Newsletter Est. 1978 - Registered Charity Number 281423 www.thecps.org.uk Editor - Richard Bunn (newsletter@thecps.org.uk)

June 2020

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p1

THE · C

AR

NI V

O R O U S · P L A N T · SO

CIETY

THERE ARE CURRENTLY VOLUNTEER

OPPORTUNITIES WITH COMMITTEE.

PLEASE SEE REAR PAGE FOR CURRENT

INFORMATION.

Inside This Issue• Chairman’s Letter

• Growing Without Peat

• Memories of Adrian Slack

• Pollintation Tips

• Urgent Seed Bank Appeal

• NEW Items for Sale

• Plant Passports

• Seasonal Care:

• June, July & August

• Trustee & Commit-tee List

Chairman’s LetterIt’s with some irony that my opening sentence reads, that it’s been a funny year so far! Obviously, the coronavirus has had a massive impact on the hobby and on the CPS as a whole. We have had to take the unprecedented step of postponing the AGM, which was due to take place in May, until, provisionally, Saturday 12th September. Even then, the meeting hangs in the balance and until we know what the government guidelines will be at that point, we are unable to make the decision on whether to hold the AGM or cancel it until 2021. The Charity Commission have been incredibly supportive in this decision. Essentially, we are obliged under charity law to hold the AGM in May as this is clearly stated in our Governing Document. But given the extraordinary circumstances the Charity Commission recognise that this has to be overridden by the personal safety of our members.

We have a number of vacancies on the committee and board of trustees, which is how I find myself once more in the role of Chair – for at least the third time! Ron Satterthwaite did a fantastic job as Chair but has had to step down from that role due to health problems. Ron also doubled up his role as membership secretary. This is one of the key roles on the committee being the interface between members and the society. At the moment the membership role is in the very safe hands of Dennis Balsdon but Dennis has decided it’s finally time to retire. Certainly he deserves to be able to do so! So, the membership role is going to go back into Ron’s capable hands.

Flick Foreman has resigned as trustee. Flick has been a valuable committee member and trustee for as long as I care to remember and her wisdom and advice (not to mention her skills as a proof-reader) will be very much missed. We wish Flick all the best for the future and look forward to meeting no doubt when things return to some sort of normality.

Ian Salter has decided it is finally time to retire from the Committee including his role of Promotions Officer. Ian has been a stalwart with the Society for quite a few years. Ian has said he will continue with the exhibition for the Society at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, for which we are grateful.

New committee members.

The trustees welcomed to the committee by co-opting them the following members:

Stephen Morley: Steven is very well Continued on page 2

p2 The CPS Newsletter - June 2020

known and respected in the CPS community. He is a champion of peat free growing and it’s appropriate the Stephen has joined as our Conservation Officer.

Joining the team in an assistant Conservation Offier role, we welcome Francesco Gorni. Francesco works at Capel Manor Gardens in London as a Horticulturist, and will be joining the Kew Diploma C58 this coming September. Francesco has also supported a conservaiton program in Lower Kinabatangan, Borneo last year.

Carlene Bunn: He did it, Richard finally twisted his wife’s arm into joining the Committee. Carlene is now filling the role of Enquiries Officer all the way from the Emerald Isle.

Committee Vacancies:

We have a number of vacancies on the committee at the moment. If you would like an informal discussion please contact me on email at chair@thecps.org.uk. I can provide details of the vacant roles. Anyone can carry out these roles on the committee. They aren’t difficult. If you think you might be able to help then please consider it. Simply put, we cannot operate the committee without your input. I have full and detailed job descriptions for every role on the committee.

Events Organiser - Collates open day details and society events, shows and any other relevant information and publishes these events on the society website. Prepares lists for the newsletter editor.

Show Organiser - Takes overall control of the shows that the society takes part in including RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Liaises with the person or persons taking part in the show. Releases publicity relevant to the shows. Produces a list of shows with dates for the Events Organiser.

Promotions Officer - Sources, sells and dispatches CPS promotions - t-shirts, mugs, artwork etc on our website. This role does require a small amount of storage space for sales materials.

General Committee Member Is a member of the committee without having a specific role. This is an important stepping stone to

taking on a committee role.

The society and charity can only exist and operate with the cooperation of volunteers. We do not have any paid committee members or trustees or any other staff. If you are able to spare a few hours a week please do not hesitate to come forward. If you want to have a chat with me to find out more send me an email.

