Newbie Getting Started

[Sheather]

Hey guys, I joined a little while ago, but was a little nervous about posting or doing anything until just now, so I've been lurking the Chemistry and Ethnobotany boards.

I'm looking to get into growing, particularly carnivorous plants and bonsai, and was wondering what you thought was a good starting point in aquiring seeds? I don't have a great deal of capital at the moment so the AFSR looks useful, though quite limited at this point.

Would it be a good idea to just find a nearby nursery and look around there, and start slow?

(Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this, wasn't quite sure where it would be appropriate)

[santiago]

hi Sheather, there was a thread a week or so ago about carniverous plants......ill try find the link.

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25254&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

[paradox]

hey sheather. pitcher plants & venus fly traps are pretty easy to come by these days.. have seen a fair few stalls just at market days around here that sell some beautiful pitcher plants... you should be able to find flytraps at lots of nurseries, seen them at bunnings a fair bit.. in the beginning maybe it's best to get ahold of live plants rather than starting from seed.. get familiar with them, do some research & when you're a little more knowledgable & confident maybe then try propagating from seed.. thats just a suggestion though. bonsais are also pretty easy to come by... i have heard of a really good nursery in... i think it was terry hills, northern sydney...but thats no good for you i guess in brisbane. just google for your local area... you should be able to find a nursery that supplies raw seedlings of many different species for bonsai's that are ready to be potted up & trained...

what you're after is out there, you just got to start studying, get up on your skills & get out there & into it!

welcome & good luck

[Sheather]

Thanks guys. I did read that thread on Carnivorous plants Santiago, found it fairly useful.

I guess I shall start with nurseries and research then A nursery in northern Sydney could be useful, I visit fairly regularly to see my mother, so I'll look into what (if any) restrictions there are of flying plants and see if I can bring some back next time I go down.

I'm a pretty quick study, so I hope it won't be too long before I'm utilising even the high end trading thread. (If that ends up getting off the ground) Just need the cash to start buying plants now. Shouldn't require too much to start, but lots of projects all beginning now. I need to make time too

[santiago]

one day at a time sheather the forum is littered with those with magnificent intentions only to get discouraged when they leave their hard work in the hot sun for an hour too long and lose it all, seems like you have a positive attitude so hopefully you do well.

money can be a bitch sometimes but thats the great thing about a one day at a time mentality, some more productive members here have prolly put over half a lifetime into their plants. one day at a time how i see it means dont try to race a years work into 1 week. maybe lookout for a free comp get the seeds, contibute to the forums, walk around council collections for old pots or buy plastic cups $1, get clean soil or buy seed raising mix $8 for 25kg.......and your started, im sure you know all this already, we all started basically as a seed ourselves the rest just comesdown to patience, dedication, passion and knowledge which the last comes with time.

best of luck

[Sheather]

One day at a time is all I intend Thank you for the advice.

[vual]

Bring some back from sydeny?? your profile mentions you are from brisbane.... Carnivorous plants are not rare... Go to your local bunnings and pick a bunch up 4.95 each.

Matter of fact i got some Fly traps and pitcher plants from my local Bunnings (Oxly) 2 weeks ago.

Edited August 25, 2010 by vual

[Sheather]

That, I am aware of. But if I'm going to Sydney anyway, and in the area anyway, what harm?

[shortly]

If you intend them to be long term inhabitants i would be cautious of VFT's in brisvegas, unless your in a nice cool spot out at Ipp'y it doesn't get cool enough here in winter for them to have a proper dormancy & they often cark it after a year or two.

There are some warm climate strains of Dionaea getting about, but you wont find them at the B store.

You'd do better to hunt up some warm growing Utricularia's, Drossera's, Pinguicula's or Nepenthes

[Amazonian]

G'day Sheather. So you like the carnivorous plants. Nepenthes (pitcher plants( which i used to call picture plants)) are the bomb, they are my fav'. Welcome buddy.

[paradox]

 

[vual]

Good point shorty, mine have died, gone completely black (hopefully it will come back after winter) at nursery's they grow in artificial environments it really shits me how at Bunnings they have all flowers and veges OUT OF SEASION, so you take it home and it dies in a week. One thing i noticed about my pitcher plant is the soil cant dry out, it needs to be constantly wet, Pitcher plants apparently will not flower (get pitchers) unless they get great air flow, VFT's can also feed of moss so if you manage to get one going in brissy plant moss around it. I find the pitchers tend to grow well in brisbane as long as the conditions are kept right.

Edited August 25, 2010 by vual

[Amazonian]

I hadn't seen that clip before , Paradox. Thanks . Don't ya just LOVE David Attenborough!

[shortly]

For less than $1 you couldn't go wrong

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Carnivorous-plant-Drosera-Burmannii-Sundew-50-seeds-/130424829357?pt=AU_Plants_Seeds_Bulbs

[Chiral]

Tip...carnivorous plants do not like the oils contained in human skin...don't touch in other words or the parts you touch will most certainly die off.

[bℓσωηG]

i had a venus fly trap but killed it by adding tiny amount of fertiliser to it... big no no