I am having problems coloring up my Red Dragons. I have them in a 25 gallon tank with three cool white flor. bulbs over them. They are about eight inches from the lights, and I have recently added a metalic matte board to the back of the tank to reflect more light. I wish that i could put them outside, but I live in a apartment with no deck. What can I do to give them more color. Thanks......
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</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (zoey @ July 03 2003,5:47)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I have them currently on a timer for I think about 15 hours. I will bump it up a hour. Also I will try moving them to a sunny window. Thanks....[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
If you mean moving the terrarium close to a window be very careful you don't cook the plants.Heat builds up rapidly in any glass container.Even weak east sun can send the temp >100 F in short order.
If you mean moving the terrarium close to a window be very careful you don't cook the plants.Heat builds up rapidly in any glass container.Even weak east sun can send the temp >100 F in short order.
Just so it is also noted, Red Dragons that have green leaves now, will only start to grow in red leaves, the old ones don't change color much and it takes about 1-3 weeks for the new light levels to show up in new leaves because they start growing underground way befor you see them and it's almost like the color is set the moment the bug forms or something (I had a plant with an exposed crown and got to see it).
Light intensity certainly plays a big part in coloration of these plants, but I have also found the medium seems to affect this as well. Plants in a high peat concentration seem to color up better for me. I grow mine outside in full sun. I have them in both a live sphagnum medium and in nearly pure peat. The ones in sphagnum grow faster and larger, but with much less red to the leaves. The ones in pear grow slowly and have a deep red coloration.
hi ,
we had a tread about this a few weeks ago on our french forum.
the red color of CPs come from certain molecules , called anthocyanines
anthocyanines are produced by plants in response of an "agression" by the sun , specially from the UVb light.
that's why a plant become red when it's put in the sun (or under strong light)
but : VFT also produce anthocyanines when the weather become colder (also S.purpurea do that : at the end of the summer , S.purpureas are much more red than in spring)
how does that works ?
anthocyanines are produced by the plant , in response of the cold, by using the glucides that it have accumulated during the day...
wich glucides ? the one produced by photosynthetic activity during daytime (the plant "feed" from these glucides , but also from other nutriments ... the insects)
why ? because if the plant dont absord the glucides that she produce , she "kill" herself by overfilling her chloroplasts with non-used glucides....
that's why you need a combination of UVb light , and cold temperatures (at night for example)
in summer, the metabolic activity of the plant is "fast" enough for all the glucides to be absorbed , when the weather become colder , the metabolic activity is slower : the plant dont have "time" to absorb the glucides produced the day before...
you can also try to give more UVb light to your plants by using Wood bulbs (sometimes called "black light" , the same used in dancingclubs : it make the white colored things glowing in the dark)
was it clear ? ok , I'm french , it's a bit hard to explain things in english, sorry
patrice c
we had a tread about this a few weeks ago on our french forum.
the red color of CPs come from certain molecules , called anthocyanines
anthocyanines are produced by plants in response of an "agression" by the sun , specially from the UVb light.
that's why a plant become red when it's put in the sun (or under strong light)
but : VFT also produce anthocyanines when the weather become colder (also S.purpurea do that : at the end of the summer , S.purpureas are much more red than in spring)
how does that works ?
anthocyanines are produced by the plant , in response of the cold, by using the glucides that it have accumulated during the day...
wich glucides ? the one produced by photosynthetic activity during daytime (the plant "feed" from these glucides , but also from other nutriments ... the insects)
why ? because if the plant dont absord the glucides that she produce , she "kill" herself by overfilling her chloroplasts with non-used glucides....
that's why you need a combination of UVb light , and cold temperatures (at night for example)
in summer, the metabolic activity of the plant is "fast" enough for all the glucides to be absorbed , when the weather become colder , the metabolic activity is slower : the plant dont have "time" to absorb the glucides produced the day before...
you can also try to give more UVb light to your plants by using Wood bulbs (sometimes called "black light" , the same used in dancingclubs : it make the white colored things glowing in the dark)
was it clear ? ok , I'm french , it's a bit hard to explain things in english, sorry
patrice c
