Question
QUESTION: Hello,

Just a few hours ago I purchased some new fluorescent lights under which to
grow my carnivorous plants, but I'm not positive I'll get the results i want.
They are actually "plant & aquarium" lights (F40); theyre both 40-watt, but
only put out 1900 lumens each... will that be enough for my CPs to grow well
and be healthy? I've been told that 6000 lumens is ideal, matching the
"output" of direct sunlight, but these are rather, well, less. I've also been told
that a pair of 40-watt fluorescent bulbs works great, but again, they just dont
match up to a full-on 6000. Should i just move the lights closer to the plants?

I also purchased a Purple Pitcher plant. It was from Lowe's, so i was hesitant;
it did however look like it was in "good enough" condition: it had multiple
pitchers, all of which were green, but it still just looked somewhat healthy in
general. (oh, and the humidity inside its little box didnt look too high, at least
compared to some of the others, because there was no condensation on the
sides...) But anyways, i need to know what i should do with it: how to
acclimate it, what i should do considering its upcoming period of dormancy,
or if i should simply take it back. I have already placed several drops of water
(distilled) into the pitchers, and want to know what to do further. (evn if that
be return it)

ANSWER: Hi Jasen,

This is one of the reasons, high price being the other, that we don't recommend the plant spectrum tubes.  They cost much more, and are often not as bright as simple 40 watt cool-white tubes.  You can use them, just get the plants very close.  I would say no more than two inches from the tubes.

If the leaves look good on the Purple Pitcher you should be able to get it growing well.  Start by transplanting it to a larger pot with standard 50/50 peat/perlite media.  Then put it in a sunny window for about a week to help it adjust, then go ahead and put it outside in full sun.  You may experience some leaf burn, but there is no way to avoid that when they've been in poor conditions.  If a leaf looks really bad, cut it off.  Like you were doing, do keep water in the pitchers.  That will help it through the transition.  Depending upon what part of the country you live in, take the proper precautions to winterize your plant when the weather starts to get cold.


Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay, thanks! I just repotted it from its 3-incher to a tall-ish, 4-or-so-inch
pot. The media I used though I initially thought would be perfect: it's called
"Jiffy-Mix", and it's a "growing and seed-starting mix." Under 'ingredients' on
the back, it says "This soilless mix is composed of sphagnum peat moss,
horticultural perlite and lime for proper pH balance"; Underneath that, it says
"Not reccomended for use as a fertilizer". At this I practically jumped for joy.
(After hitting two other stores, i FINALLY found it at Home Depot!)

So I went to repot my purple pitcher. Now, the only problem i saw was that
the mix hardly maintains any water; is this supposed to be this way? Or does
it just take a LONGGGGG time to absorb the water? I have the pot sitting in
standing water, but i dont know how or if it even will get all the way up the
pot to the roots. (it is apparently very short-fibered sphagnum moss) To aid
in this, i took the long-fibered s. moss from the previous container and dug
a long, narrow hole into the new container's media and packed the s. moss
into it. (theorizing that it might be more absorbent...) but yeah, i need
direction!

Oh, and because i only had a limited supply of distilled water, i used our hard
tap water to try and water down the media. Realizing that this was probably a
stupid idea, I pressed as much of the water as possible out through the
bottom, and attempted to get it saturated in distilled water, at least mostly.
Will this affect the overall growth of my plant?

Thank you!

(oh and I live in Northern Michigan; any tips on winterization? it gets pretty
cold up here... like sub-zero dips. thanks!)

Answer
Hi Jasen,

I hate to give you bad news.  The mix you used is inappropriate for carnivorous plants.  The standard mix should contain ONLY peat moss and perlite.  This mix is acidic and low in nutrients.  The perlite also provides aeration.  

While the mix you purchased is low in nutrients, it is not at all acidic because of the addition of lime to neutralize the soil's acidity.  I'm afraid your plant will not like this mix and will gradually deteriorate over the next two months or so.

You'll need to repot your plant immediately if you want to salvage it.  If you can't find peat moss and perlite, you can purchase the mix from us.  Another option is to use dried sphagnum moss.  You can find it at many garden centers.  Make sure it states specifically sphagnum moss.  Use it straight without any additional ingredients.  Make sure to wet it before you use it.  Also make sure to rinse your plant to remove any of the old soil when you repot it.

As for winterization, lets hold off on that for now.  If your plant is not healthy enough, it won't survive winter dormancy, so you should focus on getting it healthy first.  If you're also growing your plant indoors, then your winter care will take place indoors.  But focus on improving your plant's health for now.  Repot your plant in the appropriate mix or in sphagnum moss, give it lots of pure water, and make sure it's getting adequate lighting.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin