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can any one help

  • #21
Overheating makes sense, since August is often the hottest month.

Either get rid of the tank or lay it on it's side and leave it open. Or add fans to draw off some of the heat from the lamps. When you say two T8 lights do you mean two tubes or two fixtures (which can have one or two tubes). Two tubes are probably not enough when the plants are growing. You need at least 4 tubes.

Using Barry Rice's light calculator you can get a ball park reading if you have enough light.

Some of Barry Rice's tips on terrarium building. You can get some useful ideas from there.
 
  • #22
Ooo i see i will have to change things around thank you for the good advice
 
  • #23
keeping them indoors is just asking for more trouble.. :(
they WILL die eventually if you dont get them outside right now..
the only way they can survive long-term is to get them outdoors..

people *say* they have grown them indoors sucessfully, but its always short-term.. no one has ever offered any proof that it can be done more than 2 years straight..

Barry Rice grows them indoors temporarily..he also keeps them outdoors for much of the year so they can get a proper dormancy..the Barry Rice "proof" of indoor growing is often taken out of context.
you simply cant do it long-term..no one ever has.
and for a newby, its definately the worst way to go..

I just read the Barry Rice terrarium page that NON linked..
I find it quite irresponsible that he does not mention dormancy at all!
definately gives people a wrong impression..

he does mention dormancy on another part of his site:

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2360.html

but he should really talk about it on his terrarium page too..
people can get the impression from his terrarium page that VFTs can just be left in the terrarium indefinately..
which is definately not the case..

Scot
 
  • #24
Ok scott thank you for all your help and when i move in the next few months i will take my plants out side full time.
 
  • #25
people *say* they have grown them indoors sucessfully, but its always short-term.. no one has ever offered any proof that it can be done more than 2 years straight..


I've done it...but of course i have nothing to show for it (the plant met its demise when i left for college) but here's what i did:

i placed it on a windowsill of a room that functions as an extension of the living room. because it is an extension and there are windows all around, this area of the house seems to be poorly insulated, which was perfect because it allowed the plant to get the required sunlight, and set in for dormancy. if you're growing the plant indoors, next to a south facing windowsill is the next best thing.

i believe what you wanted to say was: no one has grown VFTs in terrariums successfully.... :-D
 
  • #26
One can grow a VFT in a terrarium as long as the conditions are just like the Carolinas. I grow my VFT in a terrarium during the spring and summer, but when fall rolls around I put it on the window sill and let it go dormant.

-Hermes.
 
  • #27
I too have grown VFT's indoors for more than 2 years straight, I guess I didnt know i'd need photo evidence of such so feel free to doubt if need be. but its definitely doable.

although it is MUCH more tedious than plopping them outside and letting them grow...

never say never ;)
 
  • #28
Yep, it's do-able if you treat dormancy correctly ie. by putting them outside in the autumn and bringing them in in the spring.
 
  • #29
Yep, it's do-able if you treat dormancy correctly ie. by putting them outside in the autumn and bringing them in in the spring.

perhaps..

but if you live in a climate where you can overwinter them outdoors, why bring them inside?ever?

or..if you live in a climate where they can be outdoors all spring, summer and autumn, but they need to be indoors (fridge method) during the winter, why grow indoors? ever?

and putting them on "a windowsill" indoors for the winter only works if your windowsill is 35-50degrees..most windowsills are MUCH too warm in the winter..because humans like to be warm in the winter..

Scot
 
  • #30
Yep, it's do-able if you treat dormancy correctly ie. by putting them outside in the autumn and bringing them in in the spring.

That's exactly what Barry Rice does. He has been growing CPs for 25 years or so.

perhaps..

but if you live in a climate where you can overwinter them outdoors, why bring them inside?ever?

or..if you live in a climate where they can be outdoors all spring, summer and autumn, but they need to be indoors (fridge method) during the winter, why grow indoors? ever?

Because some people live in apartments that don't have outdoors areas for their own plants. Or what outdoors areas they do have gets little or no direct sunlight.

Because of insects.

Because you can.

and putting them on "a windowsill" indoors for the winter only works if your windowsill is 35-50degrees..most windowsills are MUCH too warm in the winter..because humans like to be warm in the winter..

Scot

At yet some people have spare rooms they don't heat or perhaps don't mind dressing warm indoors. Don't presume to speak for all the human race.
 
  • #31
My heat bill last year was 300$/month. This year I keep the at like 55 degrees at night. My recycled china cabinet turn terrarium gets down to 50 degrees on cold nights. Highlanders are happy as hell in it. With weaned down lights it is probably sufficient to overwinter a dormant temperate cp. Though,I prefer to keep them outside for space issues and it's just easier to mulch and forget until spring.
 
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