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Pineapple's Greenhouse

  • #101
jealous! Awesome looking greenhouse!!

Thanks!! :)

If you want some live Sphagnum to get a decent colony started, I will send you some. It's easy to grow a significant colony in a short time if you start with live stuff:)

I actually found a garden shop around here that sells live sphagnum. I'm planning to go there soon. Thanks for the offer though! Much appreciated. :)

Looking spectacular! :)

Thanks!! :)

you really have thrown yourself into it,respect and good luck

Thanks!! :)
 
  • #102
Leaf Deformation

So I have a few questions regarding my N. ventricosa x talangensis. The last leaf it produced was deformed a bit, with an edge that look like it was burn off. This new leaf also has that trait a little bit.

Old leaf...
2nv9sv4.jpg


New leaf...
izye6a.jpg


The new leaf doesn't have this trait as much. These two leaves are the only it has fully produced in my month of having it. The leaf that was opening right as I received the plant looks fine. Maybe this is just from the stress of shipping? The trait seems less prominent on this leaf, so it may be going away, but I just want to make sure I'm not doing something wrong.

This N. ventricosa x talangensis came with two, very tiny basal shoots, which both have put out three or four new leaves. Each leave is larger than the previous, and no ill affects. Not sure if they're going to produce pitchers. Sadly, this basal, produced in just a month, is larger than my N. singalana..... :crazy:

Healthy basal shoots
301d7og.jpg


Also, it won't produce pitchers. I mean, I guess I'm expecting it to settle in immediately and create pitchers, but the truncata I received in the same online order just created a new leaf which is quickly forming a pitcher. I read or was told somewhere on here that talangensis won't pitcher in low humidity. It's been above 80% constantly, and now hovers around 90%. I'm confused because everything seems perfect. It's growing like a weed, but I guess that doesn't mean it's happy. I understand it can take many months for them to settle in, but being a ventricosa hybrid and having hybrid vigor, I'm kinda surprised. My pure species truncata settled in better, and my three new neps that came with forming pitchers are continuing to form them.

Temp - 64-68 night, 74-78 day (usually a 10 degree change day/night)
Humidity - 80% in most of the terrarium, 90% at the bottom near the bottom around the pots
Watering - Watered when the substrate is lightly moist, but it never dries out

(Sorry for so much typing, I'm just too worried I suppose!)
 
  • #103
I have a seed grown ventricosa X talangensis and it took five months to make any respectable growth.
 
  • #104
I have a seed grown ventricosa X talangensis and it took five months to make any respectable growth.

Odd... Mine has grown at least 6" on the main tip in the past month. Each basal has to be at least 4" across by now. ???

14th December, 2011
j5azd3.jpg


20th December, 2011
p9my8.jpg


2nd January, 2012
16bg9rd.jpg


16th January, 2012
301d7og.jpg


Is it possible that the plant could be growing so quickly to get more light or something? I'm going to be moving them into the greenhouse in a few weeks... ???
 
  • #105
I found three kinds of moss growing on a tree in my backyard. One of which, I was extremely happy to find. It will look great around neps. :)

(Growing on the bark of the tree trunk, potted in bark, tall, fluffy, medium-green)
b3kbq1.jpg


At first, I thought the following one was the one above just starting to spout up because it was growing together, but after closer examination, it is darker and the structure is different, plus, it has little things sticking up that spores were on.

(Growing on the bark of the tree trunk, potted in bark, small/short/dark-green)
2hp4lfd.jpg


And then there was this stuff... I've noticed this stuff growing all around the trunks of every tree I have for years, but I've never really collected it for any reason. I saw a bunch of this stuff which caught my eye, and it led me to the two mosses above. This stuff was growing in the dirt around the trunk of the tree, but not on the trunk. I don't believe it is Oregon Green Moss, which I was starting to culture back when I started this thread, but then somebody informed me it was a toxic soil addition... Anyways, I don't think it's the same stuff. I found no medium-sized (between this moss's size and the Oregon Green Moss's size) with the same structure, and there was no mature Oregon Green Moss anywhere near where I got these, so I don't think it is the same.

(Growing in the ground around the tree, potted in potting soil, short/tiny/light-green to medium-green)
2klj4z.jpg


So what do you guys think? Any able to ID? Opinions? I think the moss in the first picture is my favorite and will be what I culture in the long term for my neps.
 
  • #106
I couldn't wait anymore... :blush:

This time, my goal was to get something different. Of course, I made sure to ask if they were simple to keep, and the owner of the shop said they were fairly simple, not too picky.

N. vogelii
10nwzcz.jpg


N. jacquelineae
witxts.jpg


I'm quite happy with both of them. The vogelii will become extremely elongated and has a nice striped peristome. The jacquelineae is shaped like a toilet, not like most other neps. Can't wait until they get bigger!

Oh yeah, and I also got a nice bunch of live sphagnum, which I split into two containers. It's just the sphagnum, they aren't growing on anything else.

One tub of live sphagnum, plus my two new neps, N. vogelii and N. jacquelineae
kdk175.jpg


The sphagnum is being grown in my greenhouse. It came from far north America and into Canada according to the owner of the shop I got it from. It turns more brown in the winter apparently, so I don't know what to expect for the spring or summer. :-D
 
  • #107
The newest leaf on each of the basal shoots of my N. ventricosa x talangensis is forming a pitcher! I'm so excited! :-O
 
  • #108
can't wait for my vogelii to put on some size. Very nice sir..
 
  • #109
can't wait for my vogelii to put on some size. Very nice sir..

Thanks! :-D

Is vogelii slower growing than most neps? ???
 
  • #110
N. ventricosa x talangensis basal pitcher forming
288qvdj.jpg


N. Vogelii against 'Ventrata'
30w5pps.jpg


'Ventrata' peristome
21awmsn.jpg


N. jacquelineae forming
mbtl5k.jpg


N. densiflora x spectabilis pitcher forming
313ogud.jpg


N. Vogelii pitcher forming
24zxb14.jpg


N. 'Peter D'amato' x Maxima pitcher forming
9014c5.jpg


Pasian Highlands N. truncata pitcher forming
23mlc0.jpg


6 plants in my collection of 8 (N. ventricosa x talangensis basal top middle)
67t93a.jpg
 
  • #111
Nice collection!
 
  • #112
Just ordered some seeds on eBay! :boogie:

N. Adrianii - 1 pod
N. Ramispina - 1 pod
N. Tentaculata - 1 pod
N. Glabrata - 1 pod
N. Gymnamphora - 2 pods

Nice collection!

Thanks very much!!
 
  • #113
I took the bubble wrap off the top of the greenhouse and sprayed it down with water and the inside of the greenhouse was soaked. I went out and bought some foil tape, approx. 30ft. I'll see how that works, then get more if it does. :)
 
  • #114
You cant use silicone around the panels?
 
  • #115
Black barrels filled with water is the best solution or u can sink the greenhouse into the ground a foot or so and get thermal heat from the ground. If I tried sinking a green house here id have 2 go 3.5 feet. Lol
 
  • #116
Silicone was my first choice, but I would never be able to get it off if it doesn't work. The foil tape worked really well though. The only place it leaks now is on the vents, so I'll figure out a way to seal those off. The only place it can't leak is the roof because I have to put a heater and swamp cooler in there. If it gets wet on the sides it's okay, but anything in the middle where the elctrical appliances will be has to be bone dry.

I can't put the greenhouse into the ground now because it's already conreted in. There is no room for barrels becase the shelves take up all the space, BUT I am going to put some sort of water holding containers under the shelves to made a bog for Sarrs... Oh, and for frogs and fish! Hehe.
 
  • #117
This stupid greenhouse won't do its job. It doesn't retain any heat at night. All it does is put the plants inside into extreme. When it's 70F in the day and the sun is shinning, it gets up to 90F. On the days it gets up to 90F, it immediately cools off when out of the sun and returns to the outside air temperature. There's no draft inside and I've stuffed every hole with bubble wrap and fixed every gap with weather stripping... It just won't hold heat! I'm going to have to spend a fortune in the winter to heat it and in the summer to cool it. Before I can do that, I have to water proof it so that the electrical equipment for heating/cooling won't catch on fire. Oh, and the humidity inside the greenhouse is around 35% during the daytime... So I'm going to have to buy a fogger too. :censor:

And the glass fish tanks I put inside and covered with saran wrap... They get over 100F during the day when the sun is out.
 
  • #118
Well I know those HL neps like jacquilineae and vogelii cannot tolerate temps that high for any extended period of time. Why didn't you go with lowland neps since they can tolerate high temps and then you would only need to worry about heating the greenhouse to 70 degrees during winter and only cooling it if it goes over 100 degrees during the summer. I just think you should have gotten your greenhouse setup and got your temp ranges in check before buying any plants. Just my $.02
 
  • #119
Well I know those HL neps like jacquilineae and vogelii cannot tolerate temps that high for any extended period of time. Why didn't you go with lowland neps since they can tolerate high temps and then you would only need to worry about heating the greenhouse to 70 degrees during winter and only cooling it if it goes over 100 degrees during the summer. I just think you should have gotten your greenhouse setup and got your temp ranges in check before buying any plants. Just my $.02

