Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 08:59:08 -0500 From: "Sundew Sundew" <sundew@hotmail.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3669$foo@default> Subject: growing CP (Drosera) under lights
i see ive been mentioned. :)
heres a pic of part of my indoor drosera setup, located in my living room.
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Sauna/9219/pics/cpsetup.jpg
never really thought about it before, but here were some of my expenses:
(you can do it a lot cheaper, i usually spend more than necessary because i
grow some plants with special requirements, at least for my location and i
also blow a lot of $ on new zealand and chilean sphagnum cause its great
stuff)
6 x 2 bulb fluorescent light fixtures $60
wood &materials for stand $60
10 gallon tanks 7 x $7 $50
1/2 height tank 2x $13 = $26 (have more across the room and about to set
up more)
cups :) $5
pots are cheap, i get mine from charlies greenhouse. wish they came in
white - more light reflection!! anyone know where i can get white square
pots around 2.5" wide and 3"+ high?
NZ sphagnum $60+ per 6 lb package. you can always use american sphagnum if
you dont mind pulling out weeds, which make up most of what theyll send you
:( for most of my drosera, ive found peat mixes to be pretty bad, plus, i
avoid sand because i can never get the same kind twice and i never know if
its good or bad stuff.
other expenses:
timer (set from 11-13 hours for S American plants)
distilled water!
light & air conditioner electric bill (to left of setup) - YOUCH!!!!
problems:
electric bills!
stand isnt tall enough. when youve got limited space, youve got to build
up. too bad Los Angeles has earthquakes, this is how we do it in NY :)
i might end up getting a floor to ceiling utility shelf system. the only
problem is that the air conditioner isnt going to do a good job blowing
above the current top level. guess i know where my petiolarises are
going...
the middle shelf gets pretty hot during the day, especially over the summer.
id say it can get up to 100+ or so, not good for highland S American stuff.
Also, the short height makes it great for making certain plants nice and red
(as does no damp off and a SMALL amt of peat moss in your mix) but its no
good for plants i let flower as theres not enough vertical room. ive found
that pygmy drosera do pretty well here though i am sure they would
appreciate more root space theyd get in deeper pots. hmmm, anyone got any
spare gemmae?
just a few thoughts. its very inexpensive to come up with an indoor setup.
you dont have to pick plants which need air conditioning, nor do you need to
build anything special if you dont want to grow a lot of plants. a
windowsill is also a great place to put a setup like this provided you
ventilate well. plants definitely grow best with natural light.
matt
http://www.geocities.com/sundewmatt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:35:17 PST
