[Richard Hole]

Hi

I thought that Drosera seed may grow better with the frequent misting of a small burst of fine spray during hot dry weather. I thought of setting up a simple automatic misting system where the jets would only give a very fine spray on the Drosera seeds or seedlings and Nepenthes during warm dry weather. That would save overheating of the Nepenthes cuttings as well and maintain high humidity for the Drosrea Adelae and young Drosera seedlings. When the hardier Drosera grow, I could pot them and leave them under the mist for a few days and then transfer them out into an area that gets almost full sun.

I thought of wiring a simple balance arm misting sensor in series with a thermostat where the thermostat is exposed to the sun. This would mean that mist only occurred during drier sunny weather. That would mean that the plants would not get softened up too much and reduce the chances of damage in a mechanical breakdown.

The other way I was thinking of is an automatic shading system where a motor would automatically unroll some 70% shade cloth when the weather became hot. However, the misting system may save having to do this because it would keep the foliage cooler when it is sunny. This would also mean the plants would get more light. Currently, I have the plants described above under white Solarweave plastic that cuts down on 50% of the sun and light. The greenhouse is ventilated and open on the sides. However, I plan to shelter the plants from the wind by a lower peace of plastic for a wind break.

Do you think that the idea of a misting system is a good idea under the Solarweave plastic without extra shading?

Your help will be appreciated,
Regards Richard.