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MrFlyTrap2

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Everything posted by MrFlyTrap2

  1. Thought this might be a nice photo to share. :) The mutation seems to be a double leaf fused together half way then splits normally.
  2. Light from the sun is made up of a large spectrum of wavelength colors that are mixed together. If you look at sunlight through a prism, it splits these wavelengths into various colors. (The colors of the rainbow) Lights that we use only put out a portion of the spectrum. If you put a prism up to an incadescant light bulb, you would see a different spectrum as you would to a florescent. Incadescant bulbs burn hotter and produce more focus on the red areas of the spectrum while florescents do better on the blue. Take a look at these two sites to see how these colors split up. http://www.chemistryland.com/CHM107Lab/Lab...ectroscope.html Some of the spectrum helps plants flower and color, other parts help the plant grow. But in short, the goal is to get a nice even output from the spectrum. This page shows the spectrum from a Metal Halide lamp which is one of the best indoor grow lights that you can get. ($$$) http://www.futuregarden.com/lighting/choosing_lamps.html Hope I don't overwhelm you with info though, there's a lot to read through on the subject. In short, the daylight bulbs are great to get you started. But down the road if you think your plants can do better, you can mix up your bulbs a bit and see what combination works best for you and your plants! Nate
  3. Just as a side note I mixed in two 'plant bulbs' in hopes of getting a little bit closer to a red spectrum or any different type of spectrum than the daylight or coolwhite bulbs would give by themselves. I don't have a spectrometer (sp?) to tell if I'm actually doing that though. Just an idea, Nate.
  4. I can offer a few ideas... 1. I run 4 4ft bulbs (T12) on my setup that are about 15" away from the plants. The Nepenthes seem happy as can be, showing nice natural colors. However my sundews just hint at color and are gumpy at the moment, I'm thinking that reducing the 15" distance for them might help. Maybe you can compare what you're seeing for T12 and T5. 2. I have 2 daylight bulbs, and 2 'grow light' bulbs. (Sorry I don't have more specifics) 3. It's really best to find a wired fixture at the size of your bulbs. Just make sure the ballast can handle T5 bulbs. 4. You can just set them on top of the glass, or if you're handy you can make a wooden box to hide the lights and make them look more clean. 5. A timer connected to a power strip is the easiest way to provide multiple plugs on a set schedule. -Nate
  5. MrFlyTrap2

    Frost

    Sorry for your weather over there. That storm just hit us this morning I think, it left half an inch of ice on my roommates car. Took both of us 15 mins to clean off the windshield, with de-icer! I'm going to have to check where I'm keeping my vft's and serras dormant later today. Hopefully they havn't frozen solid. At least some of your neps are still kicking though. :? -Nate
  6. Yeah I was a little worried about the F word. That's kinda why I posted it, I wasn't sure if it was related to the Dew thing or not. http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15501 This plant also had those dimples on it, which made me worried when I started seeing those. So I'm keeping a close eye on the plant. I'm having a hard time keeping control of humidity, it's often 90%, I'm trying to reduce it back and thinking I might try to aim for around 70%-80% but it's going to take some tweeking to do so. Keep in mind though that this photo is taken on Macro mode. The plant as a whole is looking good, but as this is my first Nep year, I'm being very protective over my chicks. ;)
  7. I noticed at the growing point of my Nepenthes Gymnaphora that there is quite an excessive amount of "Dew" or "Sap" at the base of the leaves. The dew is light red and somewhat sticky to the touch. Is this something that all Nepenthes do, and what is it exactly? My other Nepenthes that is about the same size doesn't seem to produce it at all. Thanks, Nate
  8. I got in touch with the grower that I bought the plant from and sent the photo to him. He also said it looked like a mixup with one of his N. muluensis x lowii. (I didn't hint at which plant I thought it was so I wouldn't be influencing his decision) The N. rafflesiana is still having a very rough time and I'm starting to think I might not win this one. But it's definatly a live and learn situation with what to order during what season. It also looks like I'm not going to be able to keep any of the pictures that came with the plants, they have either all died back or look as if they will soon. New pictures are on the way and looking good and healthy though. So I think that might just be a climate adjustment phase. (I hope) -Nate
  9. Heating in general can always get dangerous. A commercial grower in my hometown ran into a fire that started in the boiler room. (The place had about 10 green houses) The explosions and fire that came from that burnt down the store and about 5 of the green houses on the property. Luckly, they were able to rebuild from the insurance, but their new heating building looks like a bomb shelter. But if you use any type of gas heating in the green house I'd say making sure you have the proper detectors in place to keep an eye out for leaks. It's not hard for one to start at any time. -Nate
  10. Country USA, State Illinois, city DeKalb.... Its boring out here I need more Nepenthes and CP's to keep my occupied. :) -Nate.
  11. Yeah I would have to add that in all, I have been pretty pleased with this grower. I currently am waiting for a phone call back to ask for and email address where I can send a picture to them about the mystery plant. But all of the plants have been holding their ground pretty well. New pictures seem to still be developing, leaves are perky, color staying pretty constant. I cut off some of the pictures, as almost all of them have been damanged in shipping, plus I'd expect they wouldn't like shock of being in a new location. I think that I found a hobby grower that sells cuttings from time to time, I might try him next, but I'm keeping an eye out for this grower's sales as well. Dicon, the Gymnamphora seems to be growing the fastest actually so I'm not really worried about it anymore. I actually unpotted it again and wrapped a small ball of live spag around it to make this planting more secure. He wilted a little but seems to be growing fast again and is already picking a fight with the neighboring Neps. The raff still looks sad, but I feel that this is really part of my fault, I wasn't paying attention and he seems to be the only Lowland plant in the bunch. I'm going to put together a lowland tank just for him next week, maybe he might perk up a bit more from that. (Gives me another reason for a new order) But he's still growing and its now my "Project Plant." If I can bring him back alive, then I know that I'm on the right track with my growing skill. -Nate.
  12. Wow just look at that plant after its haircut, such a difference! It went from Hippie to Business Executive!
  13. Your sundews are looking very happy. Can't wait to establish a nice sundew collection with some plants of that quality. :) -Nathan
  14. MrFlyTrap2

