Hud357

if you can store plenty of water then I would imagine that you might get away with an awful lot of Neps. Artificial shade and lots of water should see many of the 'lowland' species thriving. The dry season (December to march or April) is usually in the 90s (30'C) in the day but drops down to 60'F (15-16'C) at night so is fairly cool then Fairly cool in the sense that these would be absolute peak Summer temperatures here in England!

No idea what it is but those seed pods are just 'wrong'.

We are looking forward to finding out what else we can grow in Uganda By the look of things you are pretty much on the Equator so I would imagine that you could grow all manner of plants. I never, usually, get to say this but your problem might be that you are just too warm year round for many plants. Sarracenia, VFT etc all need a Winter rest. You probably don't get much of a Winter so I would be tempted to go for Neps and Heli's ... things that, up here in the North we have to grow under artificial conditions. 'Horses for courses' comes to mind. I doubt that you could ever cultivate Cypripedium in your climate but, then again, I would struggle with many plants that probably grow like weeds in Uganda. Look for species that like Sun and warmth and grow year round. Plenty there to choose from.

You could just jump in with both feet. Keep an eye out for a fish tank (e-bay/local paper and such). Preferably one that has slight damage and is no longer suitable for Fish (much cheaper). With little initial outlay you can grow a huge variety of plants and exercise your artistic side too. As mobile points out Heliamphora will need supplementary light at this time of year or you could keep your house at 5C to slow their growth (very popular move I'm sure). Another point is that you should, perhaps, try one of the cheaper and commonly available hybrids (heterodoxa X nutans?) first. Hybrids are generally more tolerant.

It was divided potted up into five separate mixes and the only one that lived and know is filling it's small pot up is the one in pure slow growing live sphag. I got some sphag a while ago on e-bay and it not only grows slow and even, it even has colour under Heli lighting. Even better, despite comming from the moors of Northern England, it grows just as well in a totaly artifical environment. The reason I mention this is that it is avaliable again (early Oct 2015) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Kgs-FRESH-SPHAGNUM-MOSS-Best-Quality-New-Spagnum-Sold-Moist-/191698316024?hash=item2ca21c2af8 The stuff in action under very bright light and an average 25C (day/night). http://hud357.homenet.org/orch/car/heli.jpg

Have no idea just how I managed to miss this post until now. Incredible displays and really happy looking plants.

Thank you, interesting alternative DIY! It's not really that alternative. Just a PSU, a constant current/constant voltage 'driver' and some stuff to mount the LED's and dissipate some heat. Anyway, I have an “emergency” terrarium with 3 T5 tubes, where previously were cultivated some nepenthes, but I've never been convinced of the light and especially some plants struggled quite a bit to growing and color well .. Haven't found this to be a problem. I know that LED colour often triggers some heated debates on forums but my 'warm white' seems to work just fine. Happy Heli ... Nice Nep ... Some shade for D. prolifera and (orchid) Phal 'another mini hybrid with white flowers' ... Not directly relevant to this thread ... Astute viewers of these pictures will have noticed that the same leaf appears in all three pictures. This is U. longifolia. Do not (unless that is what you want) let this plant out of its cage. It has taken over the entire 'set-up' from a tiny portion in a 3" pot. It is now even chasing D. adelae around the tank. No mean feat I can promise you. You have been warned! One other note is that some may have noticed that the 'sundews' don't look particularly healthy. This is simply because they were sprayed yesterday and it takes them a day or two to 're-dew'. Yes I have see some pictures with red and blue LEDs, but visually they are really ugly Warm white has the advanatge of 'blending in' with your living space (if that is where you are using the 'tank'). Yes, I usually skip the winter rest only for young seedlings, the rest is all out in the cold! I'm sorry if I came across as 'teaching grandma to suck eggs' but the problem with an anonymous forum is that one can never know what another idividual does or doesn't know. I could make a reasonable guess that someone here with 6000 posts and lots of photos has experience (probably far exceeding mine) but beyond that I find it safer to assume that they may want as much relevent info as possible. Don't forget that, for sure, there will be complete 'novices' reading any particular thread (perhaps ten years from now) and any information may help.