Most of the business of the committee is done electronically so distance is not a block to becoming a committee member. We welcome volunteers from any part of the world. The only requirements are enthusiasm and that you are a society member!

To quote a much-used phrase, these are not normal times. We are trying to keep the society running as much as possible but there are some problems. Generally, items such as sales from our website, seed bank and indeed the new members’ pack are all taking longer than normal to arrive on our member’s doormats due to both delays in the postal system and the need for Social Distancing. At the moment first class mail is taking around a week to deliver and second class, considerably longer. Also, our seed bank organiser has reduced her trips to the post office to send seed to once a week. This is for her safety - she is in the “at risk” category and has to keep contact with other people to a minimum. I think this is a fair compromise and I’m sure the vast majority of members will agree.

Sending a seed order by post can add 1-2 weeks to the processing times whereas ordering online means it joins the queue of orders to be processed immediately!

We are intending to produce two Plantas this year. We are looking at a publication date of August with delivery a few weeks later depending on logistics at the time. Wherever possible we want to keep to our guideline of two issues of the Planta and two newsletters in the year.

Wishing you a very enjoyable growing season. Stay safe!

Phil Wilson

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p3

Growing without PeatI think of growing without peat much as I do about not eating meat. It’s a personal thing and I have my reasons for doing it. And it would be fantastic if everyone agreed with me and took the same decision but I accept that this isn’t going to happen! So here are the reasons why I decided to stop using peat. I’ll leave vegetarianism for another time!

I last used peat probably at least 10 years ago. Like many people I chose not to think about where my peat came from and when I did realise how peat is harvested, I was so horrified I had to look at alternatives. I discovered that for the vast majority of carnivorous plants there are plenty of really good alternatives. At the time my priority was to find a replacement for peat that was at least as good a product. By good, I mean that the plants grow as well in it as in peat and that there are no adverse problems with it.

So, where does the peat used in horticulture come from and why has there been a movement to stop the use of peat in horticulture? The obvious answer is from peat bogs of course. I think it’s rather contradictory that a lot of the plants that we grow come from a habitat that must be destroyed to harvest the peat we use in CP mixes! And “destroys” is a deliberately chosen word here. Harvesting peat means absolute destruction of the bog. Anyone who has walked across boggy land knows how

difficult it is. You can sink up to your knees (or further) at a moment’s notice. If a human has problems imagine how difficult it is for the heavy machinery that is used to harvest peat. The only way to get that machinery onto the bog without it sinking without a trace is to first drain the bog. Ditches are dug to drain off the water and incoming water sources are blocked or diverted. The bog will actually sink over several years as the water content reduces. And without the high water table, there is on sphagnum and without sphagnum there is no life in the bog.

As the peat in the bog ages. it undergoes different processes and develops different characteristics. The peat that is most valuable for horticulture is found in the lower levels of the bog. To get to this level the upper layers are stripped away. They aren’t much use for horticulture but they may well have other uses. Not only is the bog dried, it’s then stripped of layers of peat that has taken thousands of years to build up. At the end there is pretty much nothing living in the bog and certainly no carnivorous plant life.

All is not lost however. Peat bogs can be restored. The water table can be restored by filling in the drainage ditches and restoring the water sources. Even so it can take many years before the bog can return to normal.

So what can you do? Fortunately, harvesting of peat in the EU is stopped by legislation. What the future is for UK bogs, now we have left the EU, remains to be seen.

Vigilance is necessary as ever. Most of the peat available has either been stockpiled from before peat harvesting was stopped or comes from outside the EU. There is an argument that peat bogs in some areas of the world such as Russia or Canada are so vast that peat harvesting has a minimal effect. Personally, I don’t know enough about this to be able to form a decision on it. And while there are alternatives, I simply prefer to use these for my plants!

So what are the alternatives to peat? At this point I will say that the point of this piece is not to go into details with complicated recipes. I’ll just list a few alternatives that are easy to source and leave the reader to do their own research.

Coir

Coir has been around for as long as the source of coir has – coconuts! Coir as a growing media is a lot younger. As with everything there are advantages and disadvantage. Coir has many similar properties to peat. It comes in a fine powdery form that forms a peat-like consistency when mixed with water. It has a slightly higher pH than peat coming in around Ph neutral. It can be difficult to wet when dry but does hold a lot of water though probably not quite as much as peat.

