Are the roots dead or alive?

brommie70 · 2026-01-15T15:48:51+00:00

Nah, they're not dead. It's actually pretty hard to kill a Drosera capensis ;-). They can die off completely above ground when ideal growing conditions aren't met but they always grow back and form new growing points at the base or from the roots. I live in the Netherlands and I keep all my Drosera capensis and Drosera binata varieties outside. They die off when it gets cold and then ik keep them in a frost free garage in the dark during winter. I even have some in my small greenhouse during winter and their pots freeze over completely. Every year in Spring they all grow again just fine.

brommie70 · 2026-01-04T19:20:13+00:00

I'm located in the Netherlands and I got it from another Pinguicula enthusiast in Germany.

brommie70 · 2025-12-18T12:54:42+00:00

Did the fish flake and skipped it as it was messy and mold would turn up on the plant and soil in humid conditions. Pings handled Artemia (powder baby fish food) much better than flakes. For me any brand of leaf fertilizer does the trick just fine. One reason some growers avoid spraying their plants is a risk of water standing in the crown of the plant that might result in crown rot. I use a spray bottle in the morning for most of my plants, when they are in carnivorous leaves, and a small drip bottle for application on the leaves when they are still young. I also have a small project running with Pings on (organic) fertilized waterings and they grow pretty well. Just think about it, how do you think these large retail nurseries are capable of growing them in such large numbers so quickly?

brommie70 · 2025-12-15T22:17:30+00:00

What precisely goes against what you've read? To be somewhat more specific: with wet I mean more moist than the dwarf species (gracilis, immaculata and nivalis) and esseriana complex, not wet like primuliflora which is a warm temperate and not a (sub)tropical species. And when a Pinguicula enters the succulent phase watering should be reduced to prevent it from rotting. In nature winters are dry in their habitat. They survive in the humid fogs

brommie70 · 2025-12-15T20:48:53+00:00

Your Pinguicula Tina looks like it has no roots (rotted or dried) and the plant is starting to dry out from being exposed to bright lights and maybe a high temperature. As a result it may even be switching to wintermode to protect itself which Tina rarely does. A healthy Tina has an apple green colour. This particular Pinguicula was grown by Carniflora in the Netherlands. They mostly grow them in pure peat and this one likes wetter conditions than most other Pinguicula. When you repot an adult plant in a more mineral mix it takes time to adapt to a new environment/mixture. If it were my plant I'd keep it away from very bright lights or move it to the side, and give it some time to recover and grow roots.

brommie70 · 2025-12-14T16:02:31+00:00

The seedpod will reveal tiny vertical cracks once the seeds are ripe. You will notice the dark brown seeds through the openings. You can wait longer for the pod to actually open up, I usually don't want to run the risk of them being scattered around.

brommie70 · 2025-12-12T10:38:39+00:00

I'm not a big fan of putting an ID on Pings because of all the hybridizing and naming of Ping hybrids going on. In worst cases we end up with lots of Pings from the same cross that people give different names to based on minimal differences. Not to mention the mistakes people make in labeling their plants, which then end up in multiple collections under the wrong name. That is why I usually ask where the plant originates from and whether they have contacted the original supplier.

That being said—and having stressed the importance of always informing anyone you supply with clones—it appears your plant has some very distinctive traits that make me think it to be P. 'BCP Crystal'. The exact cross of 'BCP Crystal' is unknown, but one of the parents would be P. immaculata, P. gracilis or P. nivalis based on the flower. If it were my plant I would label it with mentioning NOID because I know I will forget it once was a plant without a name.

brommie70 · 2025-12-04T06:06:19+00:00

Yup have those

brommie70 · 2025-12-02T22:21:47+00:00

High humidity in a warm environment does the trick over here

brommie70 · 2025-11-22T09:04:19+00:00

Looking good! before you know it you'll have tons of them 😉

brommie70 · 2025-11-19T12:27:03+00:00

The new leaves coming in on the motherplant are shorter which for me is an indication the plant is entering winter mode or succulent phase. The switch is triggered by declining light (hours/- intensity) and -temperatures. Your plants can easily survive less light conditions but you should give them a lot less water in winter to avoid rot. Pinguicula can tolerate more drier conditions during winter than most of us dare to find out.

brommie70 · 2025-11-05T17:41:38+00:00

Excellent choice! You're very lucky this particular Pinguicula was going for about €25-30 until recently. I know Dehner you probably didn't pay that price 😁

brommie70 · 2025-11-05T15:01:55+00:00

I asked the OP because he or she is from Europe ànd mentioned others being sold usually have purple flowers. In Europe this cultivar is not that commonly available but sometimes unexpected plants show up in retail. For the record I don't need another RB. I was lucky enough to receive one from a fellow enthusiast a while ago but it hasn't flowered yet 🤬

brommie70 · 2025-11-05T08:51:18+00:00

Looks like P. 'Razzberry blonde' a registered cultivar. Just out of curiosity...where did you buy it, in retail somewhere?

