cp's in the desert

Michael.Chamberland (23274MJC@MSU.EDU)
Sat, 29 Jul 95 10:49 EDT

I grew a large number of CPs on the roof of the microbiology building
at ASU. Low-growing Drosera and Pinguicula did quite well and really
built up a lot of coloring. The pots were set in trays (cat-litter boxes)
of water. They used an insane amount of distilled water, fortunately the
greenouses on top of the building had D.W. on tap, so I ran a hose out of
the greenhouses to keep the trays filled.

I would not cover the plants. After I graduated I tried growing the same
CP outside on the covered patio of my apartment. Almost all died. I
think the open rooftop allowed radiant cooling at night, but a cover over
the plants prevented this (Barry could explain the thermodynamics involved).

>From my experience, the limiting factors for growing CP outdoors in the
AZ desert are not daytime heat nor excessive sunlight, but night temperatures
and water demands.

Michael Chamberland