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Sundew Matt's Drosera Growing Conditions
My current setup consists of a heavy duty metal shelving
system holding many 10-gallon and 5 gallon aquaria, each under two 2-bulb
fluorescent light fixtures containing 2 cool white, 1 warm white and 1 plant
grow bulb and an additional shelf with lots of smaller containers. Each tank
is covered with glass so that high humidity is maintained most of the time.
There are several disadvantages to this - plants "grown soft" wilt
easily when moved to a less humid area, fungus and mold sometimes thrive in
highly humid conditions and heat buildup can be significant in the sun. On
the other hand, potential pest problems are avoided and watering can be kept
to a minimum. I find that my plants grow much better with less water
anyway. In fact, some rarely sit in water and those that do are allowed
to dry out between waterings.
In the past, hot summer temperatures had been a real problem for me. However,
my CP collection now lives in my living room, right next to
an air conditioner. I think of this as my CP's life support system.
Without it, I would lose some of my favorite highland plants. Since
I don't like to take chances, I leave the a/c on for most of the summer.
I've got the most comfortable living room around but my electric bills
are not too pretty....
Almost all of my plants have been grown from seed over the last few years.
I use small plastic cups with holes drilled through the bottom. Cups
are 3/4 filled with milled dead sphagnum moss (aka "No Damp Off"). Seed
is sown and pots are well misted, placed in a tray and sealed in a plastic
bag. This miniature germination chamber is often placed in minimal
light until significant germination is noticed, after which individual pots
are moved under lights. Once seedlings have 3 or 4 leaves, they are
transplanted to pots of New Zealand long fiber sphagnum moss, which is MUCH
higher quality than other sphagnums I have found. I usually plant nine
seedlings per pot as they seem to stunt one anothers growth when kept in
close quarters and therefore need plenty of room to grow. Plants are
left alone until they get too crowded, stop growing, or their roots start
to come out the holes in the bottom of their pot.
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