Well most of the time it gets down to the 50s at night and the 70s or 80s in the day, so highlands are a better choice for my situation, however it will need cooling and heating at some points in the day. You know how this greenhouse cools off to the outside air temperature really quickly? While it's in the sun (for about an hour) it climbs from 75 to 90 at the peak, then as it goes out of the sun, it drops back to 75 and then as the sun goes down it goes into the 60s and then 40s at night... So what I really need to do is seal the greenhouse off with that foil tape, then add the heater/cooler/humidifier and then I'll be good to go. I may not even need a humidifier if I can get two big tubs of water in there for lots of evaporation. The greenhouse is just jank right now. :blush:
 
  • #120
I am not sure why your greenhouse is "leaking", however you can raise electrical cords, especially at a junction, which can be sealed with some electrical tape to further keep water out. I have used common electrical wire (with insulation still on) bent into small hooks which act as hangers every fre feet, to raise cords off the floor. (Be sure to keep junctions higher, so any water that collects on them runs away from the junction & not to it.)

As for water/thermal mass, you can use smaller buckets, like that from cat litter. They are square in shape, which makes butting them together a nice space saving situation. (If you like, paint the side exposed to the sun black, to absorb more heat.) I use a ton of them to hold rainwater (for plant watering) over the winter, along with a couple rubbermaid troughs:
[ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...aid+trough&rh=i:aps,k:rubbermaid+trough&ajr=0 ]
which come in a variety of sizes. In them I raise waterlilies and some other water plants. (I already have many Sarrs in other containers throughout the greenhouse.) If you have any shady areas (like along the bottom of the north wall of the greenhouse) you can place some insulated panels (painted pink foam or foil backed) along that wall to insulate dead areas where no useful light or heat will be entering anyway. (See below*.)

There are two factors that are most obviously involved in heating a greenhouse... they are
1. Getting the heat.... and
2. Keeping the heat where you want it!

So indeed, having the Greenhouse in the sun is great. But having it heat up thermal mass helps too! Making the most of the light & heat by putting a reflective surface on the walls where no sun enters will reflect it back to the plants or elsewhere inside the greenhouse. A layer of additional insulation there will also add to the "Keeping it where you want it".

If one side of the greenhouse is hit by wind, a barrier will help also (like low evergreen bushes), so long as it doesn't block out any sun.
*And if you want to save money in the long-run, be sure to insulate as much as you can afford to. Having a piece of good foam insulation that runs a foot or two up from the ground all around the walls, will save a lot of heat and won't be blocking much sun at all. You can always keep it lower along the sun-facing wall, and higher on the North/shady side.

Depending on where you live, a small heater can help a lot. It can mean the difference between a nice collection & a lost one. Even then, it can be a risk, so having a back-up plan may be essential.
Just keeping the temps to a minimum amount may be enough, but look up all the plants you have to make sure the temps don't fall lower than all the plants individually need as their minimum.

By the way, I know it is kind of late now, but looking at the pic of your greenhouse floor, it seems that the flooring is already begining to be uneven. You may find it best to butt the brick close together, with slightly less than 1/16" of space between them. (You want just enough space to allow the thinnest layer of sand to set between the bricks. This will allow the brick to be more stable and have a good fit. Any excess sand (thickness) allows too much movement of the bricks, and not enough & the bricks won't "set". (You also want to use a very fine sand, which will fit into the tiniest of cracks.)
Any extra space (which I assume is why you chose to space the bricks out evenly as you did) should be filled in at the edges (or only along one wall/edge if not both) with a smaller brick run that fills up most of the remaining space. (It can be difficult to find the right width of brick, but they can be found if you are patient & look around.) This way the spacing between all the bricks can be the smallest possible. [An option is to pour limestone/paving screenings in the largest space & tamp it in well. This can tamp in almost as tight like concrete, which is what it is meant to do.
Anyway, this reduces any flooring movement, even when the flooring is repeatedly hosed down on hot summer days. Without it, you will eventually find the job likely needs to be redone in time anyway, so perhaps keep these tips in the back of your mind just in case.
I learned some of this by a little reading, watching & helping others, & a lot of experience myself. Seems I always had to do it first, before I learned a better way!

There is no "one/right" way to do things, so whatever you think is best to do, go for it!
We all have different conditions to deal with, and different things available to work with.
For me, it took a few years to get a handle on things, and to learn what the greenhouse does at different times of year.
Before I got a good heater, it could get below freezing inside. But then it could also get above 100 degrees too, when the sun was cooking in! Yes, in the middle of winter, with no other heat source! (In summer, it could get like an oven however!)
But now, with a variety of knowledge & a little equipment, I finally have somewhat of a handle on things.

I hope some of this may be of help to you. Good luck.
Paul
:water:
 
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