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My first post on this forum

I HAVE FINALLY GROWN A VFT! and who says they dont grow well under lights, it is quite compact and happy

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Greetings,
I'm growing VFT outside here in Southern Montana. So far they have survived wind, heat waves, cold spells, and a hail storm. They grow slow, but steady. I find it best to set them in a fish tank with the top off, in full sun most of the day.

Before they grew outside, I kept them indoors under lights. I was able to get a blood red trap color when the plants were about 3" from the lights. Even the red dragon was a good color. I prefer outdoors though.

What are you going to do for dormancy? I know that it gets about -500F up where you live.:laugh:

Brian
 
dormancy? very good question...........havent decided, i may ask Friesens if i can "rent" space in one of their flower coolers. i would think that would work well. ive got about 8 Sarrs that will need dormancy too. you guys been getting all this rain down there? its been terrible. if i wanted 100 degrees and 80% humidity i would move to Florida!
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Yes, you would. And yes, we are getting the rain.
 
I have Sarracenia growing outside also.  For dormancy, I'm going to dig a pit, set my pots in it, and fill it full of pine needles.  If it works, I'll expand my collection next spring.  If it doesn't, I'll just focus on growing tropical and subtropical plants indoors.

  After 5 years of drought, the rain is welcome.  It never lasts long though.  Last week there were puddles everywhere.  This week it's as if it never rained at all.  As for the high heat and humidity, there's nothing like stepping outside and feeling like a big sweaty hog.
 
rattler_mt, what kind of light? I have dual phillips aquarium fluorescent lights 4 to 6 inches from my plants and the color is not very good. They are a nice green but the Red Dragons should have some red in them, not to mention the inside of all the other types of traps.
 
Hello everyone,its my first post too.Brian you said you have your vft in a fishbowl,wouldnt the roots not get any O2,or do you have holes in the bottom so the roots can breathe?
 
Ignore the last post,just realized you said fish tank not fishbowl,my bad.Anyways if you were to have a vft in a fishbowl would the roots eventually be depleted of oxygen? I ask because I did this lol
 
Bowl or tank, where would it get O2 in a bog? Some where in N. Carolina? They get CO2 from the air and expell O2 in to the air.
 
  • #10
ok good,I didnt wanna have to replant it again.
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  • #11
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Lord Humungus @ June 24 2005,8:25)]Bowl or tank, where would it get O2 in a bog? Some where in N. Carolina? They get CO2 from the air and expell O2 in to the air.
In the bog O2 is carried in with the water table. Just because plants make O2 does not mean they dont need O2 as well. Oxygen is created as a result of photosynthesis, but the plant cells still must metabolize the food its created just like any other cell.

In answer to the question, VFT do not like undrained containers. A sealed fishbowl would be a bad idea for a pot IMO.


Steve
 
  • #12
Well Ive already replanted it 2 times this month due to it being crowded in the pot it already came in and then it got mold cause I left the lid on and it didnt get enough ventilation.Im also going on vacation soon for a week.Should I  repot it? If so before or after my vacation?
 
  • #13
Quote: Brian you said you have your vft in a fishbowl (end quote)

I grow them in pots, set inside a low profile fishtank with the top off.  It's very dry and windy here in Southern Montana.  It gives them a little protection.

Quote: In answer to the question, VFT do not like undrained containers. A sealed fishbowl would be a bad idea for a pot IMO (end quote)

I think an undrained container isn't a good idea for any species.  A "mini-bog" isn't really a bog at all.  It's just a container full of mucky, stagnant peatmoss.  

I also think it's best to top water once and awhile to flush out minerals and built up by-products.

Brian
 
  • #14
We had a topic about the pros & cons of top and bottom watering. Among the comments were that top watering does flush out metallic salts, but can also mat down the media.
 
  • #15
as for lights its sitting about 6-7 inches away from 4, 32 watt, 4foot flourecents along side my Drosera. i would put it in a south window but the only one availible is here at work in the front and lil kids would constantly be playing with it. if i had more than one VFT that wouldnt bug me but sunce its my only one so its staying at home.
 
  • #16
So should I repot it again or not? It just barely recovered from the last repotting and Im thinking if I do it again its gonna make it all retarted.What do you guys think?
 
  • #17
If you kill it from repotting, or it dies from root rot, its just as dead. Only difference is that its more likely to die from root rot than potting stress. Id go ahead and repot it asap. Try and get as much media around the rootball as possible when you do it. That will help keep any stress to a minimum.
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]In the bog O2 is carried in with the water table.

A bog is by definition a water logged peice of ground. I dout there is much ground water moving around under one. As for undrained pots, don't keep them to wet and the plant will be fine.
 
  • #19
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]A "mini-bog" isn't really a bog at all. It's just a container full of mucky, stagnant peatmoss.

That is exactly what a bog is...

Bogs are like bowls full of peat and water. They tend to be self-contained wetlands whose sole source of water is rainfall. Bogs typically develop in shallow low lying areas over layers of bedrock. Because rainwater can provide only limited nutrients, bogs are the most nutrient-poor type of wetland.

Fens are connected to small streams or lakeshores and may also receive water from surrounding uplands. Unlike in bogs, water slowly moves through a fen. Importantly, because fens have an outside supply of nutrient-enriched water they are able to support lusher vegetation and a greater variety of wildlife than can bogs. Nevertheless, fens are still relatively nutrient-low habitats compared to most other types of wetlands. Fens, contain an abundance of sedges, rushes and grasses.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]In the bog O2 is carried in with the water table.

In a bog there is no O2 in the water. The lack of 02 is what stops decomposition from happening. And that is why the peat accumulates.
 
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