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garyfla_gw

Changing growing season

garyfla_gw
17 years ago

Hi

I've been using the fridge for the dormant period for a VFT for several seasons but would like to change this to have it growing during winter and dormant during summer.

How could i go about changing this?? I'm located in S.Florida so I think winter would provide the best growing conditions and my fridge is full of bulbs during winter.

any hints?? thanks gary

Comments (7)

  • petiolaris
    17 years ago

    You would have to create a totally artificial environment, one in which the photoperiod follows the "down under" seasons.

  • garyfla_gw
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi
    Well I have to create an artificial environment anyway.
    It's way to warm here all year . With the I ris I have "winter" begin in July and spring in Jan. Avoids the brutal heat and humidity of summer.
    Think this would be best for the VFT also but don't know how to go about the change. Gradually or suddenly?? gary

  • petiolaris
    17 years ago

    Very definitely gradually! And may the force be with you!

  • garyfla_gw
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi
    Well, Gradual is going to be really tough lol. It's either hot or warm here with maybe 5 days of cool.
    i think what i'm going to do is extend the growing season as long as possible into Jan .then pop it in the crisper.
    Then bring it out in Aug.or Sept. the worst that can happen is that it croaks lol
    FPL is always with me except during hurricanes lol a crisper makes a perfect winter. thanks gary

  • myrmecodia
    17 years ago

    If you want to change the growing period, I would do it with a short dormancy, not a really long one. Try putting it in the fridge now, then pull it out in January. Let it grow until July, then put it back in the fridge until October. At that point, it will be ready to grow over the winter.

    But really, I'm not sure that a south FL winter will be better than the summer for growing a VFT. Doesn't the winter tend to have lower humidity? The natural habitat of a VFT is cooler than south FL in the winter, but I'll bet your summers are not that much hotter than a NC/SC coastal plain summer. In natural habitat, a VFT experiences mid 90s during the day and low to mid 70s at night during the summer.

  • garyfla_gw
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi
    Thanks for the tips The summers are quite similar it's the photo period and abscence of chill hours that are the problem Over the last several years I've just treated them as annuals getting new ones in the spring.
    I think the main problem is June-Sept night tmps frequently stay above 80.Most temperate plants will not tolerate it. Oct.-June I can avoid that. Thanks
    thought it would be interesting to try.
    gary

  • jonocross
    17 years ago

    My best suggestion would be... Inside. Outdoors where you are may be too difficult to make the proper envioronment. (unless you want to go to a few astronomy web sites and figure out when you're photoperiod at your latitude will match the growing season of where the plants your're trying to grow are. Another suggestion, if you need to cool them off a bit, try cooling the water you water them with. It might not be the best fix... I mean, you'll cool the roots but not the leaves, but if its cobra lillies you might have a shot.)

    Anyway... experiment with it. Try a set in a windowsill a set in a terrarium and a set outside durring the time you want it to grow. See which works best.

    For an indoor terrarium set up, easiest one I can think of... get a shop light and put it with 40watt floresents, over a 20 long aquarium (bout 8 inches above the top or less) I think I have a pic of my terrarium set up on my site if you want to take a look.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tangled Web of Aracknight

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