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Pitchering in winter time

jimscott

Tropical Fish Enthusiast
Question: Does anybody know if Neps continue to pitcher, in their natural habitats - or maybe if it's just the highland Neps that cease pitchering, while the lowland ones do?
 
I would assume the warmer it is, the more they pitcher. There's a topic 'bout N. ampullaria (highland or lowland?) that someone rescued from the wild, and appears to be pitchering. Here's the post.
 
I have terrible pitchering productivity now. Number one because I have the darkest days anyone has seen and secondly because it is difficult to heat in the cold months. So 2 parts of a Nepenthes requirements are on the fritz, temp and photoperiod. In their natural habitat Nepenthes never really stop pitchering unless there is a drought or something similar.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (nepenthes gracilis @ Dec. 04 2005,2:46)]In their natural habitat Nepenthes never really stop pitchering unless there is a drought or something similar.
Even the highland ones? I know they don't go dormant, but as we both know, many plants slowdown during the winter. So would you say that if a Nep has ceased pitchering, then it is genuinely unhappy, as opposed to just in a slow period of a natural cycle?
 
Correct me if Im wrong, but I always thought that the tropics had a fairly consistant weather cycle. They dont have a "winter" with shorter days and colder temps... its pretty much the same year round. Highlands are able to take the cooler temps not because of "winter" but altitude.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vft guy in SJ @ Dec. 04 2005,3:31)]Correct me if Im wrong, but I always thought that the tropics had a fairly consistant weather cycle. They dont have a "winter" with shorter days and colder temps...  its pretty much the same year round. Highlands are able to take the cooler temps not because of "winter" but altitude.
Steve, I know what you mean; they get more of a differential from day/night, as opposed to seasonal. Are they all that close to the Equator, so as to not have any appreciable seasonality?
 
Yes, all Neps (bar maybe three species) live within the equatorial belt. The only three that fall close to the edge of the tropics are an Australian variant of mirabilis, vieillardii which is the southernmost species and khasiana which is the northernmost. However, they are still within the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer so they still have fairly consistent temperatures and daylight hours.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Even the highland ones? I know they don't go dormant, but as we both know, many plants slowdown during the winter.

My neps are slowing down this winter because I grow them in my basement and it stays consistently cool during the winter.  The nightime lows are around 62F, which is just fine.  However, the daytime highs rarely exceed 70F.  In the native climate, the highland temperatures may dip down, but the daytime temps are warm, which stimulates their metabolism.

I think consisently cool temps in the winter is what slows them down.  I was even thinking of putting a small electric heater in the room to warm it up a bit during the day.

Brian
 
Yep, like Dustin says.. they need warm days in the 80's to keep growing well all year.
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  • #10
Lets put it this way. We must compensate when unfavorable weather threatens. Temperatures outside are easily in the upper 20's. I must compensate at night by bumping the greenhouse nocturnal temp to around 52F which means a 32F difference. In the day, if I'm lucky I will only have to raise the greenhouse 10-15degrees because if the sun shines, I only have to raise the temp up from whatever the sun will give me. If its a cloudy day I'm pumping out a 30 degree difference on average. Photoperiod I have no control over, its too expensive to mass light the greenhouse, and quite impractical.
 
  • #11
mine also slowdown but hasnt stop pitchering due to cold temps just my problem is humidity.... just my two cents
 
  • #12
I am one degree off the equator. Days are gloomy but the plants at my balcony are pitchering. Except for N.x"Miranda" and N.maxima x ventricosa. I reckon the 'maxima' part needs more light since these two are the only ones to enjoy the direct sunlight during the super hot months of June and July. The lowlanders have slowed down a little in terms of growth.

I remember going to look at the neps in the nature reserves and not finding as many 'rafflesiana plants' as during the warmer months. In the forest, rafflesiana look like any other plants without their humongous pitchers.  
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  • #13
From my point of view, what let Nepenthes pitchering is the amount of light and not the temperature.( see villosa and other ultra highland neps.).
My girlfriend did succed to let pitchering also in December and January Nepenthes rafflesiana and Nepenthes sanguinea.
If you have collocated the Neps. close to a window facing to south it will become a reality.Some nepenthes will continue to pitcher as well,even more slow due light intensity and lower temperatures.
Bye

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
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