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D. capensis low humidity experiment.

I'm conducting a <span style='color:red'>D. c</span>apensis low humidty experiment, I also have a Mexican Ping. in the experiment. I placed these 3 plants in my kitchen windowsill about a week ago on a tray that has washed gravel on it. The humidity varies from about 35% to 45% depending on whether water is boiling on the stove or the kitchen sink is running hot water, or if the dishwasher is running. When I first moved these from a terrarium to this windowsill, all of the dew on the <span style='color:red'>D. c</span>apensis dried up for 2 days, but now it is slowly starting to come back, as you can see in the 2nd picture. I will keep the forum updated over the next month or so as to the results.

humidity3.jpg


humidity4.jpg


humidity5.jpg
 
Both plants don't need humidity but lots of light. Humidity is not needed for almost all sundews. Thats where the name sundew comes from: Its a plant which does not lose but gains dew in full sun.

The only exceptions to this rule of thumb are some rare species, I killed two time D.schizandra which lacked humidity.

Cheers!
Jan
 
I'm not sure you can just make a blanket statement about low humidity and sundews. Humidity deffinately plays a part in the development of 'dew' on the leaves, I would venture to say more so than direct sun. I've attempted to grow some <span style='color:red'>D. c</span>apensis outside here in Colorado in the summer when humidity levels are low and the temp is around 90 degrees with direct sun. (not to mention being at 5000 feet elevation) and they fail to form much in the way of dew, especially in the mid day when the sun is at it's hottest.
 
I disagree. I grow my D. capensis forms outdoors in San Jose year round. Our temps here can often reach 100* or more with humidity levels way into the low teens. My plants sit in direct sun untill about 4 pm and then bright shade through the evening. I have never noticed any lack of dew production whatsoever on ANY of my dews that all get the same conditions. My experience leads me to believe that humidity is probably the least important factor in cultivation of most Drosera species.

Steve
 
You might disagree, but the humidity in San Jose on average is higher than you think.  Here is a link to the average humidity in San Jose on a monthly basis for both morning and afternoon.

San Jose Humidity

Now compare that to Northern Colorado where I live.

Denver Humidity

As you can see, we are considerably drier here.
 
I dont know where they get their data from, but I can tell you for a fact that is inaccurate. My personal observations of humidity on a daily basis puts our average humidity in afternoon in summer at about 30% TOPS. Typicaly it is MUCH drier. Granted that it does go up a bit in evening and thats probably why their data is skewed. Humidity and temperature readings taken in my actual growing space is very dry and hot.
 
Drosera such as capensis, spatulata, binata, nidiformis, rotundifolia and filliformis are not affected by low humidity. i bet the average humidity for the north east corner of Montana is lower than the Denver area since Wolf Point is technically desert if you go by rain fall(averaging less than 12 inches of precip a year) and we have no large water bodies to influence the humidity. all these i listed grow in open trays on shelves under lights in my house which has extreamly low humidity, often uncomfortably so some winters. most species of CPs can be acclimated to low humidity with lil problem there are exceptions ofcourse but for most its no big deal and with Drosera light tends to be MUCH MUCH more important than humidity. i have killed Drosera because of high humidity. i have yet to loose one from lack of it.
 
I know about Montana's low humidity, because I am a born and raised Montanan. Of course I grew up in part of the state that is not nearly as dry as Eastern Montana, Missoula to be exact. In fact I bought my first CP around 1980 at a plant store called "The Earth Jar" in Missoula. In 1981 I got to see my first CP in the wild in Montana at a place called Meadow lake in the Mission mountains, it was D. anglica. I'm trying to picture where Wolf Point is. For some reason, I thought it was on the Missouri between Helena and Great Falls.
 
  • #10
nope its about 45 miles east of the Fort Peck Dam. 50 or so east of Glasgow. 80 from the Canuk border, 70 from the North Dakotan. well your the second Montanan ive run into this week between here and the CPUK forum. my boss lives over in Lolo and owns a powder coating buisness in Missoula along with the paper here in Wolf Point and the one down the road in Culbertson.
 
  • #11
Oh yeah, I'm thinking of Wolf Creek Montana.
 
  • #12
I'm very eager for the results. San Jose is so much closer to the ocean than my area. Humidity has always been a problem with me especially when Santa Ana's hit and in the dead heat of summer. However this year, I'm going to just lay out all my plants in the relentless sun despite everything. Maybe I overeacted at the plants preliminary wilting to this stimulis.
 
  • #13
Be careful that lack of humidity does not equate to lack of water. Especially if the light is high and the humidity is low, they must be even more certain of their constant water supply.
 
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