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Post by Brian Barnes on Jan 21, 2009 10:18:36 GMT -5
Hey Friends, I thought this series of photos may help to shake off the Winter doldrums as well and make us all think of a nicer, warmer place! ;D It's definitely not Florida, well at least not today. Everything outside is frozen in their pots... Please enjoy a few of my Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor clones.  My larger mother-plant is in a nine inch wide pot.    OK Ladies, all together now...flowers to the left, please?  |
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Post by maxposwillo on Jan 21, 2009 16:41:22 GMT -5
Beautiful Heliamphora Brian! Makes me want to try my hand at growing this genus.
Good Growing,
Max
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Post by khoas on Jan 21, 2009 18:51:44 GMT -5
Nice Heli. Really need get some photos of fellow member in the ACPS heli. He keep winning the monthly competion for best plants with them.
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Post by daniel on Jan 21, 2009 19:30:35 GMT -5
Hi Brian, very nice and healthy looking plants. You will have a nice bouquet these days. ;D So you have now also lower temperatures, here it´s nearly identical in the moment. The nights with about -20 degree celsius are over, it´s only slightely freezing. Best regards, Dani |
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Post by Brian Barnes on Jan 22, 2009 5:51:37 GMT -5
Thank you, everyone for the kind words!  Yes, here it is cold, but the Helis don't have to worry. They are all kept in a climate controlled growth chamber inside with a perfect 10-12 degree temperature drop at night. BTW, today's temp outside- 26F low (below freezing!) with 63F highs...and this is Florida? Aggggh! ;D Happy Growing, Brian. |
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Post by sockhom on Jan 22, 2009 11:08:40 GMT -5
Beautiful plants Brian!
I really love flowering Heliamphora.
I have crossed H. chimantensis with H. minor a couple of days ago. I have also self pollinated H. chimantensis. I hope I will get some seeds.
Cheers,
François.
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Post by Brian Barnes on Jan 23, 2009 5:43:31 GMT -5
Hi Francois, Great cross! Those should look wonderful if your efforts were successful... I have a total of four flowers that are a few days apart from each other from opening. Did you save pollen from one plant or were the flowers open just right, within a day or so from each other? Happy Growing, Brian. |
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jeff
Forum Member
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Post by jeff on Jan 25, 2009 5:39:33 GMT -5
hello brian
very nice heliam .
have you others species?
jeff
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Post by jcreef on Jan 25, 2009 13:43:27 GMT -5
Beautiful Helis Brian!! They are by far one of my favorite genus!
Out of curiosity, what do you do to get the temp drop at night in your chamber? I have a couple beautiful H. pulchella - Akopan Tepui that I am worrying about. Not that anything is wrong, however I worry about the temps warming up here in Miami soon :/
I'm going to have to build some sort of chamber for them and have not been able to figure out a feasible way to cool it.
Any input would be great!
Warmest Regards and Happy Growing,
-Jc
Miami, Fl
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Post by Brian Barnes on Jan 26, 2009 11:39:03 GMT -5
Hello Friends,
Jeff,
Here's a list of the Heliamphora I'm successfully growing at present;
H. nutans
H. ionasi
H. sarraceniodes
H. hispida
H. minor x H. heterodoxa.
H. elongata
H. follicularis
H. neblinae
JC,
First off, I highly recommend starting with one of the hybrids, such as Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor. It's a great, hardy beginner plant that will teach you some of the likes and dislikes of the genus, without costing you and arm and a leg, if it bites the dust! ;D
You can successfully grow Helis inside where you are.
Cooling for most species can be achieved by watering with lightly chilled water right before you shut off the growlights and then ventilating with a small, low-power fan which can be purchased at any hydroponics shop. Keep in mind that species such as; H. hispida, H. ionasii, H. neblinae and H. elongata seem to require more of a nightly temperature drop than most other species and hybrids, in my conditions...