And now the cons. Coir tends to form a dense product when mixed with water so it needs something to open it up. Usually horticultural sand, grit or perlite are used and all work really well. As I’ve mentioned already, the pH is

p4 The CPS Newsletter - June 2020

higher than peat and this can be a problem for some plants. The easiest way to make it more acidic is to use live or dried sphagnum in the mix.

Suitable plants for coir are Sarracenia, Drosera, terrestrial Utricularia, Darlingtonia and Heliamphora.

Coir Chunks

As the name implies these are chunks of coir roughly centimetre cubes or less. It tends to be a lot more fibrous than straight coir. This is a wonderful product for growing carnivorous plants in my opinion. It’s both open and water retentive at the same time and is perfect for Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, Cephalotus and Nepenthes. I use it straight without any additions because it doesn’t need them! It’s a little too coarse for seedlings. You could mix it with coir or other products but to be honest there are better mixes that I prefer to use for smaller plants.

I’ve used coir chunks for at least 7-8 years for my Nepenthes collection and I’ve never had a plant that didn’t grow well in this medium. It never gets waterlogged and has plenty of air, both things that Nepenthes seem to need.

When you buy coir products make sure you only get a product that has been processed with fresh water. Most coir is traditionally processed using salt water. This material is washed with fresh water before packing and shipping but inevitably sometime the mineral content can be high and carnivorous plants in particular seem to suffer.

Coir almost always comes in compressed bales. Either small briquettes of 0.5k or larger 5k bales. One criticism of coir is that it’s more expensive than peat. I’m not actually so sure of this. My supplier sells coir at prices that include shipping costs. This can make it look as if it’s quite expensive but unless you are lucky enough to be able to pick up your peat locally, you will also have to pay some shipping, so this needs to be taken into account. Also, buying in bulk can vastly reduce the price. Buying four bales might seem like a lot of coir, but it lasts indefinitely as long as it can be stored in a dry place. And unless you only have one plant, it will be used eventually!

Melcourt Composted Bark

As the name suggests, this is a composted bark material. It’s quite dense so again needs to be mixed with something to open it up. And it can be a lot drier than peat so again additives are used to compensate for this. The advantage with this product is that it’s pretty much the same pH as peat so very good for most carnivorous plants. If it’s mixing with fine horticultural sand will compensate for its lack of water holding properties. Perlite or horticultural grit can be added to make a more open airy mix.

The biggest problem with this product is availability. It’s not generally available in garden centres and while it’s possible to buy direct from Melcourt, they only sell by the pallet load. Sometimes it can be found for sale on Amazon and is sold by other online retailers but it can be quite expensive.

Moorland Gold

This is actually a peat product that is derived as a by-product of water processing from areas where the water drains from peat lands. It is the only peat product I am aware of that doesn’t damage the bog environment. As part of the processing of the water for consumption it is passed through fine filters to remove the suspended peat particles. This is what is sold as Moorland Gold.

As a product it has a lot of the properties of traditionally harvested peat. It is water retentive and has the same pH. However, because the particles are so fine it tends to be quite dense so needs sand and perlite to open it up. Weed seeds have been a problem in the past, though I understand the peat is now heat treated to sterilise it.

The biggest problem is that as with Melcourt, it is not easy to get locally. There are plenty of online sellers, however. It’s also quite expensive, especially if you have a large collection.

It is suitable for most plants species though I don’t have any specific experience of using it.

Sphagnum

Sphagnum comes in both live and dried forms. Sphagnum is a wonderful product. It is very

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p5

water retentive and is the ideal acidity. And as long as it’s harvested correctly it’s a completely sustainable plant medium. Be wary of live sphagnum offered for sale on eBay as it’s often actually moss for hanging baskets and not suitable for use with carnivorous plants.

Sphagnum can be used neat but I prefer to use it chopped. A pair of multi-bladed scissors designed for chopping herbs is perfect. For larger quantities you could probably use a cheap food processor! Or you can buy it ready chopped in compressed blocks. If chopped I always use it mixed with perlite and it’s very good for anything that’s small or delicate,especially seedlings. Live sphagnum is better in this respect because it will start to grow and form a microclimate around the seedling. But if you can only get dried sphagnum this is still very good.

Other products

As peat declines in popularity other products are making an appearance. I use several products from the bonsai world because they have properties that suit some carnivorous plants.

One such product is molar clay. This is the same product used in some cat litters and is easily identified because of its pink colour. It has the ability to absorb vast amounts of water without ever breaking down or becoming soggy and for this reason it’s a great thing to use with Mexican Pinguicula.

