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my grow rack is finished!

  • #21
Not big news, but I just added a small two gallon humidifier to my grow rack.

By letting it run continuously I can get the humidity up to 65%.

Not something I'll use too much in the summer but a good thing to have during the dry winters in Michigan.

Does anyone else use humidifiers in their grow racks, green houses, terrariums etc ??
 
  • #22
The more pots you get in their the more humid it will get. More reason to get MORE plants!
 
  • #23
More plants you say...........Hmm...............
39thinking.gif


Okay. You're the boss dude. MORE PLANTS it is then!! (where are all my credit cards?)

(man, THAT was easy..........) ;)
 
  • #24
The Sars should be able to take the light and heat with little or no problem at all. You may get a crispy hood or 2 on the existing pitchers, but as the new pitchers grow out they should have no problems. Same with the VFTs and even with a lot of Drosera species. The biggest trick is to have the patience to let it look like its about to die long enough for it to actually grow. Most people panic as soon as they see wilting or browning and immediately move the plants to a "safer" location.

Nice looking rack for sure.. now you need to post pics of it with plants in it.

Cheers
Steve
 
  • #25
does it matter where the red and the black wire go?? are the wires colour coded? I "remember" reading something like that....cut off the PC fan ...2 wires.....just join those to the 2 wires in the phone charger adapter. Is that it?

thanks,

vraev

V... there are a few things you need to consider, first the adapter must be the right type of voltage... is it AC or DC... depending on the phone it could be either.

next is it the right voltage level... usually computer fans are 12vdc IIRC

finally, does the adapter have sufficient current capacity... if it doesnt it will not be able to maintain its voltage level once it is under a load (fan running) and it will overheat and burn itself up

and yes, color coding does matter... if it is DC and you have it backwards the fan will run backwards... normally this will not be an issue if it is an AC setup

if it is a small processor cooling fan then probably most any adapter will be strong enough as long as the voltage is correct... if it is the main cooling fan for the cabinet... then you may have a problem with the adapter being "strong enough" to carry the load

in either case... feel the adapter for excessive heat at first... just to be safe

does that answer your questions?

legal disclaimer " Of course I suggest you consult a licensed electrician, my comments are purely academic and should not be considered as any type of do it yourself guide" :)

Av
 
  • #26
thanks for answering av8tor. The phone adapter I have is like 5.8 volts or something. I guess all the fans I have seen are 12 volts.

I am guessing that this is not sufficient. is it?
 
  • #27
no, that is definitely not enough

you can get by with some drop in voltage but that is way too little, I would also assume that it's amperage is insufficient

I'm guessing you want to run an 80 or 120mm fan

visit the flea market, should be easy enough to find for a loonie or two ;)
 
  • #28
Nice looking rack for sure.. now you need to post pics of it with plants in it.


Well, I did take some quicky pics for friends & family, I can post those (these).........

Some VTF's and Sundews:
someVFTs.jpg


Some runty young Neps:
somesmallNeps.jpg


A small terracotta pot with two small Dioneae Dentè and a small -Sarr purpurea that is my elderly mother's birthday gift :)
housecricketinatrap.jpg


I'm still figuring out what plant is happiest where on the grow-rack. The top shelf has the superior light but the most HEAT. The second shelf is much cooler but light quality is far less than that of the first shelf.

I'm discovering that the VFT's and Sarrs like the "big light" and can take the heat of the top shelf. While the Neps, Sundews and Cobras enjoy the cooler second shelf, and don't seem to mind a little less light.
thumbs_up.gif


P.S. I've rearranged some plants since these photos were taken BTW.....
 
  • #29
no, that is definitely not enough

you can get by with some drop in voltage but that is way too little, I would also assume that it's amperage is insufficient

I'm guessing you want to run an 80 or 120mm fan

visit the flea market, should be easy enough to find for a loonie or two ;)

thanks mate. I will check out the dixie mall flea outlet. They have random stuff sometimes. :banana2: Maybe I will get lucky ;)
 
  • #31
I would like to see an update as well! OK, I am going to ask a stupid question. Is there any problems, or could there eventually be a problem with the fluorescent fixtures inside the enclosure with high humidity?
 
  • #32
An update on the growrack?? Good idea.

Here are some pics:

My mom’s Mother’s Day gift that I made her this year. I had no idea that the purpurea would grow so fast and so large that it would crowd out the VFT dentes. WOW!

MothersDayGift.jpg


A pot o’ VFT’s that I grew outside all summer long. Now in my growrack. Still no signs of dormancy…

nestotraps.jpg


Common Neps growing happily right next to a Darlingtonia. Who knew ‘huh??

NepsandCobra.jpg


Some common dews that experienced a sudden growth spurt in the last couple months for some reason.

Dews_01.jpg


More dews, I’m letting a few flower this time…

Dews_02.jpg


Some hybrid Pings:

somehybridPings.jpg


My VFT tray. Different cultivars. Some entering dormancy due to a shortened photoperiod in growrack:

VFTs.jpg


And, here is an odd sight: A pitcher starting to grow into another pitcher!! Glad I caught it in time before it ballooned up. Made me think about how many times that happens in nature?

Raff_cup.jpg
 
  • #33
Man, your plants are looking awesome! What are the Nepenthes in the back of the third pic? Very pretty.
 
  • #34
.Very nice ! I will do that when I runout of room.
I plan of getting more cps sometime soon,
but am running out of time before winter hits then shipping is hard.
 
  • #36
Yeah, those two leafy Neps next to each other are Judith Finns. The Nep in the very back is one that JLAP gave me. I don't know what it is...

It's putting out its second pitcher though. From a cutting too.......
 
  • #37
Wow! You're plants are beautiful! Now I want to build shelves like these! How much did it cost you? If it's not too expensive, I'll think I'll give it a try.

My window sill gets a lot of light, but it my plants are loosing their beautiful red colors.
 
  • #38
Nice setup! Congratulations.

What variety of Nepenthe is that in the last pic (the pitcher within a pitcher)?
 
  • #39
It's an N. Raff..........
 
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