Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 07:30:21 +0500 From: Rand Nicholson <writserv@nbnet.nb.ca> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4008$foo@default> Subject: Re: Re: unlurking with aphids
HI Dave, Karen & All:
I wrote:
>> Rot and mold can be a major concern.
Dave wrote:
> This should not be taken lightly. VFT enjoys good drainage and
>bottles may not be the best way to grow they long term, but this
>doesn't mean you shouldn't or can't grow them like this, just most
>people rather grow them the way Rand and I do.
I can't speak for Dave's reasons, but I'm a lazy gardener. Growing VFTs in
pots, under my conditions, means easier access for sanitation and critter
control, portability (you _don't_ want to put a VFT in a glass jar out in
the summer sun!) and they only have to be repotted every three years or so
when the medium begins to break down. Personally, I think that they display
and trap bugs better if open potted, but that is my choice. Also, it is
easier to provide that all important "rest" period in the winter that keeps
them growing closer to their natural wild cycle. I have found that mature
VFTs (and Sarrs) that do not get some kind of seasonal dormancy emulation
do not become robust and eventually grow weaker, are much more susceptible
to mold, rot and insects, and die a lingering death.
>Many growers have to water their plants every day! In terrariums, it maybe
>>weeks before water is needed.
This is sooo true! Outside in spring and summer I have to constantly be
checking the water levels of _all_ my CPs even though I have the pots set
in "resevoirs" filled with water. It doesn't even have to be hot and sunny
for the water to evaporate; a cloudy, windy day will dry them up quickly.
Indoors, a pot filled with VFTs can transpire water very quickly without
any help from low humidity levels.
>> VFTs are really tough plants within their own range of growing conditions
>> and can take a lot of abuse.
>
> They don't take abuse well from me. ;)
>
>Dave Evans
Maybe you should smile when you are abusing them, Dave. ;-)
I was mostly referring to VFTs growing in their natural habitats and the
depredations they commonly survive there. However, I have found that a
healthy plant that has adapted to apartment conditions does not have to be
pampered as long as sanitation is maintained and their basic requirements
are met.
Most growers have horror stories about what a VFT can survive: Mine have
been dropped from heights on their heads and smeared over a stone walkway,
rudely unpotted, dragged and chewed around the back yard by coons (couldn't
find this one for two days: the damage _one_ coon can do overnight to an
entire garden!) and dried up to the point of dessication by well
intentioned "caretakers" who did not want to rot my VFTs by leaving them
standing in water! 8-O (They had verbal and _written_ instructions!) Once
repotted into a proper mix and back under normal care, the plant(s) came
back from these mortal insults and, by the next season, reestablished
themselves. Looked like hell's rejects for months, though.
This is what I mean when I say they are tough. I think that many CPers tend
to treat their plants with _too_ much TLC when it isn't necessary for them
to thrive. Some CPs are weeds, or act like them. But, like I said, I am a
lazy gardener and if something ain't broke, I don't fix it. My "style" of
gardening works for me, but certainly would not suit, nor satisfy, everyone
and that's as it should be. We all benefit from a diversity of experiences.
Kind Regards,
Rand
Rand Nicholson
New Brunswick
Maritime Canada, Zone 5-ish on most given days
<writserv@nbnet.nb.ca>
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