chesara Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 Hi all Couldnt believe it,checked my plants this morning and the heater had packed up during the night ive already had to cut a lot back and some of them are going black by the hour,the LFS in the Burbidgea was fozen and crispy to the touch,not sure if its going to make it. Baught a new heater and cables today but it might be a bit late for some of them will have to let you know how many have had it :cry: Bye for now Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aidan Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 Oh dear. I'm not too far from you and there was a very hard frost here last night. -7.7C where my plants (Not Nepenthes!) are living and they were all frozen solid today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathijs Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 My aquatic utric's where frozen this night I hope they survive it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycatchers Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 Oh no Julian what a disaster :cry: I always dread either that or a power cut happening. And it needs only happen once Even down here in the SE the frosts have been particulary nasty, and a power cut did occur last week. Only for an hour and a half but it left a nasty feeling. I really hope all your plants recover.. fingers crossed. cheers bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheila Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 Oh no that is bad luck!! I had a similar problem in the winter of 2003 when the trip switch tripped and I didn't notice for at least two days during the coldest weather. All the Neps looked terrible and all the pitchers and some growing points went black. the good news was they all recovered eventually, though it took all the following growing season and they only started pitchering properly again last year. With luck yours will recover as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwdoz Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 Crikey, hope the damage isn't too terrible. I have to admit I'm uncomfortable using electric heating, especially as power cuts are not unheard of here. Until this time last year I used propane but I have been using electric since as the propane needs substantial ventilation to avoid the byproducts of combustion damaging plants. A bit of a gamble perhaps... :? Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob H Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 :-( Bad Luck Julian :-( We had a power cut on the same morning, only -4C here, I dashed to the greenhouse fearing the worst but the cut could have only been minutes as the temp was still around +7C. I hope you haven't lost too many and that those that have gone can swiftly and not too expensively be replaced. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 Putting in backup systems isn't cheap, but it can be done. When it takes 6 years or more for some plants to get to maturity I think it's worth it. I have two independent electrical supplies into the greenhouse, each feeding a seperate set of systems with one of each key service (ventilation, circulation, heating, fogger). One board has just one each of the newest of these and should be the most robust, the other has older equipment and non-essential stuff as well (lights, etc). To cope with total electrical failure I have a non-electric gas heater on pilot, and my latest development is I have just bought a unit which connects to a 12V battery and switches over to it in case of mains failure. This should keep my fans and foggers going for about a day or so. I can discuss details offline if anyone is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesara Posted December 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 Checked again this morning,Bongso looks trashed,Burbidgea is looking sick but i hope its going to pull through.A few others are looking very ill especially Ephippiata its all brown and like rubber . I think i will have to rig up some sort of back up system for sure. Black arm band at work tonight i think Bye for now Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Cornish Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 Sorry to hear the bad news. Hope all manage to pull through. Regards Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Crane Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 I dont have much but if I can help with anything Julian do get in contact.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 Hi Julian, This must be every Nep grower's worst fear. I too am currently relying on electric. We have had two power outages since we moved house in August but fortunately neither was on frosty nights. I am nervous for the rest of the winter, but until I can get a proper greenhouse set up, I have no choice. I hope your plants make a speedy recovery. All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Stewart Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 I hate to hear about your plants getting damaged. Years of hard work can be lost in just a few hours. I've always used a temperature alarm on a battery system after my first freeze. A thermostat hooked up to a doorbell or fire alarm works well. In Florida, the summer heat can do almost as much damage as a freeze in the winter elswhere. Good luck, Steve Stewart Florida, USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amori Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 That's three growers I know of who have had a mishap with heating this season. Keep on the lookout because it might be sneaking 'round the corner to attack your collection! Good luck chesara, keep your chin up! Cheers Amori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 Sorry to hear the news Julian :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julio Alberto Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 This is a bad new. I wish you good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joachim Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 Hi Julain, that's sad news from your plants. I'm afraid chances for surviving are very low when already the Sphagnum in the pots was frozen. I got two highland Nepenthes by mail few weeks ago and temperature levels were near to freezing when I found the parcel after some hours outside. Some leafes immediately died back but the growing points are still green - also they still look dehydrated. A backup system is what growers with more valuable collections do have here in their greenhouses. Also a temperature alarm ringing a bell inside your house might help in the future. Professional systems will automatically call your mobile to give you a chance to do something immediately wherever you are. Best luck with your plants! Joachim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agustin franco Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 Hi Julian: I am really sorry about your accident with the plants. There are polymer solutions like ENVY or PLANTWAX that helps protect plants against freezing temperatures in winter and excessive heat in summer. You just spray the plant with it and hope for the best. Of course, this should be done as a precautionary measure. Once the plant suffers what i call "plant frostbite" it is not effective anymore. Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike King Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 Hi Julian, I am really sorry to hear this especially as you are setting out to specialise in Neps. I hope the damage was very limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas.Brinkley Posted November 10, 2006 Report Share Posted November 10, 2006 Just curious... Did any of the neps that are notable for their cold tolerance like khasiana, villosa, rajah etc. get hit by this frost [if you have them in your collection] Im curious if any of them didnt mind it so much.... give us some feedback nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesara Posted November 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2006 Hi Nick the only plants i lost in the end where Bongso,truncata lowland and Ephippiata the rest have made a stunning recovery in fact it took the burbidgea 6 months to show any life again i wouldnt recomend such lows but i was surprised how tough they really are the spagnum moss they are all planted in was froze solid 8) Bye for now Julian infact i am using an oil filled rad this year so will see how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted November 10, 2006 Report Share Posted November 10, 2006 Julian, which ones made it through, a complete list of survivors, rather than the deceased would be quite interesting :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 a little off topic maybe but kind of related.. i work in IT, ive recently installed some environmental monitoring hardware for monitoring computer room temp. humidity etc.. the equipment is pretty cheap considering what it does (around £300 with a temperature/humidity probe) and if u have a pc and a mobile phone already your halfway there. it can alert you via sms, pager, email etc.. http://www.openxtra.co.uk/products/em1/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicon Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hi, slightly late posting but have only just found you guys..and girls. I use lpg gas as my primary heater which stands completely independant from the utility suppliers! ie it has a mechanical stat. there are no problems at all with fumes in the greenhouse so long as the appropriate air supply is provided. The output from lpg is co2 and h2o and so is in fact beneficial (I have grown Neps and Orchids for five years) A well insulated setup also helps and you can get a very inexpensive electronic thermo/hygrometer with multiple remote sensors and a max min alarm with receiver to put in the house for well under £100. Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesara Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hi i have thought about gas but after hearing about a pro grower who,s collection was blown up when an electric heater mixed badly with the gas, i am using an oiled filled rad at the moment and am pleased with the results Bye for now Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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