I am a new subscriber to the group. I'm relatively new to the internet,
so I'll be pleasantly surprised if this posting makes it at all! (-:
A little about myself - I live in Devon, England, and have been growing
CPs for about 12 years, mainly Sarracenias, but my main love is
Nepenthes, many of which I have seen growing in the wild, during a recent
"round the world, but mainly staying in SE Asia" trip.
Anyway, I am wanting to set up an indoor terrarium to grow Nepenthes in.
I am planning on something about 125cm long by 60 cm wide (I haven't
decided on the height yet). I think fluorescent tubes would be my best
bet for lighting, but I don't know what sort of power is necessary to
light that sort of area. I have heard mention that 2000 Lumens is bright
enough for Neps, but how many 40W lights does it take to produce that? Is
there some sort of estimate of light intensity (in Lumens)that can be
done by taking a meter reading with an SLR camera? How far away from the
lights should the plants be, and should I try and buy lights emitting a
particular end of the spectrum? I have heard that light at the blue end
is good for Nepenthes growth.
Another thing is that I am interested in trying sterile culture of
Nepenthes seeds. Can anyone offer me any advice regarding that - how to
do it, or perhaps suggest some books I should read?
The other thing is that I am going to Europe for a holiday this summer.
If I buy any carnivorous plants in a European nursery, does anyone know
if I am I going to need any special permits to bring them back into the
UK?
Andy