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| My Venus Flytrap Incubator! |
Here is my makeshift, shoe-string-budget, Venus Flytrap incubator in the back yard. It's made from an old wicker stand, a laundry caddy weighted at the bottom, and a thin white fabric shower curtain, staked to the ground on the other side of the wall by tent stakes so the wind doesn't send it sailing. It comes with a story, of course...
After I planted those minuscule VFT seeds two weeks ago, at the Summer Solstice, no less, and helped by Jocelyn and Isabell, my grandchildren (thanks, you two!), I was concerned about the daily afternoon thunderstorms. Since the seeds sit on top of the soil, instead of underneath, I could see the fat Florida raindrops hitting said seed and bouncing them right out of the pot.
So I took them to work every day with me.
Seriously! I have a lid that fits the plastic tub the four pots are in, so every morning, I'd put a bit of distilled water in the bottom of the tub, put the lid on, and cart it with me to work, where I'd then take the lid off and let my babies bask in the sun, bringing them in when the weather looked threatening. At the end of the day, I'd put the lid back on and take them home.
I got some weird looks from my co-workers at first. And one of my bosses asked if I was growing weed. (!) I think he was kidding. (Boss, it's okay - no contraband here. This isn't Colorado, after all!) By the end of the second week, however, everyone was checking out my babies. One co-worker even felt inspired, and came back from lunch with two cayenne pepper plants clutched in his hands, and he planted them right there in the flower bed outside. Hey, I've started something!
Still, transporting my Venus Flytrap pots back and forth was not an ideal solution. Although it saved them during from the daily afternoon thunderstorms while they were beginning to sprout (I have three or four seeds already sprouting, YEAH!), the sun here is so intense I was afraid those tiny shoots would burn right up. There was also a matter of near accidents, like the morning I'd put my lunch on top of the covered tub, and when I had to slam on my brakes, the heavy Pyrex dish slid, fell off and took the tub with it. When I righted the tub and the pots, I could not tell if the seeds had fallen out or not. The sprouts seemed okay, though. I hope.
Anyway, I decided a permanent solution was called for. So I created an incubator for my babies. I think it will work! It's kinda sorta like a greenhouse, gets lots of diffused bright light, yet the air circulates freely, which I think is important for flytrap growth. Once the roots are established, and I get a couple of flytraps, they will hopefully be able to then withstand the rain.
I think it will work! I'll keep you posted as to how it goes.
In other carnivorous plant news, I've ordered some established plants: a Sundew, a Pitcher Plant, and a special Venus Flytrap called the B-52. I've decided when the B-52 comes in, I'll unpack my new acquisition while blasting the 80s song "Love Shack" by yeah, you guessed it, the group B-52s!
I'm gonna name my B-52 "Love Shack."
Of course.
