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Sun exposure and other questions :)

Hi!

I got a VFT and a sarr today and I have some quick questions that I would like to get out of the way :) I have done a lot of research and am ready to just enjoy my special little plants!

1. My VFT is very green with little orange-red coloration in the center of the traps. It was in the most shade at the nursery and my guess is that it hasn't seen any full sun in a while. Should I put it in the sun all day tomorrow, or should I just do a couple hours and work up to all day sun exposure?

2. Should I feed it to help it grow stronger, or just let it be outside?

3. I plan on re-potting when I find someone who sells peat moss that is not made by miracle grow. I see a lot of people use silica sand, where would I find that? Is peat moss/perlite (2:1) ok, or should I look into the sand also?

Here is a pic of it:
4652048638_55b1f812a0_m.jpg


Sorry for the poor quality, it was dark and on my iPhone :p
 
Both of those should be grown outside in direct sunlight. However, if you put the VFT outside, put it in the shade or under something for a couple weeks. Otherwise it will react and if it doesn't outright die, it will be in a funk for several weeks. Sarrs don't react as badly.

I am not a fan of perlite but prefer to mix sand and peat and add a layer of LFS on top. That best approximates nature and provides drainage.

No need to go out of your way to feed them. They will have the food come to them.
 
Quartz sand can be found at some pet stores as lizard bedding; I believe the brand is Repti-Sand. It's pretty much the same as silica so far as CPs are concerned, except I find it to be more fine and dusty than sand I've seen other growers using. Apparently play sand is a good type because Federal law requires it to be clean and non-soluble, hence they use silica. I understand that silica sand is also used as a media for pool filters. I haven't been able to find anything that's verifiably silica in either name, though, so I've just made due with the stuff from the pet store. I don't use sand much anyways; I often substitute crushed ceramic chips (Aquatic Plant Soil is the one that Schultz makes.)
~Joe
 
I recently got 2 VFTs, a sarr, and a cape sundew and I put them out into full sun after a few days of leaving them out in the afternoon and bringing them in at night (it was still dropping into the low 60's). A few days ago I made the decision to leave them out all the time (in 100% full sun) and they're really taking off. My S. Minor are turning red and filling out, my cape is flowering and my VFTs are sending up new traps and catching lots of bugs. I did notice my green typical VFT is getting a "tan" ie getting a little brown hue to some of the tops of the traps. I've also trimmed a few black traps off but I think that's just him losing his old ones to grow the new spring foliage. I've been misting them at night and keeping those trays full of lots of distilled water. Just what I'm doing- I could be wrong. I'm new at this. Good luck with your plants :)
 
I have decided to gradually get them used to full sun. I dont want to risk their health at this point. Today I put them out before sunrise, then moved them to shade at 10:30am. Tomorrow I'll move them out of the sun at 11:30, and so forth every day untill they are in full sun at the end of next week.

I am so excited to see the color change and new growth, I can hardly contain myself!
 
Generally speaking, it's best to take a gradual approach. We're receiving our plants in a somewhat weakened state, either through a plant that's been uprooted, in a dark box, for a few days or a neglected plant from a garden department.
 
i generally always agree with what jim says, i think a week or 2 is still pretty quick depending on where they were coming from. i put mine in full sun when i first got them, (traps pretty much were melting after catching flies). i then put them in a shaded spot where they get around 30% full sun and for the past 4 weeks ive been moving them up on the table i have them on so that they get more full sun, right now i would say they are at around 70-80% full sun during the day, next week they are just going full sun. ill post pics of how the traps have grown since i started doing this if you want.
 
I recently got 2 VFTs, a sarr, and a cape sundew and I put them out into full sun after a few days of leaving them out in the afternoon and bringing them in at night (it was still dropping into the low 60's).

just for the record..low 60's is REALLY REALLY WARM as far as the plants are concerned! ;)
you should only consider bringing them in at night if its dropping into the low 30's..In the early spring and late Autumn, my plants stay outside 24/7 as long as the temp is above 32..

I watch the evening news weather reports on the "questionable nights", and if the overnight forecast says 32 or higher, they stay out..even if it ends up being a little colder than the forecast, and there is a light frost, thats still no big deal..
in the fall, I conisider a light frost a *good* thing..helps them really go dormant properly..

so low 60's? not even remotely a concern..thats downright tropical..
make your cutoff temp 32 degrees F, Zero C, for considering them bringing them indoors at night, and your plants will be fine..
or 35 is you really want to play it safe..40 isnt a problem at all..

actually, in practice my cutoff temp is about 27..

