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Hello comrades, I have rescued a mix of plants from the garden centre recently, varieties listed later. I would like my new babies to grow to their best potential. I understand from the forums and experience that outdoor natural light is the best in terms of light delivery and plant health. This was definitely true when I was growing massive Sarracenias , Cape sundews and VFTs in South Africa despite exclusively giving them (relatively soft) tap water. I now live in Oxfordshire with a West facing garden. I worry about them getting too cold (spring nights dropping to freezing, 10 during the day), not getting enough light (cloudy for most of the day), and getting picked apart by the hordes of birds frequenting my garden. I was thinking of growing them in the shed. Impulsively I bought a cheap second hand 300W dual spectrum CFL with deflector. I measured it at 17k lumen. I'm convinced this should be sufficient light intensity to grow all of my plants. Is this overkill? I'm also mindful that 300W is costing me £20 a month to run so I have some cheap leds on order 60W blurple 20w 6500k white and a 100W citizen clu048 3500K that I plan to drive at 50W (130W total.) Do you think this would be enough to replace the CFL? I've checked the temperature in the shed overnight and it gets to say 5 degC and peaks at 24 degC during the day under the lights. Is this too cold for my plants? I'm fortunate enough to work in a lab so I have unlimited supply of de ionised water that I give them. Pictures of the set up attached, note how dark it is outside during midday. Any advice from UK growers is much appreciated. Plants: VFT, Nepenthes hookeriana, Nepenthes sanguinea, Sarracenia, Pinguicula Tina, Drosera capenis, Drosera paradoxa. Cheers, MTech

About a month ago on a very windy night my outdoor greenhouse collapsed fortunately two of my neps are fine but my veitchii x burbidgeae has got some damage but im worried about it surviving.ive asked many collectors on instagram who have had years of experience with them and they say that it should snap back but i just need more info its been around half a month or so and still nothing:( i just need to know if it will survive and how long till it wakes up if so and maybe if so some tips:) ill post some pics⬇️⬇️⬇️ - Sabian Mehmetaj

Hi there! I have some plants refusing to do anything this year. They only send some little phyllodia, and thats all. Rizome is healthy, but plants refuses to do anything but very little phyllodia, and no traps. (One of the lazy leucos only give me one well developed trap, and anything else. The rest of the lazies, nothing but small phylodia. Just like if they were in a dormancy. I have some suspects about what can be happening. 1-All this plants where buyed this winter/spring to a grower in German. He is a very well known and reliable grower, so I don´t have any trouble with him. But its important because of the location and climate. 2-All of these non growing plants are "warm" Sarracenias. I mean, Sarrs that naturally grow in southern locations (minor and leuco). I have "cooler" Sarracenias from the same growe, as purpureas, and they are doing very well. 3- Last winter was specially cold in Germany. 4- All other plants (even the same specie as the lazy ones I have from several years, or plants purchased this winther/spring to "warmer" places than Germany in winter are doing really good! So I think those plants have suferefed of extreme cold this winter, (southest sarrs like cool winters, but not to cold). and they sould be in a kind of shock. They behave as if they were still in dormancy (even in this rare hot and sunny summer we had here). Now in october I see a little more growing in one of those minors. Is it aweking now in october? Well, the thing is I am tempting to take the littles ones like psittacinas or minors (I can´t put a leuco indoor) that have refused to grow this summer indoor, under light (Hi power cob-LED lights. I grow Helis with them. Extremely bright.) to push them to grow. Yes, I know that is probable they will grow next spring. But, hence they have been in dormancy from 2011 November till now, I am thinking about making them grow indoors until mid spring, to link with the natural growing season, and them take them out. Letting them "sleep" next winter. They are southest sarras I am planning to do that with. With (I think) not a need os a strong dormancy. (But, I know still necesary) Minor and psittacinas (Not all my minors, neither all my psitts.). In part because I want to see this plants growing at last, in part because of experimenting, Do you think I am making a really big dissaster here? Another question for you. It is known that little seedlings (of sarrs an VFT) can skip dormancy for one or two years). Can I do de same whit the VFT plantlets that grow from the mother plants?? . My bigs VFT are sending out some tiny VFT plants from theirs sides, Just wondering if i can put them under lights and skip dormancy as if it were a sedling. Thanks.