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Hermes

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  1. I would bet on low light levels. They don't need light as bright as what VFTs and Sarrs need, but then do need bright light. I have four neps that were in a windowsill for months and they did not pitcher. I've had them under 400W HPS lamps since the end of February and they are now all pitchering.
  2. I've used both MH and HPS for growing plants using magnetic ballasts (both 175W and 400W). And I've had great success with both lighting systems. I'm currently using a 400W HPS (spectrum corrected bulbs) with a magnetic ballast that can use either MH or HPS bulbs, and my sundews, neps, herbs, and citrus trees are loving it. One thing that you may find with MH is that vegetative growth tends to be slower than with HPS but it makes up for it with great flowering. I definitely prefer HID lighting over florescent lights.
  3. When was the last time you changed the bulbs?
  4. I agree that making your own derimmed tank isn't that hard, although making any terrarium is pretty easy with a few supplies and a bit of time. I do have to admit that I prefer glass over acrylic as it is easier to keep clean and clear in the long run. There is of course nothing saying that the whole thing has to be made out of glass/acrylic. You can also make a terrarium out of plywood (or other materials) and coat it with epoxy paint to waterproof it.
  5. Neps generally do fine in England as long as you have enough light to support them. Humidity will probably not be an issue, unless you are growing certain lowland varieties, e.g., n. hirsuta. As you must already know, nothing dries out in England. In Canada I grew sarrs and neps on a window sill without issue; however, I did move the neps to a terrarium during winter to prevent cold damage.
  6. The problem is that climate change is a multi-faceted problem. It is a combination of fossil fuels, deforestation, volcanic activity, atmospheric pressure changes, and even modern agricultural methods. The problem is in some ways as intractable as say the problem of obesity. And likewise the problem will likely become exasperated by simplistic solutions that people tend to gravitate towards in lieu a critical analysis that properly engages the issues. There is really little doubt at this point that we are undergoing a period of climate change. And there is also little doubt that the Earth has experienced in the past dramatic periods of climate change. However, nobody has really answered the question of whether or not climate change is actually harmful? Or even how much will our environmental effort effect the existing natural warming patterns?
  7. Almost all of the above mentioned utrics prefer being wet and warm year round. A few utrics do benefit from a cool, dry dormancy period in the winter, i.e., longifolia, alpina, and quelchii. They will not survive a hard freeze.
  8. Are there any active CP groups or societies in the greater Liverpool area? Thanks!
  9. Well, it depends. In low light conditions, utrics make wonderful foliage plants. Reinformis and longifolia produce amazing leaves that are happy in practically any light situation. However, if you want utrics to bloom consistently, you need the high light levels. You may still get the occasional bloom under CFLs, but it will probably not be anywhere's nearly as often as if you had the higher light. When I had HIDs, my livida and sandersonii bloomed constantly, my longifolia bloomed two or three times a year, and I even got my aplina to bloom. As far as the trade off between closest lamp distance and baking a plant, it depends on the plant and the kind of lighting. In the case of T5HOs, you can move them up to a few inches from the plant without any serious damage from heat. In the case of HIDs, it does depend upon the wattage, but you need at least 12" of clearance. It also depends what kind of plants you are growing. Nepenthes are very sensitive to sunburn. They can burn under 150W HIDs if they get too close. However, sarracenia's are very resistant to scorching. However, despite the heat those lamps throw off, they are still much more efficient than T5HOs. A single 400W HPS lamps throws off as much light as 10 54W 4-foot T5HO lamps [source: ACF Greenhouses]. If you had an array of 10 T5s, you would end up producing more heat than the single 400W lamp. Even if you don't have HID's, I'd still encourage you to give utrics a try. I found them to be absolutely delightful plants. Like any plant or animal, you have to respect it for what it is and what it needs. If you don't have the high light, then choose a variety which will have stolons that you can still appreciate, and stolon shape/size can vary greatly between utric species and deserves appreciation in its own right. I would especially recommend the terrestrial utrics. Even if I didn't have HIDs (and at the moment I don't), I'd still give utrics a go. They are wonderful, underrated plants. In fact, once I get my sundews re-established, I'd like to trade some of them for utrics.
  10. I used to own both 400W and 150W metal halide lamps, and depending on what you intend to grow the added wattage does make a difference. It might not matter much for sundews and pings. But it certainly matters for sarrs, VFTs, and utrics. Utrics, as a rule, need the higher light in order to bloom. Even neps will not "colour up" unless they have enough light, although one has to be careful not to sunburn them. But if all you are doing is sundews, lighting shouldn't matter too much.
  11. A lot of what you select for plants will depend upon the construction and planning that goes into the terrarium. I would highly suggest that you use a potted terrarium. You will save yourself a lot of headaches by keeping all your plants in separate pots. If you don't, you'll find that some plants will out compete the others becoming weeds. The other thing to consider is the lighting that is available to you. If you are growing under artificial lights, some plants do better than others. T5's can be great lights but it depends how many tubes you have going. A 4000 lumen setup is probably only sufficient for plants that do okay in lower light, unless the lamps are within a few inches of the plants. Some require very high light, e.g., metal halides, like VFTs and sarracenias. Sundews will survive under florescents but won't thrive without high light. Pings do well and will even bloom under florescent lights. Utrics can produce great foliage under florescents but need high light to bloom. Neps also seem to do okay under lower light but may not colour up as nice. These are of course general guidelines based on my experience and there are always exceptions.
  12. I used Orthene once had to move all the treated plants outside because the odor was so nasty. It's very toxic (even to people) and best avoided if at all possible. But there is also no doubt about its effectiveness as a systemic insecticide.
  13. Bisquamata. A textbook example of the flower.
  14. The local sphagnum that I used to dress my Nepenthes from Illinois and Canada never seemed to need a dormancy period of any kind. As long as they got enough moisture, they were happy to grow seemingly forever. Of course, sphagnum is not a vascular plant so it is likely to behave differently from other plants. Mileage will vary.
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