Byblis flowering

[shawnintland]

Well, I'm no expert (mine just flowered for the first time over the last few weeks) but so far; they seem to form a spherical seed pod that has a slightly hard shell to it. I picked the first one about 3 days ago, not being sure if it was ready or not. I let it dry a few days and this morning I dissected it with tweezers and got about 30 tiny black seeds (larger than Drosera seeds, about like poppy seeds). The 'pod' was kind of whitish colored when I picked it. I'll pick another 1-2 this afternoon. Good luck!

[Cindy]

Powersensor,

The seeds are better if they are collected only when/after the fruit splits. It seems that if they are collected too soon, not as many are viable. But because the process may cause some seeds to be dispersed, you may want to keep a close eye on the fruits.

[shawnintland]

AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHH! Thanks Cindy! I'll have to remember that next time! Just saw this 'after' I harvested 3 more 'fruit'.

[Cindy]

Hi Shawn,

The idea/concept came from my own observations, along with discussion with some of the local growers in Singapore. It could be different for Byblis plants grown in drier/natural conditions.

[powersensor]

Hi Shawn,

Just to share with you how I collect my seeds. I monitored the seed pods everyday. Once the seed pod starts to turn light brown and have crack line exposing the black seeds (meaning it will bust open very soon), I will cut the whole seed pod and store it indoor. the next day, the harvested seed pod will be dry the and the pod will be wide open. Just use a tweezer to pick up the pod and shake out all the black seeds.

[cyclani09]

I have heard they can take years to flower. Have you tried threatening it??? They bloom late around March I believe...maybe giving it brighter light for a month or two before that might induce flowering?

[shawnintland]

Well, after 9-10 months of growing these guys now I can add a little bit to my earlier comments;

I have learned to wait until the fruit dries and opens on its own before harvesting. The trick is to slip a paper or dish under the fruit before cutting because as soon as you try to cut (or even just bump it), the seeds shower down. I have also found that (in my case) only a portion of the collected seeds will germinate. I have planted trays of 105 cells with 10 seeds each and still only get half of the cells with plants germinating. But very quickly you will be overrun with them anyway so don't worry!
Plastic bags are terrible if you cut the entire flower or stalk as the moisture in the stem will condense on the inside of the bag and cause mold/fungus problems.
Good Luck!
~Shawn

[marvin1997]

All of my remaining byblis babies died today...why when do I get new plants something has to die?