FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi all, new member here from west Yorkshire

First let me say that no one is more surprised to find me here than I am. I have a terrible history with plants. I was once given a bamboo plant that was marketed as a 'lucky money plant' the label on the plant was ever so keen to say that it was ideal for people who cannot look after plants, as it was virtually unkillable. 2 weeks, just 2 weeks before it was dead. And now I have decided to try and grow a couple of plants that are probably going to be a lot harder to grow than bamboo.

So, undeterred, I am about to plant two sundew and two Venus flytrap seeds and see what can possibly go wrong

Any advice will be gratefully received and acted upon. I tried to give myself the best advice of 'do not bother'. Unfortunately I rarely listen to myself, and the action I took on that advice was to ignore it.

My workshop is not terribly warm in winter, and natural light is lacking at the moment, until the building modifications are done and I have a nice warm office with a window. To begin with, I am going to try and use my nerdier instincts to try and make this a success. So I have ordered a cheap propagator that comes with a heating mat and a full spectrum light which apparently is like sunlight. I am going to use an Arduino to monitor temperature and humidity inside the propagator and also monitor the soil (not soil, but some disks of a compressed fibre that came with the 'grow your own hungry bug eating plant' kit.

Now it says not to use tap water, but distilled or boiled and cooled tap water.... But they are not the same, and so while bits and pieces are being delivered, I thought my first question would be about the water. Distilled water is a coverall expression for deionised water as well as distilled water in theory that would be just H²O where as tap water has chlorine along with other trace elements which would not be removed by boiling. So do I use cooled boiled tap water, distilled water or bottled mineral water which has trace elements, but no chlorine?

Once everything arrives then the questions will really happen as I try to program an Arduino to erase my complete inability to get green things to do what I want.....

(By the way, the problem does not just occur with growing plants I like, but killing ones I do not like If i get the strongest weedkiller i can find to treat my path, then only a couple of days later, the weeks look like they are being cared for by the finest minds ar Kew Gardens

Sorry for the typo, it should say after a couple of days, the weeds look like the are being cared for by the finest minds at Kew Gardens

Thank you for that information.... I shall get a few litres of deionised water... I must admit that your answer has surprised me. As an engineer, I thought that deionised water would not be the way to go... I am glad I found and joined this forum before I relied on the perceived (and incorrect) wisdom of an engineering background.... Thank you for that information, I can now work out a way of automating the watering of my baby plants (if they last long enough to become babies)...

But this is an area of which I have very little knowledge, even less skill and zero success in the past. I can honestly say that if there were a register of people with 'green fingers', the only way I could get on the list is with gangrene of the thumb

I tried to look at the beginners guide to LED lighting. I know it was in English, with some Latin thrown in, because I could read it. But I have no idea about what it all meant. Maybe there should be an idiot's guide where all the words are one syllable, or if at all possible, less

If your problem is forgetting to water the plants, (I have done this quite a few times with other plants) you can use trays full of water, which you put the pots on, to keep the soil constantly moist.

Ah, I thank you for your kindness and your respect.

But no, it a far deeper problem than that

I think my problem is that to put me near chlorophyll is like a crowded room full of matter and antimatter. One of them will be annihilated. Fortunately the bloody plants have not won yet..... But maybe this is their revenge plan, after all, I am now about to try and grow plants..... with teeth.......

On a serious note, I guess I see this as a challenge..... Maybe if I can find out the right level of saturation that will not damage roots.... If I can find the ideal RGB blend of the LEDs to promote growth and also the correct temperature of the propagator, maybe I will be successful. After all, just because I am programming an Arduino to achieve the results for me does not mean my skills were not important.... It just means my programming skills are better than my biological skills

By the way, the temperature control I will be using will be based on peltier technology, so it is more the transfer of temperature than the application of heat. I use the same system in my 3d printer enclosure to keep the internal temperature accurate to +/- 25°C above/below ambient.....

Welcome to the forum. First, let me start by saying I am by no means an Engineer but seeing's how you are, I am pretty sure programming is not much of an issue for you. Therefore, I would highly recommend a https://www.parallax.com/ Propeller or even a Basic Stamp. Stay on this forum for all your plant questions and on the Parallax forum for questions pertaining to the Prop or Stamp. You will find the Prop is way more powerful and has 8 cores on the Prop 1 and I am not sure on the Prop 2 but is even better.

Firstly, welcome to the Forum!

Prof wrote: ↑Thu Dec 28, 2023 8:48 pm So, undeterred, I am about to plant two sundew and two Venus flytrap seeds and see what can possibly go wrong

You may want to reconsider those numbers. VFT seed germination rates will certainly vary. You may get 100%, but as a beginner, I would recommend starting with a larger quantity to maximize your chances for at least one viable seedling. And while VFT seeds are large enough to handle, sundew seeds are not. They are like dust and you'd probably be much better off sprinkling at least 10 on your medium. Also, sundew germination rates will vary by species. The easiest are probably Drosera capensis and Drosera spatulata. Capes will likely give the higher germination rate but I find Spats are less tricky to care for long term...

Have a pleasant challenge!