What a bioluminescent petunia had to teach me
What a bioluminescent petunia had to teach me
I bought a glowing plant. It led me down a rabbit hole of radiant mushrooms, 19th century experiments and a modern rivalry between scientists in Russia and the Americas.
I bought a glowing plant. It led me down a rabbit hole of radiant mushrooms, 19th century experiments and a modern rivalry between scientists in Russia and the Americas.
These are super cool :)
My mom and I have one of them (we each have one). They're pretty cool, just difficult to take care of in Texas (they require specific temperature ranges, fertilizer, light levels, etc).
See my tips above. Hope that helps, but it's generic advice, never had one of these. Wish I could get with you in a year and see how it's going. Been thinking on buying one of these.
That's interesting. I'm in the northeast near Boston and the results have been inconsistent leaving it outside although I've given it good soil, fertilizer and direct sunlight. It's not doing great right now but doing its best to hang in there.
We've been keeping them inside on a windowsill, it's been working fairly well so far.
Interesting article, thank you. :)
I wouldn't get one for myself because I have lots of big plants (hazel, cherry and sea-buckthorn), but it makes me wonder - why did some species of fungi start glowing? Did they do it by accident, for no good reason?
The enzymes that create Bioluminescence are called Lucifererins. Various animals have them for different reasons like protection . There seems to be debate about why exactly they evolved in so many species of fungi . It says here
Why did certain fungi evolve to glow in the dark? One prevailing theory is spore dispersal, as mentioned. Insects and other small creatures, lured by the glow, inadvertently pick up spores and transport them to new locations. However, there’s another intriguing theory: it’s a method to deter herbivores. The glow could signal potential toxicity, steering clear grazers that might otherwise feast on the mushroom.
Another fascinating hypothesis posits that bioluminescence helps the mushroom conserve energy. By emitting light, the fungi might attract insects that feed on its competitors, giving the glowing mushroom a survival edge.
I had one of these, it was really fucking cool until it died. So did the one I gave my mom. My sisters is doing better so I grabbed a clone and hoping it makes it.
Yeah I've been struggling to keep mine alive as well. I repotted it and was able to revive it and then all the flowers died and one of the branches. I'm trying to give it lots of direct sunlight right now but it does seem like they're pretty delicate if not in perfect conditions and the shipping possibly traumatizes them
Maybe you know all this, but for anyone wanting to learn how to grow plants, here are some thoughts.
Don't move it around or mess with it. It can takes weeks, months, for a plant to steady up. I've had plants finally take off after a year of "neglect". The more you try to improve conditions, the worse the results. Mom couldn't grow shit and was wholly ignorant, yet plants from dad's funeral 30-years back were thriving. She put them in place, never changed a thing, not even to rinse them off, and always used the same exact watering and feeding regimen.
You're going to have light issues inside. I can go on for ages, but what our eyes perceive as bright bears little relation to received lumens. Go outside on a cloudy, dark day. Lay down and stare straight up. Then you'll think it's bright. Also consider, a sunny day on winter solstice is dimmer than a cloudy day on summer solstice. Our eyes lie to us.
Think on this: Tropicals are mainstays of the houseplant world because they evolved to grow under 3 canopies of rain forest. Our "bright" windows are often barely adequate and a petunia needs real light.
Put it as close as you can to a south window, west is second best, leave it. Only water when you can stick your finger in an inch and come out dry. That's it. No touch, bad touch! Once it acclimates, then you can experiment with feeding it.
Another pro tip on water: Tap water, while fine for us, is full of crap. Blast some in a pitcher and stick your nose right up to it. You can smell the chemicals. I catch rainwater and bottle it, but you can also let your pitcher sit for a day, even better in the sun. Now the water smells "flat". Makes a dramatic difference, try it!
And you're spot on. Shipping beats hell out of plants in the best scenario. Consider: The roots you see are not what's taking in water. It's the microscopic hairs doing all the work, and those break easily.
And I'm sure you're right about them being finicky. Not only is that meant to be a sun-blasted outdoor plant, who knows what was genetically changed to get the final product. As an example from my own experience, exotic peppers are far more picky than their "base" relatives. They're bred for heat and funky fruits, not toughness. I suspect these petunia's are the same, emphasis on the cool factor more than hardiness. Does that make sense?
Are these still available?
I think they have sold the last batch of the season but more will be available in 2025 and I think they may be working on other types of bioluminescent plants. https://light.bio/