FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Well, Then there is this!!

https://www.amazon.com/Socket-Extender- ... =8-32&th=1

Nice extension but might be a tad heavy.

True but for 10 bucks worth a shot if I have a lot of issues with placement. That one pic does look good but I would probably need a bit more horizontal reach where they just have a bit of curve going.


If my muddled brain can’t figure it out I have a mom that’s great with plants and a partner that’s great with figuring out where to put stuff in more creative situations so I should be covered hopefully. I’ll post after I get it here and situated and let y’all know how it does.

So I’m actually not sure why people were on about the clip being an issue unless it gets looser with time which is possible. I had trouble opening it to clamp it to the bookshelf. The necks are quite sturdy as well and not just wiggling around. So overall just out of the box it seems pretty darn good imo. Take that for what it’s worth being that I’ve never had a grow light before lol. I’m hoping this is high enough to be good. If anyone thinks I should move it further please let me know. I don’t want to burn my plant.

And yeah it’s gotten worse in the past few days. There is a new trap so I’m still crossing my fingers for it.

Maybe a little...lower? Have you downloaded the app "Photone"? It is a light-meter app. To get the widget for your specific light spectrum is less than $7usd. I'm not sure which one you would need for the Sansi. It will give you a close approximation of the light the plant is receiving from your light. It's a good tool for comparing different lights to each other, for comparing differences that height adjustments make, etc.,. There's a little learning curve, but it's a decent app. You will need to study up a bit on DLI (day length integral or "moles/day...basically a computation of hours needed for a specific light intensity. Here's a website with some pretty good info in it regarding that and a chart of approximate DLI that different plants require. It's not the "gospel", per se, but it's a good guide to get you started... https://curiousplant.com/light-carnivor ... ts-part-2/

Remember, though, that you don't want to cook/burn the plant. It looks like you're on your way!!!

I will definitely read that and get that app if it works with a Sansi. I’ll check first but thank you so much. Everyone has been very helpful and patient with me despite the litany of questions. It’s appreciated

At 10 watts per lamp, the Sansi website shows the two lamps together (20w) has a PPFD of 402 at a one foot height. Entering the PPFD of 402 and a time of 12 hours in the calculators on the Curious Plant website calculates a DLI of 17.37. According to the plant chart on the Curious Plant website that falls into the middle of the "fair" zone for flytraps. I can't swear by these charts nor the calculators on the Curious Plant website but they seem to work okay for me. Other folks may give you better, but more simple guidelines. To increase the DLI there are two ways of doing it with the bulbs...decrease the height (be careful of putting too much heat on the plant) or increase the time. Changing the time to 16 hours a day and keeping the light at a 12 inch height increases the DLI to 23.16 which is in the low-end of the "Good" range for flytraps. You could use the manual on/off switch on the built-in timer and plug the lamp into a separate timer such as what Andy mentioned or a mechanical one like I mentioned. Remember, too, that light that is good for flytraps is good for sarrs, sundews, utrics, etc.,. Neps might like the lighting a bit more subdued, though.

I hope I didn't err to badly in trying to explain the above. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Best wishes.

Jade wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 11:47 pm I will definitely read that and get that app if it works with a Sansi. I’ll check first but thank you so much. Everyone has been very helpful and patient with me despite the litany of questions. It’s appreciated

What color light does the Sansi bulbs give off?

Wait so I should be using both the bulbs instead of just one? And I can manually switch it. I’ll just set alarms on my phone so I don’t forget. If it’s on the low end of good is there a way to bump it up to middle good with just these? I’m guessing not but I’m not sure if the low end will save this VFT.

I’m so not good with numbers and trying to figure that out seems a little beyond my capabilities. Any way I can get an easier idea ? I didn’t even know anything about any of that so it seems complicated?

The light is fairly white.

I got photone but it keeps using the wrong camera and pointing it at my face. And I’m really not sure which light source to choose?

Also I just ordered that manual timer. I don’t have an Alexa device to pair with the one Andy suggested so I figured the other one would work well.

Jade wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:09 am I don’t have an Alexa device to pair with the one Andy suggested so I figured the other one would work well.

You do not need Alexa for it to work. That is only for voice control. Govee has an app that pairs with your phone. I like them because they are set and forget. I was using 2 manual timers and I could never seem to get them to work correctly. It seems like mine would lose time after a month or so.

From what I can tell, yes...you need to use both lights for the flytrap. The only ways (from my limited knowledge) to increase the DLI is to increase the light intensity by either a higher-strength light source, a longer photo period, or moving the light source closer to the plant. So, with your current light setup the two ways to increase the DLI is moving the lamp closer or leaving it switched on for a longer time period.

Sorry about the light talk, it overwhelms me, too. But, it's important to get a basic idea of how it works if you'll be using a grow light very much. Growing outdoors under the sun is much simpler (other than battling tree rats and deer!!! ). Going back to increasing your DLI...you could change the timer to 18 hours...according to Curious Plants calculator and chart this would create a DLI of 26.05 at the one-foot height...this DLI is almost in the center of the "good" range.

Btw, my simplistic (my wife does refer to me as being simple-minded ) idea of DLI is the total daily light a plant gets.

As for "light", there is something called the "inverse square law". It basically states that if you move a light twice as far away from an object it reduces the light energy to 1/4 of the previous intensity. But, if you reduce the distance from the light to the object by half, then the light energy increases 4x. So, if you were to move the light closer than 12" (remember not to overheat/burn the plant!) your DLI would increase even more. Try the one-foot height and see how it does. A weak plant that has been light-deprived can't handle suddenly being thrust beneath a really bright light nor set out in full sun. Starting off with the light a bit high for a few days and gradually lowering it might be a good thing to do.

Yeah, Photone uses the "selfie" camera. Hold it facing up towards the light at plant-height and watch the screen. You will want to purchase the "full-spectrum" widget since your light is a white/yellow one. Also, don't forget the paper diffuser to go over the lens...they state to use an odd (to me) weight of paper...I usually cut my diffuser from old envelopes (be sure there's no marking/security-print on the inside.

The timer will make life easier for you and is very configurable. They're durable and mine have lasted for years.

andynorth wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:26 pm

Jade wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:09 am I don’t have an Alexa device to pair with the one Andy suggested so I figured the other one would work well.

You do not need Alexa for it to work. That is only for voice control. Govee has an app that pairs with your phone. I like them because they are set and forget. I was using 2 manual timers and I could never seem to get them to work correctly. It seems like mine would lose time after a month or so.

<chuckle> Maybe I'm not very particular and need to pay closer attention to mine.
The Govees sound interesting, I know the thermometers do good.

andynorth wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:26 pm

Jade wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:09 am I don’t have an Alexa device to pair with the one Andy suggested so I figured the other one would work well.

You do not need Alexa for it to work. That is only for voice control. Govee has an app that pairs with your phone. I like them because they are set and forget. I was using 2 manual timers and I could never seem to get them to work correctly. It seems like mine would lose time after a month or so.

Oh well if I end up having trouble with the manual one I saved your recommendation so now that I know I will try it.

I don’t think I’ll be able to do 18 hours. I’m currently living with my mom to help out with some things, and she’s very paranoid about fire due to losing everything in one before I was born. The lights get really hot so I understand that. I’m not sure I would always be awake during that period, so I’ll just hope that 16 hours will work. And I will use the other light and try as you said with the height adjustment. This is hopefully just temporary. I’m not sure if the other plants I want to get will need grow lights. I’m going to be moving some stuff around after I get over being screwed up by PT so the window that gets direct light will be available for future plants. I’m hopeful that will work out well except maybe a little extra in the winter when it’s overcast.

I didn’t see anything about paper diffuser. Is that to protect the camera lens? I already had it aimed at the light for a few seconds oops.

Also lol you say simpleminded, but all that calculation you did feels like Einstein level stuff to me.

I think my partner had a timer like this on his fish tank actually so if I can’t figure it out I’m sure he can show me. I’m about as bad with electronics and stuff you have to fiddle with as I am with numbers.

ETA- spoke a bit soon about the strength of the necks. The first one was very tight, but the second one doesn’t want to stay above a certain height so I’m trying to come at the plant more from the side with it. It’s still over it, but it’s the only way to create distance which is a little frustrating.

ETA 2 - it’s 60 degrees outside! My little guy is out there soaking up real sun and getting a nice breeze.

So do you have room for a small greenhouse? It gives you somewhere to hang your light(s) from any how. I have a larger one but I have enough room for it and a couple grow tents. However, I understand the frustration of being limited to space. https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Greenhouse- ... 71&sr=8-10

Yeah that might actually fit in my basement although nix that. My cat will eat it. But outside I definitely could I’m more worried about it blowing away during a storm or something. Last year we had a few storms that took out a bunch of trees in the neighborhood. Our weather has gotten decidedly more crazy than I recall it being growing up here

I still put it on my list of things to get if possible.