My 44 pentagon thread

[asid61]

An actual thread of my 44 pentagon, not posting problems in this one.
Anyway, I have been interested in CPs for a long time, but I am finally responsible enough to keep them. So I took my failed reef and turned it into a CP terrarium!
The way I have planted them is different than other terrariums, and it will pose problems later, but I will worry about that when the time comes.

Anyway, pics!
FTS 10-14-12:

FTS 7-24-12:

The foil can be folded in, I just unfolded them from the wall for an FTS.

Closer FTS:

And the plants:

D. Capensis

Cephalotus:

Helis, a few days apart:
Before

After

D. Binata

D. Madagascarensis

D. Carbarup
(doing much better and growing!)

D. Adelae

Unknown Nepenthes

D. scorpiodes

Spathulata (I have 2)

Some of the individual pics are outdated a few days, so ignore any stuff that does not seem to be in the fts.


Equipment consists of a few home depot bulbs, some particle board, and a Target-bought humidifier that runs for a long time.
Conditions are 65-75% humidity during the day, 78% at night; 68* in the morning (8:00), 78* in the evening (7:00), 64-65* at night.

 

[asid61]

Has anybody done a setup like this before, with everything planted in a common medium?

 

[hcarlton]

It's really common to do that, however it can pose problems when pests or diseases get in there, and as with yours, plants with different requirements end up having to be moved aroudn to be kept alive.

 

[asid61]

Pests or diseases?
Uh-oh. I have never heard of those for CPs. I get spiderwebs in my tank, but I have never seen a spider in the flesh.

 

[hcarlton]

CP's get attacked by aphids, spider mites, scale, mealy bugs, etc. It's not that uncommon. Diseases are more plentiful, often in the form of fungus.

 

[asid61]

How can I prevent this? According to Av8tor1, I have somw kind of pest eating my heli.

 

[hcarlton]

To prevent pests on any one plant, get a proper pesticide. Neem oil, pyrethrins, and a few others work well. TO prevent spread form one plant ot another, you'll have to put them in separate pots, or treat immediately and keep an eye out.

 

[asid61]

OK, Av8tor1 told me a good pesticide for CPs/helis. I will get it ASAP.
On a side note, the 100w led chip I ordered is here! I will post the difference side-by-side.

 

[asid61]

Update: It turned out the "webs" from spider mites were just drops of dew sticking to the ground. Whew!
Anyway, some new pics. The Adelae has exploded in growth and the others are just picking up after the addition of the led. I might add a CFL to supplement the spectrum.

FTS:

Bicalcarata:

Binata T-form:

Cephalotus:

Capensis:

Carbarup:

Madagascariensis:

And finally, the adelae, before:

After:

 

[cpbobby]

love that terrarium and also love the job/presentation you have done with it. I hope to get a setup like that one day but first i need a collection; otherwise I would be in it all the time swapping things out. lol.

 

[Safety Shears]

cool terrarium, nifty shape. The Cephalotus may need to be moved to a drier environment though, they are prone to root rot in soggy conditions. I don't own a ceph though, so I'd get a second opinion.

 

[amphirion]

like corals, certain CPs have certain preferences that will allow them to persist in the long term. for example, you did well in placing your first nepenthes on higher ground, as these plants in general appreciate loose, airy soil--most nep growers will advocate long fibered sphagnum (LFS), perlite/pumice, and orchid bark with a dash of peat. Lowlander neps such as your bicalcarata (bical) can take more peat in their mix, but still will appreciate good drainage. The heliamphora, and cephalotus likewise will appreciate higher elevation for drainage in their tank. Do keep in mind that heliamphora come from highland locations, on average of ~1750 m above sea level, where as bical comes from ~300 m above sea level. Not saying it will be impossible to raise these together, as i've seen a N. hamata growing alongside a bical before, as well as seen petiolaris sundews grow alongside heliamphora. at least you didnt put in North American CPs--not impossible, but it does complicate things when approaching winter.

Aside from the bug issues, everything seems to be looking good. looking forward to seeing your progress.

 

[asid61]

Ehhh, did you read the second half? The heli wasn't doing good, so I moved it outside during one night in the summer. Normally, it gets down to 60* in CA where I live, but apparently the heli decided to freeze, brown, and die after the first night outside. What a waste.
And the highland nepenthes has been moved to its own windowsill. The ceph has been placed on the side of the mig hill, near to the glass. The bical is planted in a pot that has been cleverly hidden beneath the coat of spaghum, with its own nepenthes media. Nex I'm going to repot the ceph if it does badly.

And what was though to be mites was actually just the dew from the sundew mixing with condensation and running off the plant, forming a web-like thing. Definitely no mites.

 

[Safety Shears]

If the ceph shows any sign of decline i'd recommend immediately repotting it. Google "sudden cephalotus death syndrome" for horror stories.

 

[asid61]

The death is anything but sudden. And I just repotted it into a higher area with retention of water.