Acclimating CP's to direct sunlight

MALOUF@ESTD.NRL.NAVY.MIL
Tue, 15 Feb 1994 8:59:45 -0500 (EST)

Hello everyone,

I would like some suggestions as to how to acclimate
my CPs to direct sunlight. Last year I sunburned a few
Nepenthes and Droserae before realizing what was happening.
It wasn't fatal to the plants, but it did set them back.

During the winter I keep my CPs (except Dionaea) under
fluorescent lamps with a 12 hour photoperiod. In the summer I
like to put the plants outside. Should I put the plants in
a sunny window for a week before putting them outside? How about
putting them outside, but covering them with Remay (sp?) for a
week or two?

Last summer I moved my Nepenthes to a spot under
some trees, where they received shade all day long. They
recovered from the sunburn and grew okay but the new pitchers
lacked the pretty mottling that the older ones had developed
under the fluorescents. I understand that plants grown in
the sun produce stronger, more woody growth (esp. Droserae).

Along the same lines, what changes occur in a plant
that is being acclimated to sunlight? Does the vegetation
produce some sort of waxy covering that protects the plant
from burns? Just curious.

Regards,

Perry