Trent,
I am very interested in the use of such mulch as you mention. I have some good results with some Drosera species using mulch with aniseptic qualities, and I might have to try it with Heliamphora as well. I am still struggling with the genus, and will begin to try fertilizer. Back in the Days of Yore I was corresponding with Joachim Nertz, and in an old letter he mentioned immersing the plant monthly in a bucket that had some manure in it. I am sure he has since refined his protocol, but as I recall he had some good results back then!
Jay, I had my best results as well via tray watering, and I *never* let the trays dry out. Losing the H. ionassi hybrid you gave me was a hard hit, since it was in bud. I had never flowered any of them (well, I never had them to flower, lol). I have heard they can take a good deal of heat if the roots are cool, so I can only assume that the very hot weather we had was responsible for the loss. I believe that nightime drop is critical for their happieness as is the case with so many of the Tepui species. It's not the heat that gets to them, but the lack of differential between day and night when summer sets in. My plants likewise did not prosper in the evenly cool conditions of my cellar, so I am inclined to think that a marked change between day and night temps. is very important. If their culture holds true to other genera from the same area, an increase in humidity during the night would also be desirable.
These are fantastic plants! I believe I like them more than any other CP (yup, including Drosera!), and look forward to mastering their culture.