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Vft, an ornamental plant?

I jus got 4 red dragons and potted them, peat/perlite topped with lfs, im wondering if i can put it on my computer desk w/o it disrupting the growth/color, humidity is above 60, 75-/+ is normal in my room, temp are room temp, its kinda cold ryte  now, humidity increase and temp decrease, so im at the 60-70s on the temp.
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, im jus worried about the lights, i hav a normal room bulb, but its kinda dimmed, i was thinking about putting a desk lamp ryte there, but itll b too blinding to me

theres no point of plants if u cant enjoy it as an ornamental plant (indoors/a foot away from ur face)
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i got som pix

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My band of dragons

Top view

i wonder where the name Akai ryu originated or how it came to b, i put it in a oriental pot to make it look like its from japan or somthing  
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BONSAI!

its from OSH

well thnx again guys,

-huy
 
Well vfts need lots of light. I`m talking right on top of them. Don`t use incadescent as they are too hot and burning,as well as not provideing much light. Go with flourescent,you can use a compactflourescent bulb and put it in a desklamp type thing with the bulb about 3-5 in. above the plants depending on the wattage\lumens of the bulb.
 
Also Akai Ryu is Japanese Akai= Red Ryu=Dragon
 
With humidity higher than 50%, alot of light and warm temperatures, its possible to grow them indoors. Maybe set up a light just for it?
 
yea, it was laying around in the bakyard dusting up, but the plant is outside now, due to dormancy, this is the first dormant period for me! hope my plants do well
 
it will absolutely 100% guarenteed not work.
not nearly enough light.
and even if you provided a lamp, it would be too hot and too dry. (and STILL not be enough light!)
the top of a computer is certain death for a VFT.
and on top of all that, they should be going dormant right now..
death death death..
sorry..but I didnt make up nature's rules.
Scot
 
Scotty, youre such a pesimist(sp)
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But yea, he's right.... Nothin beats the power of the sun.
 
there is nothing "pessimistic" about it!
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If someone said "can I grow VFT's outside year-round in Siberia?"
and I said "death death death!" would that be "pessisimistic"?
nope..just the truth..
its exactly the same thing with the computer growing..
there is a big difference between being a realist and being a pessimist! ;)
Scot
 
  • #10
Yea, you have a point...
 
  • #11
yea yea, i left all the adult cp's outside 4 my first dormancy stage! wish them luck
 
  • #12
scottychaos- i've had my two vft's growing under a compact flouro for nearly four months now, on the shelf on top of my desk, and they're doing fantastically
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they're just out of t/c so i don't know if that has anything to do with it but i haven't had any problems so far, and the traps have all turned beautiful shades of maroon-red.
 
  • #13
Hi Moonflower: Mr. Chaos hasn't logged on yet, so i'll fill in for a moment. I bought a VFT in June of 2003 from Home Depot. I couldn't possibly tell if it was fresh out of tissue culture or not, but its traps grew to be 1" within two months. So I suspect that the plant must be a year or two or three old. Logically, that tells me that the supplier must have been doing some semblence of seasonal sensitivity, or this plant would be very weak. I don't know what goes on from the supplier's end, but I strongly believe I bought an adult plant and it should have been put through dormancy at some point.

Anyways, no matter what it went through before me, I put it through dormancy and it rewarded me with a flower in the spring. In august a bought a trio of red VFT's, that were obviously smaller and younger and of course newer than the afore-mentioned. I put those through dormancy as well. Two of the three gave me a flower in the spring.

Does anybody know how old a VFT has to be in order to flower? Let's assume it needs to be at least a couple of years old. In order to make it to two years old and be healthy enough, it probably went through dormancy. At the very least, the plants I bought weren't purchased too late in the year, as to not appreciate the sleep. Bottom line: I would strongly recommend providing yours with dormancy.

BTW, how have the midterms been treating you? Are you surviving dining hall food? Ever hear of Huntington? Or Harborfields?
 
