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Makin a tray of VFT's

I was thinking of making a VFt tray. Basically, I'd have to find a rectangle shaped plastic pot or something like that. Then, I would plant VFt's in it. Some questions.

Has anyone used coconut fiber for VFTs? How'd it go?

Would it be feasible to do this?(the plant is for thme to totally fill it with traps).

How dense should I start and how long will it take to fill in?

Would adding seeds work for filling gaps?

Thanks!
 
I grow my seedlings in a 2 inch deep tray for a couple of years before thereis any need to transplant them out. Leaf cuttings also prosper in this same tray. I fill the tray with a mix of LFS/peat and sand, plant the seed or push the leaf cuts into it, and have it quite close to the light tubes. I have never used coconut fiber. Depending on your quantity of seed, you should have a dense population in a couple of seasons. I do not give the juvenille forms any dormancy: they stop growing in the winter months, or slow down considerably, but do not seem to require the cold conditions. The lights are set to a natural photoperiod and this seems to do the trick. Larger plants would need a deeper tray and a more dedicated dormancy, but all should be happy in crowded conditions.
 
Tamlin pretty much covered it.. just treat it like one big pot and fill it up! VFT can be planted fairly closely and they don't seem to mind. The larger the bulbs the further apart so you can let the leaves spread a little more.

My main recommendation would be to keep the plants the same age. Don't go trying to put little ones in with big ones .. or fill in empty spots with seeds. Invariably the larger plants will overgrow the younger smaller plants and end up eliminating them.
Tony
 
you may not need to use seeds. most mature plants will form secondary rosetts that will go a long way towards filling in gaps. I have a couple pots that are 12" and have 8 plants in them but their not real dense yet. I planted them about 2" from the edge of the pot, and 3" from each other. I could have fit more though.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Tony Paroubek @ April 06 2004,1:43)]The larger the bulbs the further apart so you can let the leaves spread a little more.
You mean rhizomes right?
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I looked at the photo of a bare root VFT on this site and it looks more like a bulb to me.


Would mixing varieties look nice?
 
where is derriks post? i dont see it
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it says "last post made by derrik" man i hope we're not having those space problems again!
 
Coconut fibre will decay and turn into a sludgey mess. I'm not sure the plants will appreciate it in the first place! Normal peat or long fibre sphagnum will be ok.
 
  • #10
What I did for my tray is take dried long fiber sphagnum and put it in a seed tray from Home Depot. I then put 3 seeds per section and now have a bunch growing. Their so cute any tiny...awwww
 
  • #11
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Alvin Meister @ April 14 2004,11:49)]Coconut fibre will decay and turn into a sludgey mess. I'm not sure the plants will appreciate it in the first place! Normal peat or long fibre sphagnum will be ok.
I have used bed-a-beast fiber for a while on some plants, and i don't see any decay... I also have a lot of it in my vivarium... hope it doesn't start decaying!!
wow.gif
 
  • #12
I find that the "Disposable" Gladeware (cheap tupperware) works GREAT! I use two: poke holes in the bottom of the one that the plants and mix go into, and use the second one(UNaltered) as my "Water tray".

Its inexpensive, neat and clean, and I can easily tell when my plants need more water. Plus they come in different shapes and sizes to meet your needs. It creates an indoor bog.

Right now, I have 40+ VTFs in six of these setups, and I've been doing it this way for a while now.

Works Great!.....for me, anyway.

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