Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 10:11:40 -0700 From: gkong@mofo.com (Kong, Gary) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1558$foo@default> Subject: RE: VFT culture
Two views on VFT culture:
1.)
> I recommend you get it out of the small container ASAP. Plant it in
>a 6 inch pot using a sand/peat mixture. With a 6 inch or a 1 gallon pot you
>can stand the pot in a shallow tray (1 inch deep) of water all the time.
>The roots of this plant need some room to develope and a 2+/- inch pot is
>not big enough.
> Set the plant outside so it can catch it's own food and sunshine.
>VFTs do not do as well under lights as they do out-of-doors.
>
>FWIW. - Carl
>
2.)
>You'll need to provide a very humid
>atmosphere, so you may choose to cover half the opening with some sort
>of plastic wrap. If placed outside, never expose it to full sunlight
>with the top even partially covered, or you'll fry it. If you keep it
>inside, a good east window should provide sufficient light to keep it
>alive, but you probably won't get the nice coloration that plants grown
>in full sun exhibit. Experiment...
>
In my experience, pampering these plants like they were some sort of
hothouse flower will certainly weaken it, if not kill it. I agree with
Carl. Grow it outside making sure the growing medium is kept wet during the
summer. If you don't fill your pot to the top with soil--I find living
sphagnum works best as a top dressing--the local humidity provided by the
damp substrate within the high walls of the pot is enough, even if grown
outdoors. Mine are exposed to FULL sun from sunrise to about 3:00pm, when
nearby buildings block the direct rays of the sun. My plants have never
been happier. They are sending up asparagus-like flower stalks, multiplying
from the rhizomes, trapping their own insects and growing larger and larger.
At one time, I did grow these same plants in a terrarium and they were
spindly, maintaining three traps per plant, at most, before the fourth would
send the oldest to its early death. Full sunlight definitely mimics their
ideal natural habitat--frequently cleared by brushfire, but if kept in a
enclosed glass container, you will fry them. Let them breathe.
>There are several good books on cp out there which would be well worth
>your time & money to purchase. Peitrapaulo's book is a good one to start
>with, or either of Adrian Slack's if you can find a copy.
>
"Growing Insect Eating Plants" by Adrian Slack is a much better guide, plus
it has oodles of neat pictures. Check your local libraries--I doubt if
you'll find it in a bookstore.
Gary
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