Heliamphoras

  Tuntuu että joku pieni flussanpoikanen olis saamassa otetta. Yskä on semisti palannut ja tuntuu kuin olis koko ajan vähän poissaoleva ja "epäterve". Oli ihan kamalaa olla 3 viikkoa nyt joulu-tammikuussa kurkkuyskäsenä enkä tahdo että sellanen tila palaa. Epähuomiossa ja varmaan tyhmyyskouraisena vedin vielä tomaattiveitsellä vasempaan etusormeen että hyvä minä :'''D Kyllä sen huomaa jos ei ole ihan skarpimmillaan. Noh, Posivil Sprayta vaan kurkkuun ja nukkuu!

Niin, ja kuvissa komeilevat tänään aurinkokannuja - eli Heliamohora-suvun kasveja. Pitävät tosi kosteasta ilmanalasta ja valosta sekä vaativat selvät päivä-ja yölämpötilojen erot. Mulla tällä hetkellä tuolla kellariterrassa päivällä 22C ja yöllä 10C. Kesällä erot ovat pienemmät jotenka nää kasvaa parhaiten kyllä talvikuukausina.


Photos of my Heliamphoras that seem to me thriving under my winter conditions. H. pulchella "Akopan Tepui" is just too adorable and tiny whereas my oldie H. heterodoxa x minor is growing out from its pot (should find a new one eventually!) ja H. heterodoxa is still making juvenile pitchers...

a photo post - views from my higland setup

my first time pollinating Heliamphora flower

On October 16th I received Heliamphora pollen or more closely, anthers from a fellower CPUK grower. I stored the letter in our frinde until now. I have never done this sort of thing before so I had no clue whats going to happen whatsoever. I have had this Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor since 2012 and now it has 2 flowerstalks! :-)

"Pollinating Heliamphora can be difficult, since the stigma stops being receptive before the anthers are ready to release their pollen. The anthers are stimulated to do so by insect vibration, which adds a further complication." http://heliamphora.us/Heliamphora%20pollination.html

 I knew I would'nt be able to pollinate the first flower since you can't pollinate the first flower without additional pollen. And of course its neat to create hybrids - if the pollination is succesful!'

 
Koin tässä yksi päivä jänniä kun aloin pölyttelemään aurinkotötterön kukkaa -siis "heliä".Sain pariviikkoa sitten saksasta Heliamphoran siitepölyä tarkoituksena pölytellä kukkia ja tehdä risteytyksiä. Minigrippussi on ollu sitä lähtien jääkaapissa.Mulla ei ole heli koskaan kukkinut. Tää kasvi on ollut mulla vuodesta 2012 ja nyt se on ihan kamalan kokoinen (=suuuri!). 

Helin kukka on sellainen että emi on valmiina vastaanottamaan siitepölyä ennen kuin kukan heteet kehittyvät. Tämä estää kukan itsepölytyksen. Eli ensimmäistä kukkaa ei voi pölyttää jos ei ole jo itsellään siitepölyä jossain. Ensimmäisestä kukasta voi sitten kerätä pölyt ja käyttää ne seuraavia kukkia varten.
Sitten ne heteet. heteet ei vapauta siitepölyä ilman tiheää väriää. Luonnossa mehilöäiset pölyttävät kukat värinänsä ansiosta. Tyypit maailmalla käyttää äänirautaa mutta mulla ei sellasta ollut. Niinpä piti improta ja käyttää kynsiporan värinää. Note to self: anna heteiden lämmetä eenen kuin alat pelaa niitten kanssa.




The anthers of H. folliculata (Apaman Tepui). You've got to let those warm once they've been in fridge since cold pollen is less likely that active.



Here is our target!


As you see the stigma in the middle is white (covered in pollen but you got the idea). When it stops beceing receiptive stigma becomes black. You can also spot that anthers aren't ready yet because they are in position that looks like your fingers when they grip a pencil. Once stigma gets black the anthers flage and get tanned, yellow colour.

I almost got frustrated when trying to think and try methods to get pollen from the anthers. People use commonly a tuning fork to produce buzz that vibrates the anther holding forceps. Eh, got it? ^^;

I don't have a tuning fork so I had to improvise. I used a nail drill. However I noticed that once the anthers had warmed I just had to knock them with a piece of metal.


