Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 12:09:41 -0400 From: Kit Halsted <kit@kithalsted.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1398$foo@default> Subject: RE: Intro, stop me before I kill again
On 5/3/00, Robert Ziemer wrote:
>Kit,
>
>Your plants are probably in culture shock. Some may have just realized
>that they are in Auchwitz.
>
>A couple of concerns:
> 1) Get rid of the dirt!
<snip>
Gotcha. Dirt will be replaced as soon as my sphagnum peat arrives.
> 2) Your plants were probably grown in a nice greenhouse before being
>shipped. Outside is a hostile environment compared to their greenhouse
>(no crack vials hitting them, no syringes tossed from the neighbors).
Heh. I guess it could be worse here. The crack vials & syringe caps
are all a couple of years old & sinking slowly into the ground. I
haven't seen any actual syringes, but then again I won't be walking
around barefoot back there either.
>Outdoor sunlight is probably more intense than they got in the
>greenhouse, so maybe some have been getting a bit sunburned in the
>direct sun. Also, the temperature range in your backyard may be a bit
>larger than they were used to.
This kind of stuff they'll slowly acclimate to, no?
> 3) Don't overfeed. As you are noticing, there is a downside to
>catching bugs. Sometimes it results in the leaf or pitcher getting too
>much and turning brown at the site of indigestion. In extreme cases, the
>leaf dies.
I guess there's just nothing I can do about this. I'm not feeding the
flava, it's just a glutton. It's eaten 2 more flies since I wrote the
original letter. At this rate, it won't have any room in its pitcher
in a week or so.
> 4) Water. 'Spring' water may be 'mineral' water may indeed contain
>minerals for those health-nut consumers. Not a good idea for CP. Maybe
>you could try Gatoraide -- NOT! In some areas, the tap water contains
>all sorts of stuff (iron, carbonates, etc that is not good for CP). Only
>the chlorine will leave overnight, not the disolved minerals.
>'Filtering' tap water may not do much to remove disolved minerals,
>depending on the filtering method. Some devices may simply replace
>calcium ions with sodium. Not a swell idea for CP. I am lucky where I
>live. My tap water works great. Other places will require great caution.
I realize that the plants don't care about excuses, but I can't find
distilled water anywhere around here. I know my water filter is
activated charcoal, any idea whether that catches minerals? I'm
colecting rainwater now, but that only works when it's raining.
>Good luck, and thanks for your interesting message.
Thanks,
-Kit
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