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Need help

Hi, here i have a big trouble... Ibuy a bulb for my terrarium (6,500k), but 2 days later the bulb was on, all new leaves of the plant begin to deformate or mutate, im not sure, well i know plants are not fine so i need know what to do, please help me to help them, the dionea leaves make like a gum, plastic or someting, and they fall, the droseras leaves are growing very weird, they dont have dew and they deforme incredyble, the capensis leaves are circles now... the pinguicula es very small now , please help me.. i dont have a camera sorry.. help
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Uhh...wow. Since no one else replied I'm gonna try and answer this one... but...the only thing I can think of is that the light is too hot. Check the temperature in the terrarium and for now I would put the old light back in if you still have it until we figure out what's wrong with it.
 
What kind and wattage bulb did you have and what did you replace it with?

Tony
 
I agree with Tony that the temperature in the terrarium is probably too high as my drosera also stop producing dew and produce small, unusual leaves in the past when my terrarium overheated. This can be especially bad if your humidity isn't sufficiently high.

If the terrarium temp is constantly >90F, your best bet is to take them out of the tank and place them in a brightly lit but cooler area. VFTs and most drosera/pings really don't need excessive humidity to thrive so you might consider taking them out permanently if overheating is an unresolvable issue (indoor grow racks are a good solution).

Good luck.
 
Hi!!, thanks ya all!!, ok the new bulb was a 13 wats 6,5oo°k, i put again the old bulb, a yellow light, the box dont say how many °k... is a bulb of 20 wats, yea maybe is the hot is really hot here and the bulb is a litle closer to the plants, hey no1 have a idea of what a smal whithe/gray fly like insects??, they are in the pinguicula pot, i c that in the dionea too. but not in the droseras, i dont have idea whats that, tks for us help.
 
Ack, are you using an incandescent bulb? The proper lights shouldn't be hot at all; warm maybe. You need to get a fluorescent light, like a compact fluorescent bulb or fluorescent tubes. It's probably the heat that's causing most of the trouble. I'd guess the bugs are just there because the plants are in a weakened state.
~Joe
 
The heat might do it but can you give numbers? Really hot doesn't tell me how hot. Usually heat damage or burning from a light simply causes the leaves to brown, not deform.

Personally I think there is something else going on. I think perhaps you have insects. No not the fungus gnats you see flying around.. but perhaps thrips or mites or something that are sucking on the young leaves as they develop.

Tony
 
Hi, what numbers pls tell me!!
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?, sorry im not agresive, but im desesperate dont know what numbers!, ok bugs, were they come??, what can i do??, the 2 bulbs that i say are compact fluorescent bulbs, one was a 6,500k 13wats, i put it away, and the other yellow 20 wats, is the one of the terrarium, the box dont say how many °k, Hope us can help me see ya.
 
How hot is it in the terrarium? Not the temperature of the bulb which is not a measure of the heat the bulb produces. If you went from a 20w CF bulb to a 13W CF bulb I don't think you would have a problem with heat.

Perhaps your simply not getting enough light? 13w is not very strong. VFT and Drosera generally like it VERY bright. How big is your terrarium and does it get any sunlight? Or is it just the single light over it?

Tony
 
  • #10
Hi, single light, u tink i need buy someting like 2 tubes of 40 wats??, what kind??, cool white, sunlight, or black light with out UV filter??, the terrarium is small, 60cm long, 25cm tall, 30cm wide?, dont know the word sorry well is 25X30X60, hehe. is a litle hot 28°celcious, f, but i beggin to tink the bulb maybe produce some heat, and that deformate plants, my drosera adelae look so bad, i really tinking...is a good idea change of terrarium, Ok im really a new, so pls tell me what can be a perfect conditions, thanks and see ya.
 
  • #11
Sorry were i put * is a litle hot 28°celcious, f, but i beggin * next to the celcious i forgot put a 83°f, well see ya.
 
