FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I bought a FL. lighting system(Mainly for my Ceph's, Butterworts, and Drosera's during the wintertime). It is a T5 and 54w. How many inches above the plants should the light be? I am putting mirrors in an aquarium(which is were the plants will be) so the light reflects them all over. Thanks for info in advance.

cephs need dormancy or else.. and no one wants a dead ceph just let it go dormant in a windowsill as long as your ceph gets cool nights (75-40) it will do just fine


good luck with your new ceph that i wish a had



Omar,

ZackNJ wrote:How many inches above the plants should the light be?

As close as possible without getting them too hot. I'd guess 4 to 6 inches is pretty good.

dionaea muscipula wrote:cephs need dormancy or else..

I don't think so Omar. I've not grown one myself, but the guy (John) that gave me two of them has been growing them under fluorescent lights 6 years. I think there are quite a few people that grow them under fluorescent lights year round. They won't flower, but they seem to grow fine without a dormancy.

I'm not sure if John shortened his photo period to 12 hours in the winter, but many growers do this to slow the plants down a bit and give them a rest period. I don't think it's mandatory though.

I was told that Ceph's don't go dormant. They just slow down in the wintertime. Thats why i put them underneath fl. lights.
(Michael) the owner of the CP nursery i visited said that Ceph's do not need a dormancy.

well i havent grown a ceph myself so i don really know but thats what i have read

ZackNJ wrote:I was told that Ceph's don't go dormant. They just slow down in the wintertime. Thats why i put them underneath fl. lights.
(Michael) the owner of the CP nursery i visited said that Ceph's do not need a dormancy.

Yes, that's similar to what I've read and been told. They don't die back, they just slow down a lot and pick back up in the spring. But you don't need to put them under fluorescent lights. A sunny windowsill or a greenhouse work too.

I know that i don't have to but I want to keep my Ceph's at 70 degrees F throughout the winter(Under Fl.lights). It's a matter of space.
I live in a small apt.(springtime I will be getting a bigger place) and all my other plants are being kept by the window. I want all my VFT's, Neps, and Sar to go dormant which is why I have them near the window on a table.