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New to Carnivorous Plants

Posted by apacholek10 9 (apacholek@flagler.edu) on
Thu, Dec 17, 09 at 0:07

Hi all,

I have tried to grow a lot of things: cacti and succulents, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and even some Carnivorous types. The only type that have given me troubles are the carnivorous plants. So I have a 29 gallon tank and am fixing to make a good go at some plants of the carnivorous variety. It has a T-8 Light that is 17 Watts I believe. Questions:

1. What is a good soil mixture for most types of carnivorous plants? I am into mixing my own soils to see what works best for me, but I am unsure of where to start right now. Any advice would be great!

2. is my T-8 17 Watt bulb good enough or should I change it out for somethign stronger/weaker? How long should I leave it on for hwne I get the plants planted?

3. What are some good sites to buy plants and seeds from? I know of cobraplant.com, but that is all. Any good magazines I could subscribe to or that are free that could be sent to me?

4. Watering techniques and needs for most plants?

That is all I can think of, but I would really appreciate nay help or tips! If anyone is up for trades I have quite a few cacti and succulents, so just let me know !

Thanks !!!
Anthony


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: New to Carnivorous Plants

Hi Anthony,

Before purchasing plants I would recommend buying a copy of Peter D'Amato's, "Savage Garden". He has a down-home, folksy, approach to educating us as to appropriate water, soil, lighting, etc...

The plants are all different as to their requirements, so there's no general answer to cover everything. It depends upon what you want to focus on: outdoor plants:

Porch Plants

Indoor ones:

Rack

Tropical types:

Mini-Greenhouse

Jim


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RE: New to Carnivorous Plants

Most new comers just can't wait to make their first post. Even though most of their questions have already been answered in earlier posts they ignore them and jump right in. Yes "The Savage Garden" is an excellent place to start but all your answers are probably already posted here and are free to read. It really won't take that long for you to read the first 3 pages of threads on this forum. You may want to skip some of the short threads(unless they apply to one of your questions) and pick the threads with more replies as they are chalked full of useful info. I'm not trying to be mean or dodge your questions in fact I and others have already answered them. Enjoy!


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RE: New to Carnivorous Plants

I'm not sure 17 watts will be strong enough. I know T-8s are more efficient than the older tubes. If 17 watts T-8 is the equivalent of a 20-watt T-12, that might be enough for a small collection of plants that don't demand much light. I'm thinking pings and maybe some drosera. And nepenthes of course, but you'd run out of space quickly if my estimates are correct. By the way, all this is based on a 20-watt grow light that I owned decades ago, so I may be way off.

And of course, I you're growing the plants next to a bright window, obviously the bulb output becomes less important.


 
 

 

 


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