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Post by eql on Mar 25, 2007 15:46:21 GMT -5
Hi there..
a couple of questions...
I bought a fly trap back in august.. it did really well sitting in my south-west facing dorm room window. since january i have been in a northern facing room, and I moved it away from the window because of the cold. it died completely back, and I thought i had killed it!! (didnt help that i forgot to water it a few times... oops!)... i still have it and im trying to recover it, but I also bought a new one. Ive been reading up on the internet, and there is a lot of conflicting info.
Some sites say a terrarium (sp?) is best, and with it fully sealed u wont have to water, but u will have to feed it.
other sites say to put it in a dish of water (just covering the holes on the bottom) and leave it open.
Again, some say full-light, some say no direct light.
What kind of temperature should I aim for them? I just bought a stick-on thermometer from ebay, so hopefully if i can figure out what temp i can keep it there.
So anyway, anyone know if my old plant is totally dead? or is there still hope?
ok.. wow.. seems like the longest post on this board so far.. wow.. lol :S
thanks
*EQL*
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Post by curlingguy on Mar 25, 2007 16:53:07 GMT -5
The only way to tell if the old plant is dead is to dig it up and check out the rizome. If it is all black and mushy then it's a goner. If there is still white to it then it has life left in it.
I grow lots of VFT's. I normally use 50/50 peat perlite or 50/50 peat sand. I tend to prefer the perlite as it's lighter.
I sit the pot in about an half inch of water. The roots of the VFT will reach the water but the rizome is above the water (if sitting in water it will rot). The top of the soil would be two inches or more above the water level. They can take full sun but the trick is not to just through them out into the sun as they'll burn. I believe humity is not an real issue as mine grow outside in full sun most of the time.
You might have noted my posting on our 100th member (which is you). So let me know if you'd like some free seeds.
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Post by eql on Mar 25, 2007 17:09:04 GMT -5
wow... im # 100?? wow.. thats awesome... where is this post? i didn't see it anywhere!
as for seeds.. I would love some...that would be awesome, as my new VFT cost $7 from Fortinos the other day.. i will post a pic of my plant here.. maybe someone can tell me what kind it is?
Thanks!!!
*EQL*
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Post by eql on Mar 25, 2007 17:18:09 GMT -5
how do i insert pics??
thnks
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Post by eql on Mar 25, 2007 19:04:43 GMT -5
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Post by tom on Mar 25, 2007 19:31:37 GMT -5
Looks like the dentate cultivars... (don't tell vraev, he is craving for one  ) |
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Post by vraev on Mar 25, 2007 19:59:51 GMT -5
lol Tom! I saw that !!! :@ EQL, check your PM, I replied to your message. Basically for such a small setup, you just need one little lamp with a daylight full spectrum bulb in and your VFT's will grow nicely. Just remember that you don't COVER it... as I find that VFT's prefer fresh air. |
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Post by eql on Mar 26, 2007 16:03:53 GMT -5
ok.. dont cover.. sounds good... how can you tell what kind it is??
thanks,
*EQL*
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Post by mabudon on Mar 26, 2007 16:14:23 GMT -5
We're ummm familiar with that particular VFT cultivar  Pretty much ALL the plants you can buy are that cultivar, tho, so being familiar with it sort of comes naturally... The stubby "teeth" are the main trait- "typical" VFTs tend to have really long, fine "teeth" but dentate/dente/dentata (I think all them terms refer to the same plant) are stubby like that- I'm sure there's other differences.... |
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Post by eql on Mar 26, 2007 16:50:10 GMT -5
cool.. thanks...
ok.. so i'm looking into lighting for my vFT... what should i be looking for??
Watts?
Volts?
Hz?
mA?
K?
Hg?
thanks,
*EQL*
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Post by vraev on Mar 26, 2007 20:10:06 GMT -5
okay! for lighting you are looking for ONLY: Flouroscent lights. NO incandescent. Get something which is like FULL SPECTRUM ... a high CRI around 82-100 and a nice 6500 K light temp. This kind of light typically tends to be nice WHITE with a gentle blue hue to it. Check it out....its a bit expensive but worth it. If you can shell out some money....go to costco and get the lights of america sunlight desk lamp....as in my PM...they are amazing and my VFT's love it. And if VFT's love it..u can bet that other plants like it as well. This should be enough for your small setup for now. Later when u get a bigger setup u can move on to tubelights and so on.  ABout recognising cultivars here is ur first lesson: There are 3 cultivars commonly available: - Typical : The actual VFT from nature....it is the one you see in all VFT pics that you search on google. Normally it should be the most available type.(It is everywhere except canada) - Dentate : This form is famous in canada due to the fact that it looks like having shark teeth. Stupid colsanti farms mass produces this...nothing else  ... anyways...I am actually liking my dentate now since it is becoming coloured and put out a flower stalk which I cut away at like 1 inch height.. YES OCPS!! I said it... I like my dentate now ... but I shouldn't push it ...lol! a Second one will make me sick...lol! I can however take innumerable typicals anyday - Red dragon <Akai Ryu> : Grown as it is deep red ...whole plant...however once you get it ...it rarely stays red and starts becoming green as we mostly cannot supply that high amount of light. vraev.blogspot.comCheck my blog pics... the terrarium pic... the one on top left is typical, the center top red is red dragon and the bottom left is dentate ..the one u have....(I got mine from Rona Lansing). The center one is a exotic cultivar B52....it is expensive ..so I would suggest trying out the cheap and readily available dentate first and then go for the ones higher in order. I already killed 2 dentate and 1 green dragon for putting them into dormancy when they were under stress. |
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Post by eql on Mar 26, 2007 22:14:46 GMT -5
thanks for the info... right now i have a compact fluorescent with these details listed (see pic)... should I get another, or will it do the trick?  thanks, *EQL* |
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Post by mabudon on Mar 27, 2007 7:59:10 GMT -5
for only a couple of plants, that light bulb will be okay- I have only 2 of them bulbs and it keeps my whole tray well enough lit to grow pretty much everything- I have tuberous Drosera under there right now and they look not so bad... You really can use a windowsill, too, if you like- I put my VFT "Akai Ryu" between the windows this winter and it came through great, just sending up some early season leaves and a flower now I you get those D.capensis seeds, you can go windowsill or that bulb for them, too- I grow Cephs and Helis on my windowsill, so pretty much anything's possible |
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Post by eql on Mar 27, 2007 18:02:46 GMT -5
cool.. sounds great.. thanks!
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Post by eql on Mar 27, 2007 18:53:00 GMT -5
Hey, I noticed that one of my traps is dying.. but its dying with a really cool pattern.. so I figured I'd take a pic and let everyone see!!   *EQL* |
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... anyways...I am actually liking my dentate now since it is becoming coloured and put out a flower stalk which I cut away at like 1 inch height.. YES OCPS!! I said it... I like my dentate now 