# Can I Grow These?



## Corbin (Jun 17, 2008)

I am interested in adding insigne, exul, & druryii to my collection, but I am wondering if I will have enough light under my florescent lights. What do you think?


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jun 17, 2008)

insigne will do fine under fluorescent lights, but will only bloom if you can keep it cool. exul and druryi may need more light that you would get with fluorescents, but may do OK if they are kept really close to the lights. Eric


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## Rick (Jun 17, 2008)

I've had an insigne for about a year at intermediate temps, and it bloomed just fine. I got it as an adult multigrowth plant, so it may have had a lot of momentum going into the blooming season by the time I got it???

Exul will probably grow fine under fluorescents, but I would not count on it blooming without much brighter light.

I bet that druryi will be a total dog under fluorescent lighting. I bet it would just about do fine next to some cactus in a backyard in South Texas!


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## Corbin (Jun 18, 2008)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> insigne will do fine under fluorescent lights, but will only bloom if you can keep it cool. exul and druryi may need more light that you would get with fluorescents, but may do OK if they are kept really close to the lights. Eric



insigne, like argus is doubtful for me because of the winter temp. requirements. Some years I might get lucky and have the 4 - 6 weeks of temps that cool and at the same time did not get below freezing but it would be a tossup.


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## Corbin (Jun 18, 2008)

Rick said:


> I bet that druryi will be a total dog under fluorescent lighting. I bet it would just about do fine next to some cactus in a backyard in South Texas!



I do not have enough light at the apartment for them outside and Texas would not work outside unless they can take summer temps to 108 with humidity in the single digits. Then in winter temps can quickly drop down into the teens. Last Thanksgiving Day it was in the low 80s at 8:00 A.M. A front blew through and by 10:30 A.M. it was freezing and snowing and by dark we had 3" of snow. 





Here is the back pasture at noon Thanksgiving, a day that started out in the 80s.

I know that is not a lot of snow for those of you that live up north but this is Texas, well north central Texas.


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## NYEric (Jun 18, 2008)

Had that wonderful experience at a Paintball tourny there!


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## Corbin (Jun 18, 2008)

NYEric said:


> Had that wonderful experience at a Paintball tourny there!



This past Thanksgiving?


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## gore42 (Jun 18, 2008)

My experience is that all of those species will grow but not thrive under fluorescent lights. My Paph exuls never did anything (didn't even grow much) under fluorescent lights... it wasn't until I put them under a 1000W metal halide that they started to grow and bloom. The same is true of druryii to a lesser extent; mine grew (slowly) under fluorescents, but does much better in bright light. Can't say much about insigne... I have a couple big ones that don't do much of anything except put on new growth. 

You might consider a shade-house for plants like this for the times of year when the temperatures are moderate. This will give the plants a good chance to collect some energy and put on some growth in bright light before wintering under fluorescents.

- Matt


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## Rick (Jun 18, 2008)

Corbin said:


> I do not have enough light at the apartment for them outside and Texas would not work outside unless they can take summer temps to 108 with humidity in the single digits. Then in winter temps can quickly drop down into the teens. Last Thanksgiving Day it was in the low 80s at 8:00 A.M. A front blew through and by 10:30 A.M. it was freezing and snowing and by dark we had 3" of snow.
> 
> I know that is not a lot of snow for those of you that live up north but this is Texas, well north central Texas.



I was thinking more along the lines of Houston, San Pedro, or Brownsville. Your place is still getting that "blue Norther" crap I used to see now and then in Oklahoma.

I work with an Indian fellow that lived (and hiked around) in the region that druryi is found. It can get in the 90-100's during the summer, and just shy of freezing during the winter, but right now its monsoon season, and it will be raining 50 or more inches over the next few months. Humidity is through the roof. But the places where druryi are found is grassy/scrubby/rocky, so full on sun between the rain storms.


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## Corbin (Jun 19, 2008)

Thanks everybody for all the imput.


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