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Newbie here, I live in Phoenix, AZ...can I grow outdoors?

So I've done some researching about temp/humidity and so far I've found that VFTs are good in 100% so that's not an issue. But I found that humidity should be 50%ish.

It's about 10% here for the next couple months (until monsoon season woohoo!)

So with this rather low humidity, is it possible to grow these guys outside? I was thinking puting a pot in a large tub and just filling the tub with water....

Or maybe get creative and find some kind of clear plastic and make a long open-ended cylinder to attach to the top of the pot....if you can picture that (don't want to use a full cover, it would overheat)

What do ya think?
 
Hiya! Welcome to TF! :wave:

I think it's possible. We have some desert growers here, including the Admin of Terraforums. Even if you didn't use a full cover for the cylinder, it would still most likely overheat. Humidity isn't that much of a problem, but it helps.
 
I hear the biggest problem is drying out and the top of the soil getting too hot. If you water it enough, it should be fine.
 
Keep them in a water tray and don't worry about air humidity...they won't care much about it.
Many growers on this forum are growing them in low humidity and the only people that care about air humidity for VFT are usualy the beginners...it's normal to care too much when you have only a few i guess.
 
I lived in Tucson for 8 years, but I didn't grow VFTs when I lived there. I currently live in Boulder, CO and though the heat doesn't quite compare to Tucson or Phoenix, I think you should be able to grow your plants outside for most of the year without doing anything special. During the peak of summer (late May until August or September), I'd advise giving them shade during the hottest parts of the day. A shade cloth could do this well. I would worry about the soil getting too hot in direct sunlight.

As others have stated, the humidity levels aren't much of a concern for VFTs. In Boulder, the humidity regularly gets below 30%, which isn't as low as Phoenix, but is still pretty low.

Otherwise, I think I'd leave them outside in full sun the rest of the year. You shouldn't have any problem wintering them outside, though you'll probably have to water them more than most growers do during the winter.
 
wow, thanks for all the info.

So along with keeping the VFT pot in a tray of water, I am assuming I should ALSO water the surface of the soil to prevent it from getting too hot? (Just during summer)

And for dormancy, since i'm in AZ, is it still bad to keep a water tray?
 
Watering the surface during the summer certainly wouldn't hurt anything. What would really help is if you used insulated pots. I know that many desert growers use styrofoam pots or really thick pots that don't transfer as much heat from the sides.

For dormancy, I would say cut back a bit on water, but definitely don't let the soil dry out. In Boulder, where it's also very dry in the winter, I water my plants once a week or so and let the tray dry out a couple of days between waterings. In Phoenix, you might not be able to let them dry for so long. You'll have to figure out how long you can let it go. A good test is to touch the surface of the soil and if the soil sticks to your finger a bit, that's good. If not, it's likely a bit dry and time to water again.
 
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