I don't think there is a connection as such. Probably more that CP growers like a challenge or the unusual and Orchids can be a challenge and are often unusual. Did have to laugh at somebody directing me to SRGC (Scotish Rock Garden Club). Now I can't leave the place, it's on my daily visit list. One might have thought that SRGC was all about alpines and such but nothing could be further from the reality. There are folk there growing just about everything. Trouble is that I'm now looking at all kinds of things to grow next year. Things that, this time last year, I would have never considered. I found myself sowing minature daffodil seed last weekend. Iris, Meconopsis, Tulips from kazakstan ... they are all on my 'list' now. The 'net' can get tired and old believe it or not and 'forums', I find, are one of the few places where one can pick up something new and interesting quite by accident.

I have slightly smaller 'terrarium' (fish tank) and use 50W which seems plenty. If you are a 'DIY' sort of individual then my lighting is made up of ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/60CM-Aquarium-Plant-Reef-Heatsink-Refector-DIY-42W-LED-Kits-Kit-3W-5W-10W-/321630949771?hash=item4ae2b2d18b (3 x) http://www.dx.com/p/18w-3200k-1890lm-warm-white-light-cob-led-rectangle-strip-yellow-dc-12-14v-213301 (I have found the 'warm white' to be just fine) http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-600W-10-60V-to-12-80V-Boost-Converter-Step-up-Module-Car-Power-Supply-HS-/111709633783?hash=item1a0269bcf7 and ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/19V-AC-Adapter-Charger-Power-Supply-Cord-for-ASUS-Eee-PC-Netbook-Mini-Laptop-PSU-/291306452904?hash=item43d337b7a8 (all example items - I'm not recomending any particular vendor) It can all be put together with fairly basic equipment and skills. OR you could just get a twin tube (2 x 25W?) T5 unit and be done with it. A word or two of warning ... Although the eg Heli's will like a lot of light, the problem I have found is in creating shade areas for plants that don't like a lot of light. Don't forget that Dionea and Sarracenia, for example, need a Winter rest and will quickly deteriorate if they don't get one. I nearly lost a bunch of VFT's making that mistake.

I have to confess to feeding some of my plants artificialy. In my defense they are in a 'terrarium' and so never get their own natural food. The Heli's get insect 'ready brek' and my one and only nep. gets the occasional freeze dried Crayfish. They all seem to be doing fine. Anything outdoors can catch its own food. I just don't have the time or inclination to go around feeding them. By this time of year the Sarracenia pitchers are full so they must know what they are doing.

Dead flies Dead beetles, earthworms and just about anything else

I feel a little sad when you say Growing Venus flytrap in a tank.because I live in a apartment first floor.Someone stole my Venus flytrap and sundew in few years ago... it was more a comment about you being in the position of having to simulate Winter. Here in the North ... "Winter is comming".

Not so fast Fred. I had quite a few large plants that had survived outdoors for a decade and a half but those two cold Winters a few years back killed them and a lot of other plants that I had come to consider as 'hardy'. I'm just not willing to take that chance again with anything that I wish to keep.

I installed a fan when I first came across this problem with other plants. I soon discovered another benifit ... The glass is clear from about an hour after the lights (and fan) come on and so I get to see my plants all day, through nice fan assisted, clear glass. Something any budding 'terrarium' enthusiast should consider. No good having a terrarium where you cannot see the contents. Get a fan. Any old suitable, size wise, fan will do. Just a constant gentle air flow through the terraium is fine.

I would be very careful about using any 'fertiliser' on any CP. There are often easier ways to feed.. like buying some dead flies on e-bay and feeding the plants the way they expect to be fed. Sphag tends, in my experience, to do just fine with apparently barren (peat/sand) mixes or even better just in a garden sieve kept moist at all times. You should remember that both Sphag and CP's have evolved to thrive in very 'low nutrient' environments. Giving them a dose of 'regular' plant nutrients is a risky business. I'm sure that commercial growers feed their 'crop' but they have different priorities. They can not, practically, feed individual plants with e-bay flies for example.

