Post by vraev on Feb 11, 2007 1:30:58 GMT -5
Hi guys,
My reading week break is coming up and also soon summer shall. One interesting dilemma if I do consider to expand my setup is space and convinience since I move every 4 months. hence there is 2 options:
1) small terrrarium as I have now
2) a big terrarium that stays at home with a nice setup year round
Now problems are there with both. Every weekend I go home I have to turn off the lights to prevent drying out of plants and so on....so they only get meagre sunlight from a north facing window...its bright but not good enough. However, they hang on till I come back on sunday.
Now the issue is reading week when I am actually planning on making a visit 3 days in between to come in and water.
Light can be automated by a simple timer which I have yet to purchase. if any of you guys have any ideas or opinions for a good featured yet reasonabily priced timer...please let me know as I am definately in need of one. I like to have one which I can set like a 15 hr cycle of light + remaining darkness during the 24hr cycle. Preferabily it should have a clock so that I can set the times as turn on at 6 AM and turn off at 11 PM or so. Lighting hence is easy.
Now the main issue is watering. The biggest concern is the variety and the means of watering. I need to carefully water my moss considering I am trying to keep it nice and green and it is as a ball so its not getting water from the main peat. Then the VFT's....I water them as a once in 2-3 day cycle but as I water the moss..effectively a lot of water passes through and enters the peat and all the way down to the perlite layer as I can definately see a level of water in my tunnel. I try to minimize its level to prevent root rot.
Nepenthes once again complicated.....misting every day atleast 3-4 times and humidity level around 60....I am actually seeing 2 new pitchers developing which are definately bigger than the smaller buds...so fingers crossed...i will let you guys know if it goes all the way. anyways...back to topic....I mist it a lot and water it once every 2 days....immediately water runs off but a little is effectively left in the plate under the pot that is attached.
As you can see its a bad dilemma as I do not want to again move my plants for just a week...rather I plan on wasting 14 + 14 $ for transportation 2 times the week to come in and water. :S I do get pem's watering trick posted earlier but there is no real way for me to do it in the terrarium as the moss is watered differently and other plants differently. Nepenthes is completely in its own foil wrapped corner and that needs constant spraying.
What I am ideally looking for is a nice small motor that can be glued to a wall ...that sprays again in a nice 15 second or so interval every 10 hrs to the nep and a nice small sprayer in the terrarium that sprays similarly on the mosses. The VFT;s can then be bottom watered using pem's bottle method....but still if there is an automated motor...i guess I can spray on the peat to keep it moist and nice as well.
well...there is my idea. Any suggestions guys. I guess the expert with these is funkytechnician considering his crazy setup. However, there is a lot of experience in my other friends here as well ..so any opinions are welcome.
cheers,
vraev
My reading week break is coming up and also soon summer shall. One interesting dilemma if I do consider to expand my setup is space and convinience since I move every 4 months. hence there is 2 options:
1) small terrrarium as I have now
2) a big terrarium that stays at home with a nice setup year round
Now problems are there with both. Every weekend I go home I have to turn off the lights to prevent drying out of plants and so on....so they only get meagre sunlight from a north facing window...its bright but not good enough. However, they hang on till I come back on sunday.
Now the issue is reading week when I am actually planning on making a visit 3 days in between to come in and water.
Light can be automated by a simple timer which I have yet to purchase. if any of you guys have any ideas or opinions for a good featured yet reasonabily priced timer...please let me know as I am definately in need of one. I like to have one which I can set like a 15 hr cycle of light + remaining darkness during the 24hr cycle. Preferabily it should have a clock so that I can set the times as turn on at 6 AM and turn off at 11 PM or so. Lighting hence is easy.
Now the main issue is watering. The biggest concern is the variety and the means of watering. I need to carefully water my moss considering I am trying to keep it nice and green and it is as a ball so its not getting water from the main peat. Then the VFT's....I water them as a once in 2-3 day cycle but as I water the moss..effectively a lot of water passes through and enters the peat and all the way down to the perlite layer as I can definately see a level of water in my tunnel. I try to minimize its level to prevent root rot.
Nepenthes once again complicated.....misting every day atleast 3-4 times and humidity level around 60....I am actually seeing 2 new pitchers developing which are definately bigger than the smaller buds...so fingers crossed...i will let you guys know if it goes all the way. anyways...back to topic....I mist it a lot and water it once every 2 days....immediately water runs off but a little is effectively left in the plate under the pot that is attached.
As you can see its a bad dilemma as I do not want to again move my plants for just a week...rather I plan on wasting 14 + 14 $ for transportation 2 times the week to come in and water. :S I do get pem's watering trick posted earlier but there is no real way for me to do it in the terrarium as the moss is watered differently and other plants differently. Nepenthes is completely in its own foil wrapped corner and that needs constant spraying.
What I am ideally looking for is a nice small motor that can be glued to a wall ...that sprays again in a nice 15 second or so interval every 10 hrs to the nep and a nice small sprayer in the terrarium that sprays similarly on the mosses. The VFT;s can then be bottom watered using pem's bottle method....but still if there is an automated motor...i guess I can spray on the peat to keep it moist and nice as well.
well...there is my idea. Any suggestions guys. I guess the expert with these is funkytechnician considering his crazy setup. However, there is a lot of experience in my other friends here as well ..so any opinions are welcome.
cheers,
vraev