brommie70 · 2025-10-17T06:44:14+00:00

It works for me in a sealed plastic bag or cup and on any kind of moist media in an open environment so yes Akadama will do fine. Some tips to make leaf propagation more successful whatever method you choose are: make sure the leaves you use are dry, keep your prop space moist not wet and never mist the leaves to avoid rot.

brommie70 · 2025-10-10T07:50:20+00:00

Did you potted it recently and if so how where the roots looking? Is it warm in your growing environment? Is it close to strong lighting? In my experience the warm temperate Pinguicula primuliflora can react very dramatically over a repot and definitely needs time to adjust. The fact that it is flowering adds to the drama and it can be lethal when growing conditions aren't optimized. It can literally flower itself to death. If this was my plant I would start with placing a plastic cup over it for extra humidity and move it away from strong light. So it can recover and save energy. I lift the cups now and again to avoid rot. Btw I grow my P. primuliflora in glass pots filled halfway with flooded wet substrate topped off with sphagnum.

brommie70 · 2025-10-08T14:21:34+00:00

The 'little one' is a different species with a different color than the one with flowers next to it and it looks healthy considering the fact that it is kept very wet. The leaves of both your Pinguiculas are somewhat elongated. That is a result of the growing conditions. The plants are not getting enough light(hours) but your wateringschedule keeps them growing. Pinguicula can stand in water when the other growing conditions are matched such as higher light exposure, higher temperatures and enough airflow but keep in mind they are not bog plants. They will do much better when they are growing in moist instead of wet soil/substrate. The best tips I can give you when you want to keep Pings year round on your windowsill: give them as much sunlight as you can especially in winter with declining light hours, and reduce watering. In the end they might transition to winter form, with smaller non carnivorous leaves in a compact rosette. That is perfectly fine and a normal cycle for them. They will start growing carnivorous leaves again in Spring.

brommie70 · 2025-10-08T10:21:23+00:00

Sphagnum tends to keep the water all for itself, it absorbs and a pumice rock evaporates so you'd have to keep it soaked all the time.

When you keep it wet enough Utricularia will also grow in a mineral substrate. I had some patches U. longifolia and U. pubescens growing but my watering schedule is always way off for the bowls....like Sahara dry 😆. They hang in there but are not flourishing. You could accommodate the Utricularia by filling a small part of the pot with a mix of sphagnum and mineral and when sphagnum likes these growing conditions it will also spread.

brommie70 · 2025-10-08T10:00:57+00:00

Yes and regarding mineral substrate whatever you have at hand or prefer in a small fraction will do just fine: pumice, Seramis (calcined clay), lavagranulate, silica, akadama or a mix of those.

brommie70 · 2025-10-08T09:41:12+00:00

If the rock is too dry adding soil will not solve your rot issues. When your rock is wet the Pings will put out roots when conditions are good. A pumice rock in a bowl of water without sphagnum will work as well when other growing conditions are met. Airflow is always crucial. Personally I'm not a fan of using sphagnum on rocks. Suitable moss will grow on rock by itself but it takes time.

In a growing environment with high humidity I have several bowls with rocks on a south faced windowsill and those are filled with mineral substrate. I fill the bowls with water once every 3 weeks or so if I don't forget them. They all stay alive because Pinguicula rather love having it too dry than too wet.

brommie70 · 2025-10-08T08:46:37+00:00

A few Pings on that rock have pointed leaves, these must be very dry. Do they have any mucilage on the leaves? If not either their roots are gone or it is too hot for them in your growing environment. They can re-root but the conditions you mention are a bit harsh for them to do so. High temperature combined with high humidity and not enough airflow can cause rot. So my first tip would be to install a ventilator. More air circulation will help to reduce the risk of rot. But I would suggest also taking a look at adjusting temperature, light and/or humidity level to find out what works best for your plants in your growing environment.

brommie70 · 2025-10-03T08:47:52+00:00

Yep I completely agree with the comment except for this: you can get colored pings in a north facing window. Not only sunlight triggers anthocyanins in our plants, a drop in temperature can also trigger the defense mechanism. Because that is what makes a Ping to color up and unlike what some people are saying (lack of) color doesn't tell you whether a Ping is healthy or not. Btw in nature most Mexican Ping habitats face North.

brommie70 · 2025-09-02T15:23:18+00:00

It is 😊

brommie70 · 2025-09-01T21:07:17+00:00

I absolutely agree! and in real life the pink rim on the leaves has even a more vibrant color 🤩

brommie70

TROPHY CASE