My 'Chinese' is is even worse. I wouldn't know where to start. 400nm is probably too 'blue' for long term health, you might consider moving to plain 'warm white' (roughly 1/3 blue and 2/3 red). Could I just ask... why are you growing VFT inside in a tank when you live in Taiwan? A practically tropical environment. Your main problem, with VFT, I suspect is that you will need to provide them with an 'artificial Winter'*. Probably in a fridge. They should grow like 'weeds' all year round on Taiwan but they will need a rest. ____________________________ For all looking at LED lighting - could I point you to ... (as an example of the part - there are plenty of other vendors) http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-600W-Step-Up-12V-60V-to-12V-80V-Power-Apply-Module-High-Power-/400565347344?hash=item5d438e2410 It, with a simple 'lap top' PSU, can drive pretty much any domestic LED array one might imagine. You will need some basic elecrical skills in order to set it up (CV/CC - mainly CC) but, once configured, mine (driving 55W) has been in opperation for a year now and doesn't even get warm. _____________________________ * unlike most of the plants I grow which would love Taiwan all year and need 'artificial' conditions to create their growing season here in Northern Europe

The problem with bringing it indoors is that it will carry on growing (because it is warm) without much light come Winter. You will end up with a long 'leggy' plant. As others above have said, it might well be better to leave it outside. A compromise might be to wait until it gets 'really cold' (late Dec?) then knock it out of the pot, clean it and pop it into the 'salad compartment' of the fridge for a few months. Then re-pot it in eg March and put it on your brightest windowsill for a few weeks then put it back outside. Don't put it in a sealed plastic bag though, use (news or take-away bag) paper. I use this method with Dionaea and, as long as you don't over do it (think salad), it works just fine.

Let me first say that I have no experience with Ceph's but plenty with other plants. I would be tempted to stop the spraying altogether and water as 'carni grower' suggests above. Grow it a little drier and water from below when you do water. Unless it is deteriorating fast I wouldn't re-pot it ATM, your profile says that you are in Lancashire so we are at the end of the growing season outside of an artificial environment. The main reason I replied with no Ceph experience is that I was looking at getting one myself when I came across this post. Mine would be growing in a 'fish tank' though and I got the impression, from other reading, that I would have to be careful about spraying this particular species. Unfortunatly that is how the tank gets watered so I will have to ponder that one.

It's a weed, post it to me and I'll compost it for you free of charge A very nice looking purp venosa. Look after it.

Not convinced about earthworms but they will certainly scoff a Snail if it strays into a trap.

Very nice plants. Out of idle interest ... How do you get on water wise in New Mexico? Clearly the plants love the sunshine but isn't NM basically Desert?

It depends upon the size of the Terrarium. An irrigation system might be overkill in a smaller one. Mine is just an old 3 foot fish tank and I did consider automating various parts but, in reality, I enjoy watering it by hand. Gives me the oportunity to perform all the other maintainance tasks on a regular timetable. If you are talking about a big display case type then I'm sure better advice will follow.

I replaced most of my greenhose glass with this ... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4mm-Polycarbonate-Greenhouse-Glass-Replacement-Sheets-2ft-x4ft-/261144723783?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item3ccd704147 No problems so far.

There is no sunlight (other than abient) reaching the tank. It would be 95% LED and 5% natural light at a guess. It seems to work for many cp's some of which are now getting demoted to 'weed' status. Drosera adelae, Utricularia longifolia and my one and only Nep (× hookeriana) are the main offenders. Even my mini phalenopsois is heading out of its pot into the unknown. Funny, I thought that the terraium would be maintainance free but I'm getting the impression that I might be digging it all out soon and re-planting, Bloody plants, I might just dump them all and buy some frogs ... https://www.google.com/search?q=dart+frog&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI-NPQxImTxwIV4RTbCh26SwIv&biw=1440&bih=688 Tell me they are just the deranged creations of some insane Photoshop jockey.

Don't know if this will help but it would be my starting point ... http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/samples/v9n2p46_48.html