Now that we all appreciate the problem of dormancy and growing plants indoors, could some people who do grow under lights please let us know what kind of lights they use. Also, please be as specific as possible (wattages are what I really want). My situation doesn't allow me to grow them outside (crappy basement apartment in a city) and I want to do what I can for my plants. I've got a couple of VFTs and I'm just curious how much light I'll need. Will a 27 watt do the trick? 50 watt? 100 watt? Let me know your experiences.
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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theyellowdart
sea bear returns!
If you only have one plant, pick up a 40 watt (48") "daylight" or "soft white" fluorescent tube and a shop light fixture at home depot, wal-mart, or lowes.
Get the cheapest fixture they have that supports these types of lights. I don't think the more expensive ones will make any kind of differance.
Get two if you have a few plants, or plan on keeping more than one in the future.
Good luck!
Matt
Get the cheapest fixture they have that supports these types of lights. I don't think the more expensive ones will make any kind of differance.
Get two if you have a few plants, or plan on keeping more than one in the future.
Good luck!
Matt
theyellowdart
sea bear returns!
If I'm not mistaken, you can go with lower wattage CFLs because they concentrate the same amount of light and energy into a smaller bulb. In other words, the light is going to be stronger from the CFL because it is a smaller bulb and concentrates the energy/light into a smaller area, whereas the 48" tube is using the same amount of energy in a larger bulb/area resulting in slightly weaker, more evenly spread out light. I hope that makes sense...
Theres a lighting thread stickied on here somewhere, try cheking that out. If that doesn't answer your question then make a thread about it.
I do know that CFLSs are going to be more money. The 48" tubes are the cheapest things you will find.
Matt
Theres a lighting thread stickied on here somewhere, try cheking that out. If that doesn't answer your question then make a thread about it.
I do know that CFLSs are going to be more money. The 48" tubes are the cheapest things you will find.
Matt
artificial lighting
just for information sake, i am growing indoors only with a t5 3 foot 37 watt fluorescent and all my cp are happy so far, nepenthese pitchering, sarracenia sending up nice traps, pings are glossy with dew, droseras are gleaming with dew and my vft is flowering nicely...
scot: i have a vacation timer that i set to follow the sun, so there is no problem with adjusting the photo peroid. about every 3-4 weeks i reduce the time in the morning by half an hour and another 3-4 weeks i reduce the evening by half an hour, in doing so, i can perfectly match the sun`s photoperiod to a T. HA!!! there you go.
My lighting is adequate (based on the stats of the fluorescent light) and i have great color on my babies. i am new to this but i can confidently say that here in canada, i cannot leave them outside based on a couple of factors.
1. winter is too cold here
2. this summer has seen more rain than sunlight
3. i need a backyard
4. while sunlight is free, this light is costing me 75$ for 1 years use. (6.25$/month, 20 cents a day) i think it is definitely worth the money.
5. your attitude is what will motivate myself to prove that it is more than possible to grow healthy and dormancy ready cp`s inside.
only time will tell, you put up some good point though and i respect your opinion and hopefully, for my part, you are wrong. lol
Happy growing and good luck to all trying to grow indoors.
if you guys go on world of carnivores, you can see my setup in the grow list section.
just for information sake, i am growing indoors only with a t5 3 foot 37 watt fluorescent and all my cp are happy so far, nepenthese pitchering, sarracenia sending up nice traps, pings are glossy with dew, droseras are gleaming with dew and my vft is flowering nicely...
scot: i have a vacation timer that i set to follow the sun, so there is no problem with adjusting the photo peroid. about every 3-4 weeks i reduce the time in the morning by half an hour and another 3-4 weeks i reduce the evening by half an hour, in doing so, i can perfectly match the sun`s photoperiod to a T. HA!!! there you go.
My lighting is adequate (based on the stats of the fluorescent light) and i have great color on my babies. i am new to this but i can confidently say that here in canada, i cannot leave them outside based on a couple of factors.
1. winter is too cold here
2. this summer has seen more rain than sunlight
3. i need a backyard
4. while sunlight is free, this light is costing me 75$ for 1 years use. (6.25$/month, 20 cents a day) i think it is definitely worth the money.