I’d imagine it would be good for any plants that have a dry dormancy though I don’t grow

these plants now so I’ve never tried it. It probably works best when combined with other media such as perlite, coir, sand etc.

Another product that I’ve been experimenting with is Kanuma. This is a naturally occurring product derived from algae. It’s used in the world of bonsai for growing ericaceous plants. Like molar clay it comes in small pellets and absorbs a lot of water though if kept too wet it can start to break down and become dense and soggy. For this reason I mix it with perlite to keep it open.

There are other products coming onto the market. Pine in particular has many properties that make it suitable for growing carnivorous plants. Pine bark is quite moisture absorbent without becoming soggy and has a relatively low pH. I’ve never tried it myself but I’m always willing to experiment!

Venus Fly Trap

I’ve left the best until last! VFTs are a bit of a problem to grow peat free. They seem to do well in coir but after 2-3 years they will start to decline and eventually will die. No one seems to know why this is. I suggest tentatively that it’s either something produced by the coir as it ages or something unknown that the plants are unable to get from the coir; possibly a mineral? Whatever, if you grow your VFTs in coir be prepared to repot them every year. Other media can have mixed results. Some have had very good results with Melcourt, others not. One thing that seems consistent

with Melcourt is that a lot of fine horticultural sand is needed to counteract the poor water wicking properties of the product.

I have had best results with mixes containing chopped sphagnum (live or dried). Mixed with either perlite or Kanuma gives good results though I haven’t been using it long enough to be able to give definite advice here. My feeling though is that both products will be equally as good and since Kanuma is a lot more expensive than perlite my recommendation is going to be for the latter product.

And finally…

Take a structured approach to growing without peat. By all means experiment and don’t pot everything into coir in one go! See what works for you because local conditions can vary. Somewhere that is consistently hotter than normal might yield different results. You can even look at reducing your peat content by mixing peat with say coir. By reducing the amount of peat you are using you are still taking a positive step in the right direction.

Phil Wilson

p6 The CPS Newsletter - June 2020

2005

1979

MY MEMORIES OF ADRIAN SLACK

Way back in 1978 when our Society was born, I doubt if many people had even heard of Adrian Slack. However, it was about three years later when our Society first exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show that people got to know the name of Adrian Slack. This was because he was also exhibiting at Chelsea. He was already a great attraction with the public who flocked to his exhibit, but not only by the plants but also by his overall magnetism. It was not long that we all ended in the local pub where he very quickly became a celebrity with all the locals.

It was in 1979 when Adrian published his first book on Carnivorous Plants. I was greatly honoured to find myself among the many great collectors, mostly in the USA at that time. Adrian’s book was very much needed at this early period of our Society

English eccentric.

There are many great people from different countries growing these fascinating plant,s but it will always be our own Adrian Slack who will be in the forfront of it all.

Rest in peace dear friend. You will always be remembered in the world of carnivorous plants.

Dave Taylor

and I am proud to have it on my bookshelves.

Back in the late seventies, I had been buying a gardening paper aptly name “Gardening News”. To my surprise there was a feature about Adrian and with him on the front cover. From the article I discovered that apart from his dedication to the plants he actually had another hobby. He was a member of a group of enthusiastic folk, who liked to re-enact the battles of the English Civil War. The part he played was as a colonel in full uniform for the Cavaliers. He would charge up the

hills of Somerset waving his sword and into battle with the roundheads. What a sight that must have been.

Adrian had studied carnivorous plants since the age of ten. As he became older he began to draw them, write about them and, of course, sell them. He became known as the complete eccentric, although he did not agree.

I wanted to meet this wonderful man and eventually I did.

On one very hot summer’s day in the mid-eighties I drove down to Somerset to meet Adrian. I took to him straight away as I had done in the pub in Chelsea. His enthusiasm was so infectious, and, as it was very hot, there were many flying insects in his garden.

Adrian’s popularity was well known in the USA, and they must have loved this great

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p7

Tips for pollinating the most common genera

Pollinating North American Pitcher Plants

For Sarracenia, it is a good idea to put a piece of net around the flower head to stop bees from pollinating them with a different pollen to the one you want to make a cross with. The bag is only needed from a couple of days before the petals have fully opened until a couple of days after the petals have dropped off, then they can be removed. Then you really just need to remember to take care not to mix pollen on a brush.