  • #12
Hmm, Tony's probably right about the leaves deforming... that does sound more like a bug thing than a heat thing. But I have seen my D. capensis curl in the heat. What do the tentacles (the little hairs) on the D. adelae look like? Are they standing on end, or flopped over, or not there at all? Do they have any color (red, brown, clear/white?) How long have you had them in this terrarium? I don't have any clue why the VFTs would make a gum; I haven't encountered that in literature or personal experience and I don't know what it means. Do you know what species the Ping is?
Venting the terrarium would be a good idea if you haven't already, or getting rid of it altogether. You can just suspend a light above your plants and keep them in a wide tray of water to produce a little extra humidity. The VFT doesn't need terrarium conditions in particular, and your Pinguicula probably doesn't either. If you have a bright place outside with lots of sun, it might be wise to move the VFT out there. Or, you could put the VFT and your other plants in a sunny east or south facing window.
D. adelae likes lots of humidity, and that could maybe cause leaf deformation; given your temperatures I'm not sure what you should do. If you can get it, line your terrarium with lots of long fiber sphagnum, an inch or two thick, and keep the base filled with water. The sphagnum should increase the rate of evaporation and raise humidity in the terrarium. Also, D. adelae doesn't need as much light as the other plants, so you could move it away from the plants where it's likely to be cooler and more humid. Or you could put it in a room that's naturally more humid, like a bathroom or kitchen. What part of Mexico are you in? It could be that it's just a little too hot and dry there. I know lots of people report having trouble with D. adelae, even in good conditions.
As for lights, those sound OK. I would again agree with Tony and say that they might be a little dim if anything. If you could get two forty-watt tubes, that might be good. Cool white and warm white are the types of bulbs to get; a lot of people seem to think that a mix of the two is particularly good. You should be able to find fixtures about two feet long, which should be plenty for your collection.
You should prepare to treat the bugs, as well. You might consider drowning the VFT and D. adelae, but I don't know what you should do for the Ping. How warm are your nights? If you can find a shady spot outside, you could treat all the plants with an insecticide. Keep in mind that most of the insecticides that are safe for CPs are very toxic and once you treat your plants, they'll need to stay outside for a month or more.
Best luck, and please keep us updated.
~Joe
 
  • #13
Ok, i was lokking my plants this mornig, the d.capensis new leaves look very good, but they dont have a dew part... the leave end were carnivorous part should beggin, that very weird to me, the leave of the capensis i cut is in the floor and i can see a small grenn drosera there =), that make my very happy, but my vft and the ping died. I just hope next spring get another ping, was my favoryte i always say that to my friend in here, is sad but i wont give up, hope us can help me with a new one next spring.
What do the tentacles (the little hairs) on the D. adelae look like?.. i dont get this question... u mean dew part??, yellow, and look like the leaves was weak. Are they standing on end, or flopped over, or not there at all?, Sorry my english i dont get a idea of that one =(, my bad. Do they have any color (red, brown, clear/white?), the plants, the adelae yellow, the capensis look green normal, the sphatulata is good but the leaves are up not down, i mean the leaves dont tochu the soil, they are up, she look like a capensis!, but with spoon leaves.. How long have you had them in this terrarium?, mm not sure like 2 or 3 months, not sure, almost wen i get here, was like week when i buy the plants, they come full of fungus gnat larva, worms, someting white small, is like nemato..someting, and some acaros, dont know the word on english is same.. they are like amall spiders, well was like a pandoras box!, all days i found new plages
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, but i tink all get better w time, in total i tink only 4 plants died, is a medium number, but i hope never get up. well if dont forgot answear someting i tink this is all, oh i live in a extreme climate, and its changing a lot, here is a weid part, very hot summer and very cold winter, night cold (17°c, 62.6°f), days hot(35°c, 95°f), in summer. And in winter, nights frezzing (-8°c, 17.6°f), and days a litle cold(5°c, 41°f), winter is really cold, the past winter 4 of my plants died, now i dont have tropical plants, they dont are from here. Well just someones in the living room and in my bed room =), well hope us can help me and my plants, see ya.
 
  • #14
Oh, I was asking you about the carnivorous hairs on the Drosera, not the leaves. If there isn't any dew or there aren't any hairs, then if might be bugs causing the problems. If the leaves have hairs and are making dew, I think it's the lights that are the problem. You can tell whether the plants are getting enough light by the color and health of the hairs on many Drosera.
If you're finding bugs on any of the Drosera, you can drown the plants in water for three or four days to kill the bugs. Just put it the plants in a tall container and slowly fill them with water, so the dirt doesn't float to the top. The plants need to be completely under water so the bugs can't breathe.
I'm sorry to hear about your other plants! Best luck.
~Joe
 
  • #15
ok, i dont see any insect on my droseras, but should i full the terrarium with water?, ok the sphatulata have hairs but not dew, tks and see ya
 
  • #16
My understanding is Drosera do not need alot of humidity. Light however is very important for dew production. Most Drosera grow in an environment where they are exposed to full sunlight for at least a portion of the day.

As for the bugs. IF there are mites or thrips you would have a hard time seeing them even with a 10x hand lense. Personally I don't advocate submerging plants to try and kill insects. I think the potential to drown the plant itself is a risk. Any way to post a picture?? That might help alot.
 
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