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Newly acquired VFTs under T5 and LED

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Cindy

Cindy

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The plants have been under artificial lights for 3 weeks since they arrived. Every 2nd photo has an * to indicate new growth.

Under T5s (On average, each plant lost about 3 leaves i.e. blackened, then removed. And produced about 2-3 new leaves)












Under LEDs (The plants did not lose any leaf i.e. no blackening at all. And produced 3-4 leaves each!)


 
Good stuff, Cindy! I'm not familiar with those crosses in the last group. Are there any all-red varieties among them?
 
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I've been using LEDs with good results also, any info on which ones your using?
 
bluemax said:
Good stuff, Cindy! I'm not familiar with those crosses in the last group. Are there any all-red varieties among them?
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I don't have much info on what they are except that they likely originated from a European source (check out http://www.vftshop.com/) and that "G" is probably for "Giant". The plants are distinctly much larger across the whole plant than the other forms. There are also more details about them on the Triffid Park website.

RSS said:
I've been using LEDs with good results also, any info on which ones your using?
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The LED lamp I have is 7W and has 200 LEDs (9R:1B). I bought it for fun...personally, I prefer looking at plants under white light...but my T5s are 39W each and I wouldn't like to increase the electrical bill again. This is a round lamp but the next one I will try is the T8 LEDs for plants.

What I am surprised by, is that there is no dead leaf. These were potted up on the same day as the other forms and I had originally wanted to have one set under each of the lights ...but thought that perhaps I should experiment with the GxGs other than the ones with actual names! :-)) In the end, the growth rate seems faster under the LEDs, with no dead leaf at all.

What is your LED Red and Blue ratio like? I am a little confused as I read that B is for leaf growth and R is for flowering. But the manufacturer of the LED lamp showed impressive results of a VFT under 9R:1B....that's why I bought it.
 
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Cindy said:
What is your LED Red and Blue ratio like? I am a little confused as I read that B is for leaf growth and R is for flowering. But the manufacturer of the LED lamp showed impressive results of a VFT under 9R:1B....that's why I bought it.
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I'm mainly using 3 versions of white LEDs, I do have a small test setup with 2R/2B just to see how they compare to the whites. I just don't like the R/B look when I walk past my plants but the Cephs growing under them are doing just fine. Without physically moving the plants from the R/B area I couldn't tell you if they were dead or alive. The LEDs I'm using are CREE and run about 1-1.5W per LED.
 
Looking good Cindy. Nice comparison. One concern would be the size of the petiole... it seems to be getting bigger. Perhaps increasing the quantity of the light will help with more colour. :)
 
Varun, are you referring to the ones under T5s or the LEDs or both? And is increasing in size of the petioles indicative of insufficient light? The plants were in cool conditions before I got them so I suspect they think it's summer now...a couple are throwing out longer petioles.
 
wow, best collection in Singapore I bet.... you gonna need a mini fridge just for your dormancy requirements :p
 
  • #10
I would say both. I know typical VFTs have a period where they make tall leaves and rosette leaves, but when given intense light, the growth becomes compact and the petiole becomes thick and the trap is generally bigger than the petioles. How far are they away from the LED? Can you get them in any closer? Even halving the distance between lights and plants will increase the intensity by almost 100%. You can try that. Also preventing light escape by surrounding the plants and light with mylar will help in reflect all light back to the plants.
 
  • #11
I like the prominent red crescent shaped stripe seen on the traps of the G4xG37.
 
  • #12
vraev said:
I would say both. I know typical VFTs have a period where they make tall leaves and rosette leaves, but when given intense light, the growth becomes compact and the petiole becomes thick and the trap is generally bigger than the petioles. How far are they away from the LED? Can you get them in any closer? Even halving the distance between lights and plants will increase the intensity by almost 100%. You can try that. Also preventing light escape by surrounding the plants and light with mylar will help in reflect all light back to the plants.
Click to expand...

Hi Varun,

I will lower the LED light and see how things go but the T5 fixtures are kinda permanent unless I stack the containers on top of a low rack or something. I have grown VFTs for many years but never one plant long enough to notice the cycle of growth because they all die after 6 months due to their dormancy needs. Also, I didn't seem to have the right temperature in the fridge to tide them over their dormancy. Until recently. Now I have half of my collection in the vegetable compartment and will take them out to grow when the current ones are ready to go in.

The B52s are with me the longest...as they have grown 3 seasons under T5s, undergone dormancy in the fridge for 3 months and is now back out growing under T5s. What I have noticed is that they seem to be following an internal clock and went dormant despite being under T5s. They went dormant in November last year and I took them out in February this year. Interestingly, the Red Dragons went dormant in March/April under identical conditions as they are from Down Under. Despite consistent light levels under T5s (fixed at 12 hours daily), the plants still showed signs of dormancy.

If the light intensity is high enough, were your plants able to remain compact and have big traps? Or could they skip dormancy altogether? TIA!
 
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  • #14
It's been 4 weeks...Every photo has an * to indicate new growth from 4 weeks ago and @ to indicate flower stalk. Getting these photos ready is like playing "spot the difference"! :-))

Under T5s






Under LEDs
 
  • #15
They are so beautiful.
 
  • #16
This is the G7 x G14 flower stalk. So cool!!!


And the G4 x G37 trap.
 
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  • #17
The giant crosses under the LED hasn't coloured up much so I thought I should upgrade to the 16W by the same company. The lamp is on its way but here is what I discovered recently with the 7W. Apparently, it works very well!

I took a photo of another member's Red Piranha plant (still bagged up but placed near T5s) for comparison.


The same batch of Red Piranha - these have been placed under the 7W LED for 5-6 days :-O


 
  • #18
Conclusion: Cheap R&B LEDs wins Branded T5 FLs (in hot tropical Singapore)
For my climate this season, most of the VFTs have reacted poorly to the heat. The LEDs are much cooler compared to the T5s.

Under T5s






Close-up of the Bristle Tooth - the worst hit amongst the other forms/cultivars


Under LEDs
 
  • #19
Cindy, do you have a picture of your setup with the LED's? Also have a link to what LED lamp you're using if its not DIY?
 
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