When you pollinate a plant, use one paint brush (or cotton bud) per flowering plant. When you have used the brush, stick it brush-upwards into the soil of the plant you took the pollen from. Then, when you wish to use that plant’s pollen on any other plant, you know that the brush only has the pollen you want to use on it.

To pollinate a Sarracenia, lift a petal on the flower. The pollen is a yellow powder that drops from the anthers into the umbrella-shaped style. Dip the brush into the pollen and then at the five points of the style are little bumps. These are the stigma; brush

the pollen onto each of the five stigma, re-cover the flower, and you should have seed in the autumn.

If you don’t have enough brushes, make sure you clean the brush thoroughly before using it on a different pollen, so you can be sure that you are getting the right cross. Sarracenia seed is ripe at the end of the season, and usually between October and November the pod will brown, at which point it is ready for harvest.

Learn more on thepitcherplantproject.com.

Pollinating Sundews

Many Drosera, especially the more-common easy-to-grow ones, will self pollinate, so you don’t need to do anything to obtain seed. A few do require cross pollination though, so always check to see if a Drosera will produce viable seed without intervention.

Once Drosera seed is ripe, the pods will turn black. Hold a piece of paper underneath the stalk, shake it, and if the little

black dust-like seeds come out onto the paper, you know the stalk is ready for harvesting.

Learn more on growsundews.com.

Pollinating Venus Flytraps

Dionaea muscipula (the Venus Flytrap) can be pollinated by rubbing flowers together.

The pods will swell after the flower dies off and when the pods are black and start to split, the shiny black seeds can be harvested.

Learn more on flytrapcare.com.

Pollinating Tropical Pitcher Plants

Nepenthes are a little different, in that some plants are male and some are female. N e p e n t h e s therefore cannot self-pollinate. You need a flowering male plant with which to pollinate a flowering female plant in order to make viable seed.

Nepenthes will produce seed even without pollination; it just isn’t viable, so when sending in Nepenthes seed it is vital that both parent plants are named, even if they are a male and female of the same species.

Learn more on Brad’s Greenhouse YouTube channel.

Tom’s Carnivores (carnivorousplants.co.uk)

Cross-section of a Sarracenia flower, Wikimedia Commons.

p8 The CPS Newsletter - June 2020

Urgent Seed AppealI have had a few donations of seed so far which I am very grateful for, but am desperately looking for more donations of seed for the seedbank. We currently have a large selection of seed available, but many types only have sufficient for one seed order. Without do-nations, I will have to buy in more common seed with the limited budget that I have to purchase seed, which will leave me with less to buy in the rarer types that we have had in the seedbank in recent years. Even if it is just a small amount of seed that you can donate, I would really appreciate it. I do operate a system where you can swap seed, 2 varieties for one pack of your choice, glassine enve-lopes, or GA3. Please send any donations to Fiona Wowra, 29 Hollins Gardens, Glossop, Derbyshire, SK13 0EF. I can be contacted by email if you have any queries secretary@thecps.org.uk

NEW! In Stock NowWe have added a new item for sale to our online webstore. Our enamel pin badges measure xxx in diameter and are for sale for just £2.00 including postage.

We also have several prints of the specially commissioned painting which we presented to Sir David Attenborough at the ICPS conference at Kew in 2016. This was painted by botanical artist Lucy Smith. We’ve reduced the price too. The smaller ones are now £25 and the large ones are £50.

We still have stocks of Tim Bailey and Stewart McPherson’s wonderful book about the carnivorous plants that grow on the wonderful British Isles. Carnivorous Plants of Britain and Ireland was published in 2016, and

features over 200 images and documents all recognised native species and their hybrids, as well as the non-native species that have become naturalised to form self-sustaining populations on these shores. Signed copies are available at a discounted price of £13.50 (including postage) and unsigned copies are £11.50.

Mugs. Yes we still have specially designed CPS mugs in stock. These are white with a cool-dude Venus’ flytrap design on the outside, and a fly on the inside base. The price (including postage) is £5.50.

If you purchase any item then we will also give you one of our car stickers for free as thanks for you supporting our much-loved Charity.

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p9

The New Plant Passporting RegulationsSome of you will be aware of the EU directive that came into effect on 14th December 2019 and some of you along with many others even professional suppliers will be completely oblivious to this so this is tailored for you if you have never heard of it.

