FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Man, I'm sorry. Have you tried making a windbreak? I would, in that case, make walls around the plants. They might not get as much sun, but it might help.

The only other thing I can think of is putting at least your Sarracenia pots in a tub filled with water, and cut holes in the top for each pot so the pitchers can stay out of the tub while the pots are soaked in water inside the tub.

Thank You "tish" for the comment. WOW VFT's in Singapore, must be pretty humid as well. Your seed grown plants are very stunning especially in color. Like what you did, yes, the ultimate solution is to bring the plants indoors. I thought of building a Greenhouse for all of my plants. But that is easier said than done. Really its hit and miss here in SoCal. Last weekends winds were unexpected and usually don't come around in March. More yet it was bad timing for the winds to come around as the growing season just started-up. Allot of the plants energy was wasted.....

As the 2015 season moves along I will post photos of "VFT Row" in their growing states to show how they cluster up.

katya_dog1 - Thanks for the advise, but I tell you man I tried everything I could afford to do. I just have to accept that these events will happen and I have to live with it or do something better, like building a greenhouse, but thats just way out of the picture right now.

1. Tried the windbreak and yes, it helped, but plants did not color-up and looked pretty for me. More yet, the winds blew the breakers way into my neighbors back yard. The winds could be so strong that it could blow some of the 3-inch pots, with plant, across the yard up against the masonry wall. It was a disaster really.

2. Yes I tried flooding the basins. All my sarracenias had water levels to 1/2 pot at the time last weekend, which is more than enough. Still the new pitchers leaves got wilted at the tops. Its the low humidity, plus intense heat and wind that beats them up..I tried that with the VFT's. OH yes it help...matter of fact, it help too much. After the winds died down, I was very happy now that the plants were looking mighty pretty for me to look at. Then I notice one black spot, then a little more than little, and a little got more and more. Black spots, everywhere on VFT row. Especially for the VFT Dente, which seems to be the weakest among VFT,s, more prone to diseases, or at least the ones I have.

yeah for the last part. If you solve the wind problem. then next you have to monitor the wet problem in vft. That's what happen here. Too hot, and too wet. Dry/burn to death or rot to death.

Sent from my SM-N9005

Wow. Even windbreaks got blown away. I have never experienced anything like that, I can't imagine what it must be like.

How hot does it get there in South California? I know California is overall reasonably mild in winter, how hot does it get where you live in summer?

Most of the time it ranges for 70 to 80 degrees spring and autumn, 90 to 110 during the summer, but humidity level is 60 up which helps out. Santa Ana winds could blow for two weeks constant dry hot winds, zero humidity. At times the winds blow so hard that palm trees get up-rooted and topple down. The house starts to moan with creek-in sounds like the roof is about to rip off. The Santa Ana winds were responsible for the largest wild fire ever in California history, the Cedar Fire. (Google it up, very tragic, but astonishing to see the power of mother nature. There were dozens of fire tornadoes. It was dark everywhere for miles) It only takes a few hours to dry up a pot of CP's here. Especially pots with the orchid moss. They dry up the fastest. When dried, the pot lightens up to where the winds could roll them over. Larger heavier pots in taller trays made the difference. Some of the large nurseries here are covered with structured tents mounted at angles at the end-walls to lift up the winds to blow over the nursery. Inside there are misting machines to keep the plants hydrated, its pretty impressive what some folk come up with. I've lost so many plants over the years to these SoCal Events. I'd go to work only to come home to dried pots, its very heart breaking and allot allot of work and time to redo. The mother plants that are with-in the pots shown in the previous photos are some of the survivors of the time of the 2003 Cedar Fires. What do yo do when you get the major Hurricanes in your area?

And yes for your remark "tish", the water does heat up cooking the plants. I think they kick the bucket first when that happens only to get totally creamed when the media dries-up. That's why the water evaporates quickly, even out of the soil....................Insulating the pots has help BIG BIG TIME, I've notice an immediate difference the first time I applied the method to VFT's and to Sundew's like drosera capensis. The're very happy and thrived during the season, and look nice and pretty for me look at when I get home from work. ITs allot of work, allot of time making the materials fit inside the pot. I now do them during the winter break when plants are dorm, one or two pots a week-end is comfortable.