    wierd trap

    Thanks Aidan! I'll keep an eye on it, it is a bit agressive as to the pot I have it growing in.
  15. MrFlyTrap2

    wierd trap

    Awesome trap! Total side note, the stuff that's growing at the base of your plant... Is that a different type of Spag. Moss? The stuff that I grow is a lot bigger, but in the past few shipments that I received from other growers, I've noticed this smaller moss, is a different shade of green and stays small like in the posted picture. I really like that and it seems perfect for smaller ground loving plants like vft's, sundews, etc. I'd like to find more of it but not sure what to call it other than Spag. (Which would probably get me the bigger stuff) -Nate
  16. Great job on the box planters. Did you build them yourself?
  17. Thanks for the ID on that plant, I'll have to re-label it for now. I'd say it's definatly an upgrade! Just not an expected one, once I get some larger pictures out of the plant I'll post some updated photos and see if it's still looking like a muluensis x lowii. I just hope my others grow into their true form though! -Nate
  18. I really like both of your tanks! Did you buy or make your larger tank? I think that's a greally good idea with the freezer packs, I'm trying to think of ideas what I will do to control the heat once summer comes here. I might try out once the season comes. (only bad part is having to remember to do it every day) -Nate
  19. Here are 4 photos of the mystery plant. This one is a good shot of the shapes of the top, (mystery one is on the left) Couple of angles of the trap. The grower does grow and sell Nepenthes Sanguinea and Nepenthes Diatas. From some of the pictures I see online, it looks a lot like a small Diatas. Inside of the picture is spotted green but mostly red. It definatly is starting to have fine teeth on the inside of the rim. I want to say it's a slow grower, but its starting to pick up speed now that I think the plant is more established. There's a new picture growing, so maybe that one will be larger and have some more defined features on it. -Nate
  20. Thanks for the comments everyone! For my mystery Ventricosa, does anyone think it's possible that the one on the left is a Ventricosa 'Red' form and other other just a typical one? -Nate
  21. A tag mixup is pretty much my worst fear. Expecting smaller plants I wanted to be able to watch them grow through their stages and mature into full plants. Mixed up tags and mystery plants arn't the best way to start off a collection. ::sigh::
  22. Hello Everyone! As I'm taking the first few steps to get back my CP collection, I placed a Nepenthes order so I'd have something to watch this winter. Well the came in today and there's going to be plenty of watching to do. I wanted to post these pictures to get a opinions from others on the condition of these plants. But I'd really like to state that I'm not trying to 'flame' this grower at any level, in fact I won't state where I bought them from. I placed an order from this same person in August and understood what size and how they ship plants. While I felt they are over priced, on my last order of 8 plants, I only lost one and am currently enjoying the growth that they are doing. It just takes time for them to mature. Also I hate buying plants mail order, it's just so random. But there's seems to be a huge lack of what I can get out here other than what shows up at the hardware store. :? But from this point, I feel if I can keep this batch alive, I will know if I'm ready to consider purchasing more expensive plants for my collection. So I guess I'm looking to hear comments of, yes these are plants you should expect for this price, they are a bit expensive for their stage, sick plants and rethink this grower. First up, Nepenthes Densiflora $13.99 ~7.14 pounds Second up, Nepenthes Gymnamphora $11.99 ~6.12 pounds(I uprooted this plant while unpacking it, very nervious about root amounts I saw and the damage from that) Third, Nepenthes Rafflesiana $8.99 ~4.58 pounds (The most weak looking plant of the order) Fourth, Nepenthes Ramispina $11.99 ~6.12 pounds Fith, Nepenthes Ventricosa $8.99 ~4.58 pounds To add to that, I bought a Ventricosa from this same grower in August. The Aug. one is on the left, new one on the right. I'm really wondering if my conditions turn the traps red or if this is the same plant!! Whatcha think? Nate (Note: I updated this posting with $ to pounds conversion using google's conversion rates)
  23. Thanks Gus for your reply! I should probably mention that this is a highland Nep tank that I'm trying to work with. The high humidity comes from having an aquarium heater in about 1.5" of water. It runs on the same period with the lights to get about 75F. When it goes off the goal is to have the tank drop to 65F. I think the low is only getting to about 67F though. This new humidity meter has a high low memory on it, so I'll see if there's a new low sometime tonight when the heater is off. -Nate
  24. Well I got this new gadget for my terrarium that will tell me the humidity. However the thing is is that it stops reading past 90% humidity. In all of the Nepenthes care sheets and things that I've been reading everyone seems to recomend some number +. Like anything above 70%. Well I'm definatly in the plus zone, should I be worried about being in the 90% - 100% range? (Is 100% even possible?) I try to crack open the tank to give a cycle of new air every day and I'm being really watchful over fungus growth as I'm always looking my plants. Thoughts? -Nate
  25. That's a similar setup that I use, except I double the fixtures. I use two of those lights with a total of 4 bulbs. Then I get the 'designer' light bulbs that have a really bright output. (Each bulb outputs ~2200 lumens). Then I alternate two of those bulbs with two grow light plant bulbs. It seems to work very well for the plants that I grow including the CP's. I think that it provides good 'growing' conditions, however that setup falls just short of providing the perfect lighting output that say something like a HID light would do. So most of my CP's with have juuuust a little color to them. Maybe your sun output would help with that though! -Nate.
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