Scot
 
just for the record..low 60's is REALLY REALLY WARM as far as the plants are concerned! ;)
you should only consider bringing them in at night if its dropping into the low 30's..In the early spring and late Autumn, my plants stay outside 24/7 as long as the temp is above 32..

I watch the evening news weather reports on the "questionable nights", and if the overnight forecast says 32 or higher, they stay out..even if it ends up being a little colder than the forecast, and there is a light frost, thats still no big deal..
in the fall, I conisider a light frost a *good* thing..helps them really go dormant properly..

so low 60's? not even remotely a concern..thats downright tropical..

Scot

Yeah, you're right Scott. I figured that out after reading the forums. My main concern was not that it would be too cold for them, just that I wanted to keep they're growth rate up and not throw them back into dormancy mode. I've seen the error of my ways now and they're out 24/7. :)

---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 PM ----------

Also, not to hijack the thread here, but is misting at night a good idea or no?
 
  • #10
I wouldn't bother with misting..dont see much point to it..
it raises the ambient humidity for about 2 minutes! ;)
not really worth the effort IMO..

and as an alternative viewpoint to "acclimating slowly"..some people (such as I! ;) feel that its best to "stick the plant out in full sun immediately, and just let the sun have-at it!"

because they need the full sun..so getting them in full sun asap is a good thing..
yes, the old "indoor" leaves WILL burn..but IMO, this is not a big deal..
those leaves are basically useless anyway..
new leaves that quickly emerge will be automatically acclimated to full sun..so those leaves will benefit from being in the full sun right from the start..

I also believe there is nothing *wrong* with "acclimating slowly"..it cant hurt..
but personally I just dont see the point..
I think the old indoor leaves will still burn anyway, no matter how slowly you acclimate them..
and meanwhile you are just making a lot more work for yourself, and depriving the plant of extra sunlight which it wants and needs..

we, as humans, consider sitting out in direct sun for 16 hours a day to be a very bad thing..
with good reason..
but I think we maybe sometimes anthropomorphize our plants a bit and project that "fear of the sun" onto them..but our plants WANT and NEED full sun..for them, its better to be in it than not in it..

more on "the burn":

http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page5a.html#burn

I think either way is fine..the slow acclimatization or "stick them right in full sun"..
neither method is right or wrong..
I just know I let my plants burn every spring, and they always do fine..
so im basing my opinion on 16 years of experience..


Scot
 
  • #11
Excellent post. It helped me a lot. That explains why I've been trimming off the brown traps so much lately, yet the plant is growing so fast. It also explains the brown hue over my green VFT.

I'll quit misting. I'm just blowing expensive distilled water into the air.

If you don't mind I'll be PMing you this fall for your advice on winterizing my plants. My basement is heated so that won't work. The fridge in my apartment is too small to put my collection in. I was going to just put my plants in a north facing window in the coldest room of my house but I don't think the temps will get low enough. Looks like my best option might be the plastic bag method you showed in your article, and keeping the plants in my parents unheated garage. If it works out I'd like to expand my sar and VFT collection next year ;).

Man, these temperate CP's are a pain in the neck...but so worth it :).

Thanks again,

Seth
 
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  • #12
Well, I wanted to just put them in full sun, but I am erring on the side of caution. I am not putting them in full shade when I pull them in, we have a screened in patio type thing in our back yard, so its more like dappled shade or just screened shade. I am going to stick to my regimen of an extra hour a day, its the easiest on my schedule (i already programmed into my phone to move the plant at the right time every day).

I have gone into full spring mode, I have been working on my yard all day. Even got a new rose bush! I cant wait for everything to grow and be healthy.

Thank you all for your opinions on sun exposure for new plants, and I think I am right in the middle in my approach, so it cant be all bad right :)

THANKS!
 
  • #13
Ah, the middle way. Always a good choice. :-D

Check out Scot's link- it's really cool. I learned more in 30 minutes than I had in a week of research. Especially helpful for those that live in northern climates (I'm in MI). I have a lot more feasible dormancy options now.
 
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