Firstly, I have my grow tank sideways with the opening to the front. This allows the lights to be placed on top of the glass to minimize heating during photoperiod. The glass is the perfect insulator for the bulbs and light spectrum is barely altered. This is especially important during higher indoor average temperatures...This also allows you to bring your pitchers closer to the lights, with less risk of pitcher burn. The constant, light breeze is VERY important if your pitcher tops are within a few inches of the bulbs, even with the glass between them. I prefer mine to be around 4 inches or so away from the glass/bulbs. This safely gives me superb coloration, combined with good size, proper nectar spoon formation and pitcher form.
Secondly, this allows for the light breezes from the fan to enter and circulate throughout the chamber, via the front. Currently, I run two chambers, a 100 gal and a 75 gal aquarium as such, with a total of twelve 40 watt Agri-Sun tubes, on a 14 hr photoperiod. In Winter, I cut the photoperiod to 11 hrs for three months, since average indoor temps are naturally kept 10-15 degrees cooler than in Summer. By doing so, I have now given my Heliamphora a Winter...or so they think! This practice seems to induce flowering in my mature plants.
Very importantly, I make sure my plants are potted high in their pots of pure living Florida Sphagnum moss and not with the media surface way below the rim's edge. This practice allows for some evaporative cooling to take place during the day and most importantly at night. All of my plants appear to be planted on mounds extending out of the top of the pot. BUT, keep in mind, this also makes them more open and succeptable to the occasional bump or nectar- spoon snag by working hands in the chamber. Never be in a hurry and exercise care. There's no feeling like snagging and breaking a perfectly formed nectar spoon off of a huge Heliamphora follicularis pitcher, two days before it even opens...Uhhhh...not good.
Here's my daily Summer and Winter regime for year-round Heliamphora cultivation indoors, in case you'd like to see what I do. Keep in mind that I live in Florida, which is tropical and everyones growing conditions are different, but this method should work for anyone who keeps their grow rooms about the same temperatures as mine. Never be afraid to experiment to find what works best for you...
Winter- 11 hr photoperiod,
First misting with pure RO water when lights first come on.
Fan runs constantly while lights are on and off, but fan shuts off for two hours prior to photoperiod beginning, to allow for humidity to build in chamber. This mimics the dew or fog that usually occurs prior to sunrise 'in situ'. Since the humidity in Winter is much lower inside and outside, I mist four times daily in Winter, every 2 1/2 to three hours whenever possible. This gives me a constant humidity level of 60 to 65 percent. Proper air circulation is a must and can be monitored with the following method;
If you use Mylar as reflective backing, a 6 inch long, 1/4 inch wide piece taped near the center, six inches away from each end of the chamber makes excellent wind vanes. You want to see them moving at all times. Plants are then watered with lightly chilled RO water stored in a cool place outdoors or indoors. Water around the outside edges of the pots to avoid too much shock to the roots. NEVER immediately use any melt off of RO ice. It's too cold and too much of a temperature drop at one time, and may shock your plants. My patio serves as a perfect natural "fridge" during our mild Florida Winters... I like my water temps to be around the 55 to 60F mark. And so do my plants.
The main challenge is getting your pots and media to cool first at night. If your plant's pots are cool at night, then naturally your chamber will cool some also via evaporative cooling. Getting the pots and media themselves cool at night is an important key. The mounded plantings and constant breeze enhances the overall effect as a whole and my results are plants that are a little less pickier about their nightly surrounding air temperature because the roots and media are much cooler. I call the mounded plantings "The Wicking Effect", due to the ability of the breeze to partially pass throught the top of the media, thus sustaining the desired effect from using chilled water deep down in the pot, for a longer period. Here's my overall high and low chamber formulas regarding humidity and temperatures in Winter;
64 to 68F at night and 77 to 80F by day. (11 hr photoperiod)
Humidity; 60-65% constantly, fluctuating up to 70-75% after misting plants and chamber. Misting done four times daily to compensate for lack of humidity indoors. Watered until pots drip with lightly-chilled RO water prior to "lights out". Constant air circulation 22 hrs a day. Fan clicks off for two hours via timer to simulate sunrise.
Alternating between Winter and Summer photoperiod times;
Increase in one hour increments over a three week period.
Decrease in one hour increments for three weeks, to achieve Winter photoperiod.