Pollen.


Dab it on stigma and wish the magic happens :)

I will update this topic once the flower develops and more flowers bloom!

Utrecht University Botanic Gardens 26.9.

lovely main building

fdfasd Today I'm going to speak out briefly about our trip to Utrecht University Botanic Gardens. We travelled to Holland 24-27.9. My mom has a dutch friend so we stayed at her house at Utrecht. I didn't get to see Hortus Botanicus at Amsterdam but I was delighted to see carnivores in the garden we went to.

its all dutch! the following photos are from "carnivorous greenhouse". Nice flavas, alatas, laucos and sundews there

getting exciting! big tropical greenhouses ahead!

Sarracenia bog with additional flytaps. There were purps, catesbaeis, exellens, flavas and leuco x purp (?)

lovely venation on this one. MY guess would be ×areolata

Inside the biggest house was a lily pond with this Nepenthes copelandii. I was an awful visitor and snipped one activated growth point... /^s

Among one orchid greenhouse there was a carnivorous corner with helis and neps.

Such a lovely journey! Much more enjoyable than shopping at the mall! :)

a bit of a talk

Veikkaampa että tätä blogia ei pahemmin suomalaiset tunnusta lukevansa jotenka ainakin tästä lähtien vedän  pelkästään enkuksi :'')

Yep fall is coming right ahead. Ive been spending my weekend here in the campus are. There was a big walkout in Friday and buses werent available so it would have been a bit of trouble to travel back to Lahti that day. I also had a vegetable exam that day so I couldnt leave earlier during week. I'm quite convinced that I passed it.

 Okay to the point of plants. They have bee doing just ok to cut it short. Highlanders enjoy in the basement though that plastic box that I bought for them from Ikea is getting a bit crowded. I purchased many highland neps this year meaning they are on the better side when it comes to size. My H. heterodoxa x minor, N.muluensis x lowii and spectabilis have grown under my care since year 2011 and 2012 and they are big! No idea what I'm suppose to do. My parents basement space is limited and I feel I shouldn't hoard more space as I'm already generating discussion.

Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor

Heliamphora pulchella

I also moved my pygmy sundew "terrarium box" into out basement this summer. They have been doing just wonderful after transaction. Much more colour and dew! The happies one must be my pot of D.scorpioides. They used to sulk soo much when in room temperature!

Drosera scorpioides

Terrariums that are located in my room are also fine. Or almost super fine. Some of my rafflesianas got scales and the problem has spread a bit. Yikes! If my memory serves me right everyhing started when I received N. tomoriana and kongkandana. Kongkandata died after a year and before that I investigated that It had scales. Of course the plant was hanging with others and now I'm not quite sure about how far the infection has spead dispite of my quarintine methods. .. . . That case make me sometimes drop a beat in my heart when I think about it. Like none like bugs on their plants!! :(

flooded flytraps after nighmare rain in summer

 Outside in our garden my plants have been exposed to natural forces as I moved them under bare sky in August. Befora that they had been in our greenhouse but since all arrounding vegetation for example trees cover sunlight so efficiently I had to come up with a better location.
Now they have received direct light from 9-13 which means 4 hours. Jeez I know thats utterly too little since Ive read and you know they should be getting atleast 6 hours of direct sunlight. What you can do about it? I can't just start sawing my parents trees in order to increase light levels. Not on this property.

Well compared to middle summer June or July the plants have got a lot more pigmentation. However pitchers arent super straight and my S. alata produces wonky pitchers which I supect is caused by low temperetures.

Sarracenia minor

Sarracenia leucophylla

Sarracenia leucophylla (ll51xll09mk)

Dionaea muscipula 'red Sawtooth'

Thats about it now. I sadly don't have enought current photos at the moment :)

glorious Heliamphora !

Siirsin helin isompaan ruukkuun tänään.Toi kasvaa näin talvikuukausina niin hurjaa vauhtia että ihan hirvittää! Sokerilusikatkin on niin iiihanan punaisia :-)

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I repotted my H. het x minor today. This species grows (also with other highlanders) very fast and lovely during these cool winter months. Just look at those sugarspoons!