Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 10:38:02 -0500 From: "Michael Hunt" <mph101@surfree.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg872$foo@default> Subject: Re: Info. about growing CPs in Las Vegas
Hello,
Never having tried to grow cp outside in Las Vegas I am giving a comment
based on living there. It is located in the Mojave desert which is even
drier than the Sonaran desert both in regards to rainfall and humidity. The
Mojave is home to Death Valley in Ca. Native plant life is much less than
deserts to the south in Az. High elevation makes the sun relentless. With
summertime humidity average daytime at 15%, but its often less as the temp
climbs to well over 43 c regularly. When thunderstorms come over the
mountains (rare) to the valley where Las Vegas is located the rain
evaporates before hitting the land many times. There is a monsoon season,
and last year was even above average for both humidity and rainfall, but
this can't be counted on. The winter is cool at night and too dry for cp
outside.
I wish you luck, but IMO would be to costly to maintain a greenhouse and I
see no way to grow cp outdoors without protection. You would have better
results lowering the temp in a greenhouse with coolers due to the low
humidity than you would in a more humid climate. These would have to be
teamed up with a couple exhaust fans that would run non stop during most if
not all of a 24 hr period. Also a misting system would have to be installed.
A white wash with/and or shade cloth would be required during the summer.
Myself I would stick to species I could grow indoors. If money was there I
could most likely try a greenhouse. But never outdoors, because they will
not make it. Even the toughest succulents have it rough in the native
habitat of the valley until you climb up some of the mountains where the
elevation provides more suitable habitat for cacti and other desert plants.
I sound negative, but maybe you will have better results? I grow cacti and
while I don't live in Nevada anymore they do much better here in Florida as
a whole than they ever did outdoors in my yard in Las Vegas!
~Mike
-----Original Message-----
To: Multiple recipients of list <cp@opus.hpl.hp.com>
>
>At 07:08 PM 3/16/99 -0800, you wrote:
>>Hi,
>> I'm going to be moving to Las Vegas this summer, and I'm getting a
>>little worried about the temperature. I have most of my plants in an
outdoor
>>greenhouse, no humidity controls or anything (i live in SF). What I will
>>probably do is try covering the greenhouse with shade cloth, paint it
white,
>>and put in a misting system. I have a lot of species in there right now,
>>nepenthes, heliamphora, drosera, sarracenia, cephs,..., any other ideas
about
>>how to keep them happy?
>>
>> P.S. Also, do people grow cobra lilies successfully in terreriums?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Gabriel Verdugo
>>
>
>
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