Summer; 71 to 73F at night, 82 to 84F by day. (14 hr photoperiod) Humidity; 70-75% constantly, fluctuating up to 85-90% after misting. Misting only needed three times a day due to increased indoor humidity. Water pots until dripping with lightly-chilled RO water prior to "lights out". Note; During Summer, on Tuesdays and Fridays, I only run half of the lights in the chambers for 14 hrs. to mimic the cloudier/lower spectrum days Heliamphora would experience 'in situ'. Misting is doubled during these days to mimic rainy, wetter conditions.
And, there you go! I hope that this article helps some growers to successfully cultivate this most seductive and beautiful genus.
Happy Growing,
Brian.
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jeff
Forum Member
Posts: 79
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Post by jeff on Jan 27, 2009 9:11:27 GMT -5
BRIAN excellent method to keep these plants
you grow them in a terra or in a greenhouse ?
what substrat ?
the pot allways in rain water ?
in your country you have winter ?
' in situ' on the tepui you have a more dry saison in december to march with a lot of sunshine , you know , it is a ITCZ consequence it is very important for them .
Here in europe it is the winter , the sun is low enough and it is very interessant to have some great sunshine inside the house when the heliam are in terra in front of a south window side like here to LE MANS ,in this moment it is their growth season
jeff
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Post by Brian Barnes on Jan 28, 2009 8:08:56 GMT -5
Hi Jeff, Thanks for the compliment. All of my Heliamphora are grown inside my home, year-round. In Winter, I open a window and use a small fan to help lower the temps at night. All plants are in living Florida sphagnum. I never allow them to sit in water, but prefer to always water by hand when pots become light, until the bottoms drip. I hand water almost all of my CP. I like to know what's going on which each one individually... Yes, here we have Winter....kind of! ;D Average temps are 43F to 75F on average, with some frosts rarely. Yes, I plan on sending you some P. planifolia seed in a few weeks. Do you still have some Stylidium seed? Happy Growing, Brian |
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Post by jcreef on Jan 28, 2009 8:12:55 GMT -5
Wow, Brian thank you so very much for taking the time to write out and post that wonderful information!! I really appreciate it, very informative! I will definitely take into account what you suggested! My H. pulchella is doing well, But it is not getting much of a drop at night, the daytime temps tend to be 75-78 F and night time temps 72-74 F - so at best it gets a 6 degree drop with an average of 4 degrees *shrugs* better than nothing I guess. Ideally I would like to house the Helis in a 54 Corner bowfront that I have in one of my rooms, however I'm not putting the plants in there until I clean it out, rig up the lights put in my mister system and fans and monitor temps! I'm worried about exhausting the heat from the lights out of the wooden canopy.... With a couple fans and possibly some vent holes I think I can figure it out though. Oh man, what I would do for temps in the low 60's at night.... I'll figure it out somehow, but for now they better conform to the low 70's Warmest Regards and Happy Growing, -Jc Miami, Fl PS. Brain I would LOVE to see some pictures of your Heli set-ups!! |
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Post by Brian Barnes on Jan 28, 2009 16:49:19 GMT -5
Hi! Pics will come soon, after a little early Spring cleaning... Happy Growing, Brian. |
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jeff
Forum Member
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Post by jeff on Jan 29, 2009 3:03:38 GMT -5
all mine are in 2 great terra ( 150x60x50 cm) closed just a little spilt ( with a wedge 5mm) for the ventilation, inside my house in front of a south window side.
hygrometry : 80-90%
temperature : between 15 to 35°c no great day-night difference perhaps 4-6 °c in medium except in summer 10-15°c
substrat : blond peat + vermiculite 50/50
allways the pot in 2cm of rain water in my terra , allways rain water in the pitcher , allways in spring some alive prey to eat.
in winter I have a great sunshine , in summer a great light . no neon for instant.
all my nectar spoon are red ,(for me one of the best caracter to know their good cultivate condition)
all the 2or3 year I change the substrat because he rot ( allways in water he go over anaeariby to aeroby conditions).
BRIAN I have allways stylidium seeds or hibernaculae temperate ping if you want .
no trek in the nature for bejaria or lutea ( dark red sepals) ;D
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My larger mother-plant is in a nine inch wide pot.
