the nights. I'm an IDIOT.

Ah, at least I learned before I killed it.

Some pics:

Lots of new leaves that don't develop on N. ventricosa.

What I thought were eggs or something insect-related are hopefully just nectar.

Another shot of the nectar on N. ventricosa.

A weirdly formed leaf from too much heat on N. ventricosa.

I Think I Killed My Cobra Lily

Darlingtonia californica, March 8, 2011.

I don't think I'll be trying my hand at these again. I guess it's because I missed some days of pouring new water over the top of the soil, even though it was sitting in water. Or because the LFS they ship them in isn't what it wants to sit in.

It was healthy and grew some while under my care; it looked like this not too long ago:

Darlingtonia californica, February 16, 2011, showing a new, healthy pitcher.

Darlingtonia californica, February 16, 2011, showing a baby pitcher starting to grow.

New VFT I Bought for Parts

I bought a VFT in January just to try propagating new plants from via leaf pullings. I was too scared to try it with VFTs I already have and am attached to. So I bought it and put it under my lights. They say VFTs don't do well indoors.

Well I knew it would happen. And it happened. I'm attached to it. I should repot it and/or do some leaf pullings, though.

VFT I bought for parts in January, 2011.  March 8, 2011.

I'm going to snip the flower stalk to help the health of the plant. I'll stick it in some peat and see if it will propagate a new plant.

But look how nice and red the insides of those traps are!

First Sign of Growth in Sphagnum?

In that same container covered in Saran where a D. capensis seedling is growing I spotted what looks like the first sign of sphagnum growing.

Sphagnum starting to grow.  I think.

Closer look of a small piece of growing sphagnum.

Box Elders

I find several of these in my basement every day. I used to feed them to my N. ventricosa, but then I moved that, and it doesn't have any open traps right now. They're as abundant as stink bugs here. I took a picture of this one before introducing him to Mr. Sweeper.

Box elder in my basement.

Follow-Up of D. capensis Feeding

It looks like I used a piece of food too big. The leaf is stressed a bit. Kind of burnt.

D. capensis after being fed too big of a piece of a betta pellet.

My best D. capensis typical form is one that I didn't even sow myself. It's in the pot with the mama plant.

Nice seedling in my D. capensis pot.

You can see a bunch of other out-of-focus red seedlings there, too. They get everywhere.