There has also been great confusion with Plant Passporting about who this will effect and what is required, why it would be relevant to carnivorous plant growers when they are in none of the listed restricted plant and seed groups and the seemingly flawed manner in which it will manage disease control for all movement of plants, even seed potatoes need plant passports these days under the new regulations. This is quite a complicated subject due mostly to the confusion and has and continues to be debated many times on social media and forums but regardless of what the EU directive reads (confusing) and the UK version that does not seem to reflect what people are told verbally or via email and one also gets the impression that it is easier to say ALL plants than deal with what is or is not to be regulated so it stands that if you sell plants even just one or two, as the law stands you must be registered and then be authorised to issue plant passports.

Before I begin here is a link to the gov.org page relating to this matter and you will see this seems to be more targeted to commercial nurseries receiving and dispatching quantities of plants or indeed regulated listed controlled plants and plant materials.

I myself became aware of this subject some time ago and I admit I was very perplexed, I saw the conversations and comments and read through the official documentation but couldn’t see how this was relevant to the small grower seller but it seemed that all communication with the regulating body simply boiled down to the simple fact that if anyone wants to sell any plant via any postal service (distance selling) over more than 10 miles then you have to by law supply a plant passport, for this you need to be first registered and then apply to be authorised to issue plant passports, you have to keep records for 3 years of all plant passports issued and further to this be in agreeance to

pay for any inspections and testing of your “nursery” stock at a cost of around £64 per 15 minutes or part thereof including the inspectors travel time, it does not specify if this is to and from your site. Scotland has a different system of fees that start at around £87 increasing after that based on acreage, a system I would like to see implemented for the rest of the UK. I am not sure if Ireland has a separate system again

As you can imagine this is a very worrying time for all of us especially for those who just trade the odd plant from time to time. On the flipside however with the current regulations you can still trade and sell plants at any event dealing directly with the end user (even that guy you know from Belgium) without any requirement for plant passporting or other restrictions or trace of where those plants end up (you are probably thinking the same as I am right now) I understand why they are not enforcing face to face sales and swapped plants etc. due to the lack of a good paper trail thus making it hard to police and trace plants but that still leaves a huge side of the industry unchecked.

This is currently law though, but, how fiercely it will be enforced in the future I do not know. As I am not in a position to take any chances, it was with much trepidation I went forth and registered, and am now officially authorised to issue plant passports and will continue to do so for as long as it is required. More recent information suggests it is not going to go away. We may have to have a UK flag within 12 months and the fees may change, some of us may have to still issue PP’s but not require inspections. Who knows? APHA doesn’t know yet so neither do we this is why they are referring to it as a transition period.

The applications

Simple enough excepting the odd box I did not understand so left blank and regardless I was promptly issued with a personal registration number required also to apply for authorisation to issue plant passports, once you have your unique code it will always be applied to any form of PP you would issue. The applications were fairly straight forward, but one thing again is it seemed to be targeting commercial businesses/locations so it all just feels like it should not apply to us small businesses to

p10 The CPS Newsletter - June 2020

hobby growers wanting to sell the odd plant to fund the hobby. Terms like ‘site’ and ‘staff ’ ‘professional operator’ ‘supplier’ and the like.

Issuing plant passports

A pain to be honest and extra work we could all do without but even though there are strict guidelines about the layout found somewhere in this link there is flexibility about how this travels with plants. It can be attached to the consignment, a label on the plant bag within the parcel or as I have set up fully printed labels with the plant passport on the rear, this is suitable for me as the plant passport will remain with the plant/s as apparently the end user has to also keep any plant passports for 3 years (I read somewhere?) the preference is for the plant passports to be printed but they can be written in block capitals but I am not sure if you are allowed to draw the EU flag required to the upper left of the plant passport (not even with felt pens or crayons)

A basic invoice could be printed as long as there is a separate box with the approved layout and there are cheaper options to print separate labels so £1000 does not have to be spent on a dedicated printer. The desktop model I used was £54 and in all fairness is simple even for me to use and a database of labels can be saved and this uses the same TZ laminated tapes of other Brother P touch machines. One could even print out a basic layout on sheets of labels and write in the plant name and trace code for each plant for example, there are many options. Anyway here is a link to the model I use and the best price I have found, I did try to secure a discount code but unfortunately they could not and in all fairness they are cheap enough.

