Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 15:56:34 -0500 (EST) From: Perry Malouf <pmalouf@access.digex.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3376$foo@default> Subject: Re: light
Daniel Jelkmann wrote:
> What lights do you use with your CPs ??? I think my CPs didn't
> get enough sunlight and perhaps some of you can help me...
> And when should I switch it on ? 24 hours a day or only 12-15 hours ?
Which lights to use depends as much on how much you want to spend and
what's available, as it does on anything else.
I've grown Nepenthes, Drosera, Utricularia, and Dionaea under
sunshine, fluorescent lamps, and metal halide lamps. All three
types of light have worked just fine. The Dionaea still get sunshine
because I leave them outside all year. The Nepenthes get the metal
halide because I haven't yet put skylights in the "green room" to take
advantage of the sunshine.
The plants below the metal halide lamp are exposed to 2000 footcandles,
which is a generous amount of light. They'd probably do just fine at
3/4 of that. I know others who use even less light on Nepenthes, but
I don't think the plants look their best under those circumstances.
Fluorescents also worked for my Nepenthes, but the fixtures had to be
kept close to the plants. When the plants grew taller, the fixtures
were moved higher which means the lower parts of the plants didn't get
enough light.
I don't think a 24 hour photoperiod is advantageous, though others might
disagree. If I correctly remember the listserver discussion on the topic,
a 24 hour photoperiod won't hurt the plants much. Remember that Nepenthes
in the wild usually get a 12 hour photoperiod; N. khasiana might get much
more in the summer since it's located relatively far north of the equator.
I don't know if a longer photoperiod makes up for dimmer light.
My plants under the metal halide lamp get about 12 hours of light in the
winter, and more in the Summer because the day length exceeds the period
of the metal halide lamp in Summer.
Regards,
Perry Malouf
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