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Carnivorous Plants/400 Watt Electronic Ballast Hydroponic Grow Light Lamp

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Expert: - 5/7/2010


Question
Hi Guys,
Seems I never have enough light to grow these beautiful plants so I am wondering if a 400 Watt Electronic Ballast Hydroponic Grow Light Lamp With Metal Halide MH & HPS Bulb would be sufficient. Mostly interested in Sarracenia.

Thanks
Joseph

Answer
Hi Joseph,

Actually, you could easily grow Sarracenia outdoors in full sun.  If you watch our video podcasts, you'll see how we grow our plants outdoors.  Not ever do they go in a greenhouse.  So I recommend putting them outside.  

You can use artificial lights.  Of the two you mentioned, I prefer metal halide over high pressure sodium because the lighting spectrum tends to favor leaf growth.  That wattage is also sufficient to producing nice colors in your plants.  You will need to adjust the light distance, starting at 2 feet.  Adjust the light until you get the growth and color you want.  If the leaves burn, move the light further away.  If the leaves are pale and lanky, move the light slightly closer.  Overall, 2 feet would be an appropriate distance.

I don't recommend artificial lights for tall Sarracenia.  The lighting will be very uneven.  Small or short plants benefit more from artificial lights than tall plants.

For more information about growing Sarracenia, visit the following links:
http://www.cobraplant.com/videos
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

Carnivorous Plants

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Sarracenia Northwest

Expertise

If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!

Experience

With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.

Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.

No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each year.

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).

Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)

For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

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