Click for printer link on www.cartridgepeople.com

Keeping records

To be honest I am trying to keep it simple and keep a relevance to the plant or original code, I keep full records of all plant sales so any plant sold will be traceable to the existing clone or stock so saves having to keep a separate account of passports. (at this point I must add something that I did not mention earlier is that if an inspection should arise then all accounts must be available for viewing by the inspector on the day). Some people I know intend to add

all sales to a database and that does sound like a good idea but how much work?. Whatever method is opted for it does mean more time and cost preparing plants for sale and although some say the time and cost is minimal, I can see it doubling time organising listings, for larger sellers the cost and structure of passporting once implemented could be minimal but for the small to occasional seller this could impact prices especially if they are inspected and have to pay the additional costs involved. Regardless how it is done keeping good records is number 1 on the list for APHA so they could trace an outbreak should one occur.

An Uncertain Future

This is an EU directive the UK have adopted as UK law, this is an interim period where APHA state they will assist in helping people become compliant and such words that imply there is no fines in place but that is not to say you would not incur large inspection fees should you get their attention whilst not conforming to the rules. I imagine when things are set in place more solidly in December 2020, there could targeting of online selling sites and follow ups with those that do not comply. After December we may see different classifications of who needs to comply or we may still all have to do it regardless. There is a very good Facebook site that discusses heavily the whole subject (see link below) and it does clarify a lot but also solidifies the fact that everyone is confused and this is what makes this a hard subject to write here as facts are the grey area. Even a conversation with a plant health inspector in a different region to me does not really know how this will pan out.

Click for Facebook Link

To all good luck and I highly recommend visiting the above page for some clarification and previous links to the gov.org pages.

Happy growing all.

Ian Salter

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p11

Seasonal Notes and General CareGenus June July AugustSarracenia Pollinate any late flowers

with another genetic clone or species.

Water on the tray method

Watch out for sap sucking pests, especially aphids.

Water on the tray method Water on the tray method

Drosera All but the winter growing species will be in active growth now so give plenty of water.

Water on the tray method.

Leaf cuttings can be taken from many species. Root cuttings from some.

Collect any seed produced and send to the seed bank.

Water on the tray method.

Leaf cuttings can be taken from many species. Root cuttings from some.

Collect any seed produced and send to the seed bank.

Winter GrowingDrosera

Reduce watering as the plants start to die back aiming to have the soil semi dry by the time the plants have died back completely.

Place pots under the bench out of direct sunlight.

Do not water.

Pots can be given a very light watering.

Leave the plants under the bench.

Temperate Pinguicula Most species will be flow-ering. If you want seed for the seed bank hand polli-nation is often necessary.

Water using the tray meth-od.

Water on the tray method. Water using the tray meth-od.

Harvest seed when the seed pod starts to dry. Don’t leave it too late or the seed will be released!

Mexican Pinguicula Plants that are in flower can be hand pollinated for seed. Usually a different clone or species is needed to fertilise the flower.

Take leaf cuttings. This is by far the easiest way to generate new plants.

Water by the tray method.

Harvest any ripe seed pods and send the seed to the seed bank.

Leaf cuttings can still be taken.

Water on the tray method

Continue to harvest seed.

Pot up any plantlets pro-duced by leaf cuttings.

Water on the tray method.

Utricularia Propagate by division re-potting each division into separate pots.

Water on the tray method

Propagate by division re-potting each division into separate pots.

Water on the tray method

Propagate by division re-potting each division into separate pots.

Water on the tray methodDarlingtonia Pollinate any plants in

flower. Self-pollination is possible but cross pollina-tion with another clone is preferable.

Water on the tray method.

Water on the tray method with some top watering to help cool the roots. Avoid excessive heat.

Propagate by removing runners once they have formed new plants. Cut the runner and pot the plantlet up separately.

Water on the tray method with some top watering to help cool the roots. Avoid excessive heat.

p12 The CPS Newsletter - June 2020

Cephalotus Keep well-watered and give plenty of light.

Keep well-watered.

Leaf cuttings can be taken at this time. This is an ex-tremely easy and success-ful way to produce new plants.

Keep well-watered.

Monitor the leaf cuttings removing any leaves that have died.

Harvest seed and send to the seed bank.

Venus’ Flytrap Water on the tray method.

If flowers are produced and you don’t want the seed remove the flower head and use for flow-er-stem cuttings. Allowing the plants to flower does not weaken the plants if they are healthy!

Water on the tray method.

Take leaf cuttings and flower stem cuttings. This an easy way to produce new plants and the only way to propagate cultivars.

Water on the tray method.