  • #14
VFT's are odd, Jim. How they react depends on the plant, and what it feels like doing. I have had VFT's flower at 2 (told it could never happen), but somebody forgot to tell the plant. Typically, 4 to 7 years in the wild to flower. However, domesticated VFT's can even grow in warmer conditions, and still survive. It is a good idea to give them dormancy, but they can take a year or 3 or 4 that they can survive warmer conditions. I would imagine it having to do with, say, unseasonably warm winters, as can occasionally happen in North Carolina. Probably a built in survival mechanism, though hard to say for sure. I have always felt more comfortable allowing them to have a dormancy, but in Southern California, where it is always nice weather (Oceanside, Vista, Camp Pendleton area), they had 6 warm winters and grew just the same. They took the winter rosette growing habit, and just kept going. Never put your eggs in one basket with CP. You can miss a lot. Plants don't read, and no one has been telling them what we think they need. Mostly, the rules are pretty good concerning their habits, but because they do what they do, be prepared for some straight up suprises. Like growing them on a computer desk using incandescent light. It'll work for a while, but go get 100 watt Gro-lux bulbs for the winter, 10 hour photoperiod, place plant in 2 inch deep water container, filled with distilled/ro/rain water, for humidity, and watch the plant. See how it reacts to its situation, and act accordingly. If it shows no ill effects, enjoy it. If it appears drying and wilting, it ain't happy, and again act accordingly. Keep your light 8" away from the plant. It will do OK if it is happy, for the winter. Come spring, SUN POWER!!!!!!!!!! It does need that for sure. And do allow dormancy from time to time. The plants will adjust or let you know if they think you inept. Experiment, but not at the cost of their lives. You should know if they like it or not by looking at them everyday to make sure they are responding, and how they are responding.
 
  • #15
Mr. Chaos still hasn't logged in yet, but given a choice between 42 years growing and 1.3 years growing, I'd go with the 42!
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Just a wee bit more wisdom coming from the other side of the country!

Steve, I just noticed something: You joined the forums at about the same time I did and your PM to me, shortly thereafter, about the Darlingtonia, might have been the first PM I received.

To make things clear about the dormancy for the VFT's in question, does this mean that you are not necessarily disuading her from doing so, but that it isn't as necessary as some of us relatively new folks believe / have been told / read in books?

Related to this is the Darlingtonia I purchased last November, in contrast to our respective VFT purchases in June. My Darlingtonia came from one of those plastic cubes from Lowes. Was it out of tisue culture? You strongly urged me to give it dormancy that winter and I never got the temp down any lower than 50 degrees. Of course the photoperiod was sufficiently reduced and the plant never did look healthy again, though it DID send out a few new pitchers, before it took its permanent vacation down the streamlet last summer. Why would it be more important for the Darlingtonia to have a dormancy when purchased in November that the VFT's purchased in June? Before I or others dispense less than perfect dormancy advice again, could you give us more details of the whys and wherefores?

Also, remember the capensis you advised me about, after nearly killing it? It is still alive. I have had it outside since May and it is currently flowering - it's third flower. Strange litle plant!

Here is that crazy capensis I nearly killed:

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  • #16
I heard pingman bloomed a vft at 1 year from seed:O
 
  • #17
Pond Boy, i wouldn't be at all suprised. Plants are different from us in that they will do what they will regardless what we think they should do. I too have broken the rules. I broke off a piece of Schnell's Ghost from the rhizome by accident, and it had no root. I was told it wouldn't survive, but I didn't tell my plant it didn't have a prayer by everyone else's reaction. I put it in the ground, and away it went. Good thing I don't let my plants read or watch television. They could get opinions of there own, and be influenced by those who don't allow nature to take her course. watch any plant you have closely. Experiment with one, and check reaction/condition. If it seems favorable, go for it, but never forget close observation. Plants are funny critters. Let them show you what they like, and learn to read the signs they send. Darlingtonias incidentally always have snow covering them here, and the water at Florence, Oregon gets down to 40 degreesF. They fall out every winter, and may not survive without it.
 
  • #18
I think it should do okay as long as it get's plenty of light, either from the flourescent blubs or from the windows.
 
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