5. your attitude is what will motivate myself to prove that it is more than possible to grow healthy and dormancy ready cp`s inside.
only time will tell, you put up some good point though and i respect your opinion and hopefully, for my part, you are wrong. lol
Happy growing and good luck to all trying to grow indoors.
if you guys go on world of carnivores, you can see my setup in the grow list section.
why don't you post your setup hear too?
....nevermind...i see it on WoC
I had your type of setup a year ago and i must say it was nice....for a month or so! There are many problems with your setup but it's best if you find them out for yourself.
Do your plants a favor and ask the guys that grow them indoor how they do it...and you will see the diference between your setup and thers. What makes you think your vft is happy? It's clearly not getting the light that it needs...just part of it.
The bad part about this thread is that we are reciving indoor growing info from beginers that think they know how to do this....if you have grow then indoor for less then ...let's say...2 years, then you probably don't know! It's ok if you guys will be offended of what i'm saying...but looking back on this thread next year you will see what i meant to say.
Now, can somebody ,that IS NOT a beginer, post some good info on how to grow temperates (dormancy requierd) indoors under lights and in a terrarium
....nevermind...i see it on WoC
I had your type of setup a year ago and i must say it was nice....for a month or so! There are many problems with your setup but it's best if you find them out for yourself.
Do your plants a favor and ask the guys that grow them indoor how they do it...and you will see the diference between your setup and thers. What makes you think your vft is happy? It's clearly not getting the light that it needs...just part of it.
The bad part about this thread is that we are reciving indoor growing info from beginers that think they know how to do this....if you have grow then indoor for less then ...let's say...2 years, then you probably don't know! It's ok if you guys will be offended of what i'm saying...but looking back on this thread next year you will see what i meant to say.
Now, can somebody ,that IS NOT a beginer, post some good info on how to grow temperates (dormancy requierd) indoors under lights and in a terrarium
well thats cool! reducing the photoperiod is half the story..
now if you can also gradually reduce the temperature through August, September, October and November, you will be all set.. then keep your plants at a steady 35-45F (2-7C) through December, January and February, then bring the temp back up..
yeah, lack of outdoor growing space can be an issue..but as I have said before, if you REALLY truly have no outdoor space, not even a porch or balcony, (like if you are a college student or something) well then you just cant grow VFT's and Sarracenia right now..only Nepenthes and certain sundews(that dont need a dormancy)..you will just have to wait until you someday have a yard..
Try to grow a Canadian Red Maple tree indoors for three years..it wont work.
it will die.
because it HAS to have a winter dormancy..
same with VFTs and Sarracenia.
its really not complicated..you cant change natures requirements THAT much..
its not my rule..
attitude? I have no attitude..unless you count telling people about the laws of nature, which I did not invent, to be "attitude"..
thanks..but its not my opinion..its just simple scientific fact.
and im not wrong! lol..because its not a matter of opinion.
good luck!
keep us posted on how your plants are doing..
Scot
tips
so what would you suggest i do? are you trying to say that it would be best that the vft`s and sarracenia not be in the terrarium and have them maybe on my balcony? (the problem this summer was that we had no sun, it was raining 80% of the time in july) is temperature really that significant? is it not just based on the rising and setting of the sun? i`m just worried that these plants are still too young to go through a dormancy. i don`t know their age, therefore, if they are 1st years, it has been said that skipping the first dormancy is a possiblity. 2nd years are due for a dormancy... what are your opinions? while we are on the same topic, so you think i can leave the darlingtonia, pings, nepenthese heliamphora and drosera all in the same terrarium and they would do fine? i have yet to find out what plant are tropical, sub tropical and temperate. i am adding 2 fans, 1 to draw air in and the other to draw air out. mold and fungus problem solved. (24 volt ``nintendo type`` transformer with two 12 volt computer fans in series)
I hope i didn`t offend you earlier Scot, it might have read different than what i had thought.