Harvest seed when the seed pod starts to brown and splits.

Monitor cuttings and re-move any that have died.

Heliamphora Water the plants but do not allow to stand in water for any length of time.

Flowers can be pollinated but usually need a second clone or different species. Keep traps topped up by watering from above. Keep below 27C

Flowers can be pollinated but usually need a second clone or different species. Keep traps topped up by watering from above. Keep below 27C

Nepenthes Plants will be actively growing producing new traps.

Pollen from male plants can be collected and stored until a female flower is open.

Collect pollen in a piece of foil and store uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours. This ensures the pollen is dry. Then fold the foil into an envelope so the pollen cannot escape and store in the freezer. Pollen can be stored this way for up to eight months.

Take stem cuttings by selecting a suitable piece of plant and cutting with a very sharp knife. If neces-sary, place pot and plant in a bag to increase the humidity. Use of a rooting hormone is beneficial.In very hot weather mist the plants in the evening and top the pitchers up with water.

In very hot weather mist the plants in the evening and top the pitchers up with water.

Drosophyllum Water on shallow tray of water, allowing tray to go try between waterings. Pollinate flowers for a bet-ter seed set. Can be placed outdoors.

Water on shallow tray of water, allowing tray to go try between waterings. Pollinate flowers for a bet-ter seed set. Can be placed outdoors.

Water on shallow tray of water. Pollinate flowers for a better seed set. Can be placed outdoors. Seed can be sown from now. Send spare seed to seed bank.

For in-depth information please see our Grow Guide. Care sheets are also available on our website.

Phil Wilson and Richard Bunn

The CPS Newsletter - June 2020 p13

Trustees & CommitteeThis is a list of the Trustees and Committee members with a brief description of their roles. All Trustees and Committee members are elected annually by member’s present at the AGM. Any member can nominate themselves for election to a Committee post. Nomination notices are sent out in advance of the AGM.

Trustees: Phil Wilson, Ron Satterthwaite, Fiona Wowra, Flick Foreman, Richard Bunn, Steve TatmanCommittee

Acting Chairperson Phil Wilson Has overall managerial control of the committee and chairs committee meetings.

Vice-Chairperson Steve Tatman Assists the Chairman in their duties as necessary and acts on behalf of the Chair in their absence.

Treasurer Phil Wilson Responsible for all financial aspects of the Society including running the Society’s bank account and providing annual accounts for the AGM.

Secretary Fiona Wowra Responsible for Society administration and keeping a minuted record of meetings.

Seed Bank Organiser Fiona Wowra Runs and manages the seed bank, ordering seed and distributing it to members.

Membership Secretary Ron Sattherwthaite Responsible for keeping a record of all members, recording new memberships and renewals etc.

Conservation Officer Stephen Morley Responsible for overseeing the society’s conservation policy and for assessing and making recommendationsfor grants from the society Conservation Fund.

Assistant Conservation Officer Francesco Gorni Assists the Conservation Officer with the Society’s conservation work.

Enquiries Officer Carlene Bunn Responsible for handling all enquiries made to the society and either answering them or diverting them to the relevant committee member.

Events Organiser VACANT - Apply HERE Organises CPS meetings and member’s open days.

Promotions VACANT - Apply HERE Sources and sells CPS promotions - t-shirts, mugs etc.

Librarian Phil Wilson Keeps the Society’s collection of printed materials.

Newsletter Editor Richard Bunn Editor of the twice yearly newsletter sent to all current members of the society.

Internet Officers Richard Bunn & Phil Wilson Responsible for the upkeep of the Society’s website and other Internet resources.

Journal Editor (Non-Committee Role) Martin Cheek Responsible for the production of the Society’s Journal - Planta Carnivora.

Assistant Journal Editor Steve Tatman Assists the Publications Editor in sourcing and compiling articles for the Journal.

Show Secretary VACANT - Apply HERE Organises displays for flower shows and events.

Social Media Officer VACANT - Apply HERE Responsible for managing and updating the Society’s various social media platforms.

General Committee Members: Sam Booth, Flick Foreman, Ben Mottershead

Non-role-specific member of the Management Committee.

Editor’s Final Say!Would you like to write an article for the next Newsletter? Any size will do! I would like to take us on a walk down memory lane by sharing your story of how you got into growing CPs and joined the Society, or any fond memories you have in the hobby. I’d love to hear from you. Pop me an email on newsletter@thecps.org.uk and your story will be published!