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Going on vacation...with a slight problem.

Well, Spring break is coming soon and going on vacation for a week! But, there's a problem. My mom has to use my great aunt to look after the house and she sometimes messes up simple tasks. How can I trust her with my CPs!? We're going to leave her a note on what to do, but I'm worried about my D. aliciae. I want it to stay in the terrarium to fully acclimate and not go back outside, but my great aunt won't come in the morning to turn on the light or anything like that. What I was thinking is that I can leave the light on for the whole week, but it might end up cooking it (unless i put it in the corner or something and not right under the light...maybe?). Any suggestions would help.
 
Get a timer,I'm a real stay at home person and I can't take any vacations that are longer than three days and I make sure I'm back by Saturday to water my plants that away my mom only has to turn my lights on and off and she is pretty good about that.
if you have nepenthes it might not hurt to leave a tiny bit of water in a tray for them like a 1/4 inch or just top water your plants before you leave.
 
Get a timer,I'm a real stay at home person and I can't take any vacations that are longer than three days and I make sure I'm back by Saturday to water my plants that away my mom only has to turn my lights on and off and she is pretty good about that.
if you have nepenthes it might not hurt to leave a tiny bit of water in a tray for them like a 1/4 inch or just top water your plants before you leave.

Well, I don't have a timer, but do you mean for the light or for my aunt? I only have my one and only sundew in there (right now producing a flower stalk right now. [I also have a leaf cutting of a VFT that is starting to grow and a VFT kit thing I got that I think is starting to germinate]). But if you mean to get a timer for the light, how would it work? the thing I have is actually a lamp for reptiles (got it from my brother who had a lizard). I'm guessing leaving the light on for the whole week would be bad?
 
a timer for the light yopu can set what time you want the light to turn on and what time to turn off then you don't have to worry about your Aunt not turning the light on in the morning.
 
a timer for the light yopu can set what time you want the light to turn on and what time to turn off then you don't have to worry about your Aunt not turning the light on in the morning.

oh, I see what you mean. Didn't know most of them you plug in :p. Thanks for the advice! :jester:
 
I have these spells of several days out of town at a time. It helped to have someone come by and check the plants, but it probably wasn't totally needed.

TIMER. Totally yes. I have a high quality outlet strip plugged into one and have 6 shop lights and a fan going into it. For some plants, I may reduce the watering for the days or week ahead of leaving and then totally soak the crap outta them.

I have two timers and I must say that the aquarium timer that I got at a pet store is the best. It has a three prong outlet in it. The other one that I use needs an adapter in order to fit an outlet strip.

What other plants are you keeping?

Can't stress the wonderful qualities of the timers enough. Some outlet strips at pet stores have timers built in, but only certain outlets are connected to the timer.
 
What other plants are you keeping?



Those are the only three things I have...for now. I'm going to put a N. ventricosa 'red' and a D.capensis 'red form' (squee, one of my favorite CPs). What's funny though, I don't use four shop lights or anything like that. I have one light bulb (fluorescent) with a bowl thing around it and with aluminum foil around the terrarium. I'm going to get another light bulb for the new lamp thing I bought that's the same, but smaller. My D. aliciae seems to do well with only one bulb.
 
Yeah, you can get timers at Walmart or similar stores. Get a three prong one, though, so it is grounded so if you ever upgrade to more lights you'll be safer. Timers are the way to go, even if you never go out of town. Then you don't have to worry about remember to turn them off or oversleeping. I got a Timex one and I plugged my power strip into it.

xvart.
 
  • #10
Yeah, you can get timers at Walmart or similar stores. Get a three prong one, though, so it is grounded so if you ever upgrade to more lights you'll be safer. Timers are the way to go, even if you never go out of town. Then you don't have to worry about remember to turn them off or oversleeping. I got a Timex one and I plugged my power strip into it.

xvart.



...walmart your one stop shop to buuy CHEEP PLASTIC crap... lol

Anyways yeah a timer is a really good idea. Good luck with you plants


-FLASH
 
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  • #11
...walmart your one stop shop to buuy CHEEP PLASTIC crap... lol

Anyways yeah a timer is a really good idea. Good luck with you plants


-FLASH

Yes, Flash; but, for price and usage, it certainly has done the trick for me for about a year, now. It all boils down to how much people are willing to spend and how "hard" they will use it.

xvart.
 
  • #12
Are the timers pretty straightforward to use? I am also out of time every now and then and definitely don't want to come back to unhealthy CPs. What about the water situation?
 
  • #13
Are the timers pretty straightforward to use? I am also out of time every now and then and definitely don't want to come back to unhealthy CPs. What about the water situation?

Yes, they are simple. The most basic ones just have little levers for every hour or half hour. When the lever is in the up position the light is on, and when the lever is down it is off. That all is on a circle that spins around as the clock goes. This picture may help a little.

xvart.
 
  • #14
If you continue to grow cp's, you'll find that timers are MUST HAVE items.

If you decide not to get a timer yet, you will eventually, there is one other option.

You can just let it get it's light from a nearby window. It won't be enough light for long term survival, but it won't hurt it just for a week.
 
  • #15
You can just let it get it's light from a nearby window. It won't be enough light for long term survival, but it won't hurt it just for a week.

That's a great suggestion. Just be careful if you set the entire terrarium by the window because of overheating.

xvart.
 
  • #16
Yeah for some poeple it is a good option to shop at walmart and i dont have any bad feelings for them, just for me I have never entered oone never will... SUPPORT LOCAL BUISNESS...

Ok so i dont have a timer i toatally am gonna go get one this week for sure.

-Flash
 
  • #17
Good decision. If it wasn't for timers, I don't think half of us would even grow these plants.

You should watch the Wal-Mart episode of Southpark :)
 
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