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Post by maxcdg03 on Jun 5, 2023 2:13:34 GMT
Hello, my wife and I have always been super interested in carnivorous plants and have had a few different kinds in the past. We wanted to go "all out" so we purchased a 36 gallon tank. We mixed 3 parts peat-moss to 1 part perlite and 1 part sand with a thin layer of horticulture charcoal at the bottom. The layer of charcoal is roughly 1/2" thick and the rest of the mixture fills about 6-7" of the bottom of the tank, we then added 5 1/2 gallons of distilled water, just enough to make the top of the mixture slightly wet but not sopping. We bought a couple Venus fly-traps, a couple sundews, and some variation of pitcher plant to plant in our newly made bog terrarium (which have not yet been planted). The question I have for this setup is, what is an ideal temperature for the terrarium, and what is the best method to get it to and maintain that temperature? Do you think heating pads UNDER the tank would be sufficient? I'm concerned about using a light as a heat source because I 1. Won't be able to control the overall temperature and 2. Am concerned about hurting the plants. Also, speaking of lights, I know that they need proper lighting. Would kind of lighting is ideal, how much? What spectrum? Thanks!
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Post by jgreen1025 on Jul 6, 2023 21:59:17 GMT
Hello, my wife and I have always been super interested in carnivorous plants and have had a few different kinds in the past. We wanted to go "all out" so we purchased a 36 gallon tank... Hi maxcdg03 , I guess the ICPS forum isn't very lively since your post is a month old and has no replies. Sorry about that. Hopefully you found answers to your questions elsewhere, but I'll take a stab at it. A lot depends upon what kind of sundews and pitcher plant you have. Both can be temperate, tropical, or sub-tropical. And unfortunately, "pitcher plant" is kind of a generic name for several different species. Assuming the pitcher plant you bought is a Sarracenia (North American pitcher plant) it will grow in the same conditions as the venus fly-trap (which is from North Carolina). Both plants want full sun, or the brightest light you can give them. I'm not a fan of terrariums for North American plants, but if you can give them bright light and decent air circulation they might just thrive. I wouldn't worry about a heating pad (both plants will naturally want to go dormant in the winter and will need colder temps) but some LED growlights can provide enough light with very little heat. Avoid the red/purple ones and get something bright white (easier to look at the plants that way). (I've found some square panelled lights on Amazon that aren't too expensive and seem better than the wand-shaped ones.) Without knowing what sundews you have, I can only guess that they'll probably enjoy similar conditions as the other plants. And I should add that if your pitcher plant is a Nepenthes, the terrarium is probably the ideal spot for it until it outgrows your tank (and somebody else will have to offer better advice than I can give). Check out "The Savage Garden" by Peter D'Amato (your library might have a copy) - it's kind of the CP growers bible, or I believe the ICPS has some good 'growing guide' webpages as well. Good luck with your plants! John |
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