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Hi all,

Using your advice, I just put the final touches on the terrarium and bought some CPs which are:
The following are sitting in shallow water:
S. purpurea
S. minor
P. primuliflora
D. adelae
D. spatulata (2)
D. muscipula (VFT)

The following are not sitting in water:
N. ampularis
N. belli
N. ventricosa
Heliamphora heterodoxa

Conditions: 80W light (plants 6" from light) on for 14hr/d, humidity >90%, fan for air circulation, top of tank completely sealed. Plants bought from a store that specializes in CPs/terrariums.

Questions:
1. I was told that the Neps and D.adelae prefer less bright light relative to the others and that they should be placed in a separate terrarium. What do you guys think? I'd rather not do this.
2. I've read and was told that Heliamphora requires a nighttime temp drop. It's difficult for me to do this; is this condition absolutely necessary? I realize that to maximize healthiness, the plant should be in optimal environmental conditions, but I also realize that some rules can be "bent" with minimal consequence to the plant....just want to see if this is one of those cases).
3. I know it's still summer, but I asked about dormancy. Seems like the Sars and VFTs need dormancy. When should I start thinking about this?

Any advice on the above or advice on unmentioned topics would be great. Thanks again for the help you've given me in the past. If I can get myself a digitial camera, I'll post some pics soon.

Sincerely,

"a happy person who finally has his own CP terrarium!"




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you'll love n. belli. it's great. mine has completely turned a deep crimson color.
i grow h. heterodoxa x minor and h. heterodoxa 'gran sabbana' as a lowland plant, and it does fine. it does have about a 10 degree drop at night time though. i'd open a little gap on the top so some fresh air can get it.

i wouldn't put the temperates in a terrarium at all. i'd grow them outside year round if you have a winter. the only time i grow temperates in a terrarium is when i make cuttings and dont feel comfortable putting them in the outside world, or when i have a plant that needs special attention. i think a terrarium should sort of an ICU for temperates, but not a permanent home.

by the way, i'll send your plants out monday
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belli is one of my faves. It stays small and is a plant that is quite prolific sending out basal shoots all the time. I had to put mine is a larger pot just because of all the shoots... and vines...
 
You can begin THINKING dormancy now. Crazy as that seems, when it is still hot, the photoperiod has been in decline for about 80 days now. I'm no expert on Neps or Heliamphoras, only having had a few, but Sarrs. and VFT's are at the very beginning stages of heading in the other direction.
 
yeah. most of my sarrs (excluding leuco's and hybrids with leuco's) are already sending up phyllodia. leuco's always put on their best show in the fall, however.
 
Thanks. Yeah, belli was highly recommended for the terrarium.....let's see how it turns out.

JLAP, As far as the temperates, you're right, i've read that they do fine outdoors in my area. but they're in really small pots and my patio is totally exposed to the elements....and the wind can get really gusty here.....if there was an unexpected storm, they might end up in Oz! maybe i'll treat them to some fresh air a couple times a week. About the heli, the guy said almost the same thing....that this is one of the more resistant helis....i hope so b/c the tank temperature goes from ~83F with lights on, and ~76F with lights off. there's no way i can produce temperature swings with my simple terrarium. I'll be looking forward to receiving your generous offering of plants!

FSTP: how long do you think my belli will be able to stay in the 20gal long before it gets too big? Do you cut the vines to keep it small?

Jimscott: I was afraid of that. there's a problem i have....the plants in the terrarium that don't need dormancy would probably suffer if i reduced their photoperiod to 8hrs. but if i take out the VFTs, they probably won't get the humidity they need in my apartment, but on the plus side, with the low natural light I get in my apartment, they would certainly have a reduced photoperiod/intensity. HOW LONG should they be in the "transition period" before being put in the fridge? Also, would dormancy work if they were just taken out of the terrarium (with 16hr photoperiod) and immediately put into the fridge? Basically, I guess i'm asking what you suggest. The specimens i bought were cheap, but for me, it would give me pride if I could keep them for more than one season.

Thanks again for your time.
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oh i'm giving you a heli, too? lol, it's hard to keep track lol.
 
heh heh.....i was referring to the heli that i bought.  
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but if you happen to have one to spare, my terrarium will happily house it! (lol)  
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Hey Chloroplast, to solve the problem of the temperates blowing away, get yourself a nice, cheap plastic bowl at Home Depot. You can get 14" diamter or bigger, depending on how many plants you have. These bowls ( they're really planters, so look with the pots) make really great bog bowls, and filled with medium are certainly way too heavy to blow away.
Cheers!
 
  • #10
Sounds good, and the fact that they're plastic (instead of terra cotta) means no mold/fungus growing on the pot which seems to be a never-ending battle for me.

You know, I might get another plastic planter for some tall Sarracenia that I can't grow in the terrarium. The pitchers won't fit in the crisper draw for dormancy, but I can just cut them off.

Now that the wind issue is solved, I just have to stand guard with a shotgun for a couple of days to scare off the curious squirrels and kids (lol)!
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  • #11
one other question....is the following watering setup correct?

i have my heli, sundew (d. adelae), ping (primuliflora), s.purpurea, and VFTs standing in 1" of water. my neps are not standing in water.

i'm pretty sure this is the right setup, with the exception of the heli which I have heard conflicting advice regarding whether it should be left in standing water.

the plants look like they're doing fine....the sundew, ping, VFTs and s.purpurae are sprouting new leaves, the heli and neps haven't made new growth but haven't deteriorated either. just want to prevent future root rot..... thanx.
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