For those whom want to try it, I get the 32 oz coffee cups at at store here in SoCal called Smart & Final, very cheap. I tried using styrofoam soup bowls, but you have to use like 4 bowls to fill a pot...."thats weak" I've seen some folks use R10 house insulation and wrap the pots. Tried that too..becomes very messy and itchy. The jacket get soaked too....

Wonderful plants. There're a lot of sand in few VFT's pots, why?

On this great website.....click the FLYTRAPCARE.COM tab above. Then on the scroll bar, go to BASICS>>>>SOIL. I use the exact recipe mentioned there. VFT Perferred mix....3 parts silica sand, 5 part peat moss, 2 parts perlite....... Put all in a bucket and mix it. (I place a lid on the bucket, pick the whole thing up and roll+shake+turn upside down to mix the soil. Seems to be the fastest. I try NOT to touch this stuff.) Make sure you flush the soil to get a 45 to 35 or lower ppm reading. Or wash the soil prior to use. I had good a "GROWING" VFT experience with long fiber sphagnum moss, but I can't use it here for reason mentioned in this thread.....................

Sand is mixed in the soil mainly to drain the water out. I use 100-lb 20 grit home depot brand......make sure the bag states "SILICA" sand and would normally have the "breathing silica sand warnings" on the bag..

hope this help man.........cheers

does the name of the wind have anything to do with General Antonio López de Santa Anna?

ps3isawesome wrote:does the name of the wind have anything to do with General Antonio López de Santa Anna?

I think it has more to do with the region of California that these winds are prevalent in

Look folks its nice to know the geography and meteorological aspect of the phenomenological event, but really all I care is that it SUCKS!, CP wise, when it happens........

Its painful to see roasted Flytraps, shriveled in their pots, especially the ones I had for awhile.......ahhhhhhhhhhhh its hot!

(If you really must know, the name comes from the passing of these winds thru the Santa Ana Mountains which is shaped like a funnel.)

Bristol wrote:On this great website.....click the FLYTRAPCARE.COM tab above. Then on the scroll bar, go to BASICS>>>>SOIL. I use the exact recipe mentioned there. VFT Perferred mix....3 parts silica sand, 5 part peat moss, 2 parts perlite....... Put all in a bucket and mix it. (I place a lid on the bucket, pick the whole thing up and roll+shake+turn upside down to mix the soil. Seems to be the fastest. I try NOT to touch this stuff.) Make sure you flush the soil to get a 45 to 35 or lower ppm reading. Or wash the soil prior to use. I had good a "GROWING" VFT experience with long fiber sphagnum moss, but I can't use it here for reason mentioned in this thread.....................

Sand is mixed in the soil mainly to drain the water out. I use 100-lb 20 grit home depot brand......make sure the bag states "SILICA" sand and would normally have the "breathing silica sand warnings" on the bag..

hope this help man.........cheers

I'm using the same soil recipe: moss + silica sand + perlite. This year was first when I'm using silica sand, this is better than not silica sand?
This season I replanted few traps to sphagnum moss. And don't know which soil is better?

SFLguy wrote:

ps3isawesome wrote:does the name of the wind have anything to do with General Antonio López de Santa Anna?

I think it has more to do with the region of California that these winds are prevalent in

hahhaha oppps!!!

I'm using the same soil recipe: moss + silica sand + perlite. This year was first when I'm using silica sand, this is better than not silica sand?
This season I replanted few traps to sphagnum moss. And don't know which soil is better?

Silica sand is better? YES
Sphagnum Moss - Is that live Moss? Insure that it is Bale Sphaghum Peat Moss...................or Orchid moss. Stuff you have to soak in water...If you are using Bale Sphagnum Peat Moss, check you ppm readings using a TDS meter. Best results are a reading less than 50 ppms.

If you are requesting help, please be more specific so that people in the forum could help provide you an answer.

Happy Growing

Bristol wrote:
Silica sand is better? YES
Sphagnum Moss - Is that live Moss? Insure that it is Bale Sphaghum Peat Moss...................or Orchid moss. Stuff you have to soak in water...If you are using Bale Sphagnum Peat Moss, check you ppm readings using a TDS meter. Best results are a reading less than 50 ppms.

If you are requesting help, please be more specific so that people in the forum could help provide you an answer.

Happy Growing

No, it's not live moss. It's called New Zeland sphagnum moss.