Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 18:56:15 -0400 From: "Richard T. Berg" <bergrd@valunet.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2127$foo@default> Subject: RE: Surviving The Outside World... (RECAP of Replies...)
Group,
This post is in response to many of the replies I recieved via the list
about my question... Many didn't have reply-to address' so I thought I would
just add the general comments and annotate them here...
Dave Evans Wrote:
> How is your terrarium sealed?
>
> In many species, new leaves will have to grow in the new environment
> (reduced humidity) for the plants to be adjusted. However, you should
> not be loosing so much dew from your plants in just minutes. Perhaps
> you should start openning the terrarium at night when the humidity is
> almost always higher...
Well Dave... The terrarium isn't persay 'Sealed' but rather partially
sealed... I have a large 55 gallon tank that has basically 2 openings... I
use standard "Aquarium" tops for these two sides...
I agree on your comment regarding dew loss... I think I'll try gradually
opening the tank lids a little at a time to see if this will slowly
acclimate the plants.. THANKS!
David Mellard Wrote:
> Wow, the plants seem incredibly sensitive. You might try running a
> plastic tube into the aquarium from an aquarium air pump. I use that in
> my setup to add fresh air.
David... The plants do seem quite overly-sensitive to the ambiant outside
air... The air pump is something you've mentioned in the past but I'm not
quite sure why I haven't tried this yet!... Blame it on lack of sleep, too
much work, and expecting a baby in the fall... WoW!... This seems quite
do-able... THANKS!
Filippo Tassara Wrote:
> I've tried: opening a terrarium can be one of the quickest ways to kill
the
> plants inside.
> So now, when I open a terrarium, I do this VERY gradually: only a few
> millimeters for the first day, 1 cm. the second and so on for a few days.
> Doing so I've obtained good results.
> However, in a drier environment, sundews usually loose their dewy
appearence
> and they need some time to grow more vigorous leaves.
> A dewy D.rotundifolia grown in a terrarium is nice, but I find by far more
> attractive a smaller, robust plant growing in the open in full sunlight.
Filippo... I think I'll try a combination of what you stated and David's
method previous... I can appriciate, as you've stated, a nice dewy
rotundifolia in a terrarium but as you stated a move colorful/robust plant
is always better! THANKS!
Cindy Wrote:
> Hi Richard,
> I have noticed that when I remove my plants from a high humidity
> environment that they don't have a well-developed root system yet. My
> assumption (which could be wrong) is that their roots don't develop as
> well because they get enough moisture from the air.
> As such, my method has always been to repot the plants into a separate
> pot, then cover it with plastic wrap or a clear plastic lid. Each day, I
> expose it to the air (even though the "dew" dries off) a little bit more.
> I then put the lid back on to allow it to "remoisturize". After a
> couple of weeks of this, the root system has developed to the point where
> it can sustain the plant's need for water.
> I dunno... but it works for me!
Cindy... Great reply!... I'm not sure about the root system being
under-developed because of a high humidity atmosphere but the more and more
I think on it the more it does make sense... You make a good point " ... but
it works for me!" - My motto! ;)
Derek Glidden Wrote:
> Hello,
> I've got a similar problem since I live in an apartment, so nearly all my
> plants are in terrariums. I've moved a few outside, and the only method
> I've tried that works at all is to simply "shock" them from one
> environment to the other. I keep them constantly feet-wet and I don't put
> them directly into sunlight - shade only at first! (Although the Florida
> sunlight here would kill many plants even with acclimation.) Most look
> pretty raggedy for a couple of weeks, then perk up and start growing like
> weeds again. It's easiest with the larger plants like Nepenthes and the
> bigger Drosera (and I assume Sarracinia, but I've never had any of those
> in terrariums) and some stuff like Utrics can just die if they are shocked
> too badly. It's bad when the two environments are very different. Try
> some time of the year when indoor/outdoor temps/humidity is very similar.
>
> Good luck!
Derek... I am starting to believe you've got the idea... Everyone has
written on similar methods and this whole thread has been quite
informative... It seems at this time other than David's method of
introducing fresh air via air pump, the method of choice is the basic
"harden" off method... THANKS!
Well a small recap of most of the messages I recieved... To all that
replied THANKS again and we'll see if I can't employ some of your methods to
helping me increase my stock as well as making better plants in the long
run!... Thanks again!!! =)
... Richard
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