Thanks all,
Steven
so what would you suggest i do? are you trying to say that it would be best that the vft`s and sarracenia not be in the terrarium and have them maybe on my balcony? (the problem this summer was that we had no sun, it was raining 80% of the time in july) is temperature really that significant? is it not just based on the rising and setting of the sun? i`m just worried that these plants are still too young to go through a dormancy. i don`t know their age, therefore, if they are 1st years, it has been said that skipping the first dormancy is a possiblity. 2nd years are due for a dormancy... what are your opinions? while we are on the same topic, so you think i can leave the darlingtonia, pings, nepenthese heliamphora and drosera all in the same terrarium and they would do fine? i have yet to find out what plant are tropical, sub tropical and temperate. i am adding 2 fans, 1 to draw air in and the other to draw air out. mold and fungus problem solved. (24 volt ``nintendo type`` transformer with two 12 volt computer fans in series)
I hope i didn`t offend you earlier Scot, it might have read different than what i had thought.
Thanks all,
Steven
so what would you suggest i do? are you trying to say that it would be best that the vft`s and sarracenia not be in the terrarium and have them maybe on my balcony? (the problem this summer was that we had no sun, it was raining 80% of the time in july) is temperature really that significant? is it not just based on the rising and setting of the sun? i`m just worried that these plants are still too young to go through a dormancy. i don`t know their age, therefore, if they are 1st years, it has been said that skipping the first dormancy is a possiblity. 2nd years are due for a dormancy... what are your opinions? while we are on the same topic, so you think i can leave the darlingtonia, pings, nepenthese heliamphora and drosera all in the same terrarium and they would do fine? i have yet to find out what plant are tropical, sub tropical and temperate. i am adding 2 fans, 1 to draw air in and the other to draw air out. mold and fungus problem solved. (24 volt ``nintendo type`` transformer with two 12 volt computer fans in series)
I hope i didn`t offend you earlier Scot, it might have read different than what i had thought.
Thanks all,
Steven
Hey Steven,
its cool! I wasnt offended..
yes, personally I would suggest that.
the balcony will be a billion times better than the terrarium.
raining 80% of the time isnt an issue..
its still better for them to be outside, even in the rain..and the 20% of sun is still better than 100% in the terrarium.
Temperature is significant..you need both reduced photoperiod and reduced temperature for a proper dormancy..if you have reduced photoperiod, but its still 70 degrees all winter (like in a terrarium) the plants wont go properly dormant.
I have an analogy about an indoor maple tree bonsai..if you want to hear it..
I have said it so many times I wont repeat it again!
yes, some people in warm climates have had success with dormancy, like in southern california and florida..but the key even in those climates is the plants are STILL outdoors..they still get a reduced photoperiod, and they still get a winter that is cooler than summer..even if its a warm winter climate, there is still a change of the seasons, even if its a mild change..still better than indoors in a terrarium.
it has been noted that 1st year seedlings CAN skip a dormancy..that doesnt mean they should or thats its a good idea to skip it!
there is no such thing as "too young for dormancy".. ideally all VFTs and Sarrs should get a winter dormancy every year..even their first winter..because thats what they get in the wild..thats what they are adapted to.No, they should not all be in the terrarium, and they will not all do fine there.
Darlingtonia = needs a winter dormancy, same as VFT and Sarracenia.
no good in the terrarium.
Pings = might need a dormancy, might not, depends on the specific species.
Nepenthes= do NOT need a winter dormancy..Neps are true "tropicals"..
Heliamphora = iffy..most people say they *dont* need a dormancy..perhaps they dont need a winter dormancy quite as pronounced as VFTs and Sarracenia, they do "slow down" however and would probably appreciate a mild winter season. IMO they should be allowed a cooler and drier winter, so a constant warm/humid/bright environment inside a terrarium isnt ideal. (many consider heliamphora the most difficult CP to grow..)
Drosera = might need a dormancy, might not, depends on the specific species.
the only plants that can do OK in the terrarium is the nepenthes and maybe heliamphora,
and the pings and drosera depending on the species..
pings and drosera have such a huge global range, that some are temperate and some are tropical, and have very different dormancy requirements...you need to know the species for proper care.
Darlingtonia, Dionea, Sarracenia = definately better off not in the terrarium.
all are temperate plants, and need a winter dormancy.
I think people get the idea that because CPs are all "carnivorous", and carnivory is such a rare trait in plants, that all CPs must also be similar in all other ways, and all will do fine together in the same climate..
its not even remotely true.
CPs, as a group, have requirements as different as cactus and palm trees.
there is a HUGE range of different cultivation requirements..most of which are vital for survival.
dormancy (or lack of dormancy) is one of those requirements..just like different water, light, soil, etc requirements.
Scot
