>I want to get a multi-shelved lighting system (preferably >with adjustible
>shelf heights) to grow some carnivorous plants indoors. So >far the only
plant
>related catalogues I've seen have one or at the most two >styles available
at
>very expensive prices.
I built a relatively inexpensive ($100) unit for the bathroom rough-in in our
basement with a cheap shelving unit from IKEA, the Swedish furniture place
that's popping up around the country. I think the unit name is IVAR.
Unfinished pine piece, about 20" deep and 34" wide, perhaps 80" high, with
three adjustable shelves. I screwed eye hooks into the bottoms of each shelf,
and hung 24" two-bulb flourescent fixtures from small chains, so they're
adjustable as well, both are wired together to a single plug attached to a
timer. The whole thing is wrapped (around the back and sides) with a white
shower curtain, and the front has two pieces of clear plastic shower curtain.
I glued velcro up the sides of each, so I can roll it up partway to adjust
the ventilation as I need to. It seems humid enough for my orchids, and all
of my indoor/tropical cps (include a nepenthes hybrid) except for D. adelae
and D. venusta. they're doing much better in a small terrarium I have set up
inside this contraption to raise the humidity. If you're interested, I'm sure
I can sketch out some plans, but hopefully this is detailed enough. It's
functional, it's big, and it was comparatevely inexpensive.
Jay Lechtman
l235@aol.com