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How cool is too cool for lowland/

superimposedhope

Somewhat Unstable
Ok,
So I know this has surely been asked many a times; and once upon a time I did know but it has been a while since I had any interest.
Due to getting tired of trying to maintaine a chamber, I all together gave up on Neps but here I am now with a gh finally.

I want to know which could do well for me in a gh that is gonna drop to mid 50'sF. at night and highs in the possible 80'sF. during winter. The relative hum. is 70% or better. Light is pretty good; sits in full sun but light is spread through 10Mil splastic - very bright indirect. I'm thinking probably lowlands but want a little reassurance as it's been a while since I knew anything about 'em.

Thanks guys,
Joe
 
I don't like to let my LL's get below 70. Some of them can probably take it.

JB_Orchidguy grows lowlands in his greenhouse in N. ga. Maybe he'll chime in.
 
The big deal with lowlanders is that they must have hot hot days. They can take it down to 55-60F at night but the day time temps should be in the 90's if that is the scenario. LL Nepenthes do the highest amount of photosynthesis in the day and it is especially important for the temperatures to be high to speed this process up, thus giving the plant a growing range.
 
Nice question,
but it depends for me also how difference of temperatures there are between night and day.
In my terrarium even lowlanders like truncata and campanulata have no problems to have 15 celsius in the night if about 24 during day occurs.
For my point of view the tollerance also depends of the delta temperature bettween night and day. Of course of temperatures drops too low and remains dropped for long ( weeks ) the plants suffers and does stop to grow.
Example...my ex rafflesiana do never grow with temperatures under 19 Degree...incredible but true!
Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
Last winter I had a lowland Truncata ans a sanguina in my GH and I let the temps get down to 55 60 before the heaters would come on. Occasional it would get down to 50 if the night was cold enough. They both did great over the winter. In fact I think that is when I had the most pitchers on the truncata. I recieved alot of my nepenthes this summer so I am banking on them being able to take those temps too. So far this GH seems a little better at keeping the heat, but I still have the thermastat set to 60. I have some low and highlands and so far everything is growing fine. I hope it stays that way. I have my exhaust fan set to come on at 80 just because I don;t want it to get too hot and then not be able to keep up during the summer. I probably could raise it and I think I will raise it to 85 tomorrow. I just do not want to keep it too warm for the highlanders I have in there too.

I know what some people are thinking. I am nuts for keeping highs and lows together, but hey its working so far. I will be trying to talk the wife into letting me build a highland chamber, but I am not holding m breath yet.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I know what some people are thinking. I am nuts for keeping highs and lows together, but hey its working so far. I will be trying to talk the wife into letting me build a highland chamber, but I am not holding m breath yet.
take a look at elgecko! he grows Hamata and a Raff on the same windowsil!
 
Hi JBorchidguy:

Truncata is very much tolerant to hot and cold weather, even though the original form comes from low altitudes.
N. sanguinea is a highland which loves warm temperatures too.
So both examples, as i have mentioned in the past, are not typical lowlander and highlander respectively thus, more resistant to suboptimal conditions.

N. bicalcarata, N. ampullaria, N. northiana, and N albomarginata (black, green, purple, forms) are more like the typical lowlanders and i would not grow these in cold weather at all.

Gus
 
Like Gracilis said, our greenhouse will get lows down to 50F and our bicals, amps, merrillianas, northianas, albos, raffs, echinostomas, sumatrana show no ill effects because the days are close to 90 F with 70+ % humidity. This does not happen every night during winter-only when a strong cold front passes thru south Florida. Typical winter nights are in the 55-63 F range, with mid day highs around 90F. Our intermediate-highlanders love it!
smile.gif
 
I have not had the gh through a winter yet but we have been down in the 20'sF. at night and it maintains in the 70'sF. or wherever I set the thermostat. I can't say for sure of when the real cold sets in which will be in the -10'sF. So far so good though. Humidity has not been an issue.
I think I may try truncata. I guess we'll see.

Joe
 
  • #10
Well gus, I have Two bicals, Amp, and albo so we shall see if they make it over the winter. The Amp I know will be fine I moved it into a terreium, but the bicals, and albo are still out int he GH and the albo looks to be starting to inflate pitchers again. I think they will do fine though, because even though the temps are 55 to 60 at night, it is nothing for the GH to reach 90+ on a sunny days in the winter. The exhaust fan routinely comes on and goes off during the winter. So all I can say is I will see with the rest of my collection how they fair over winter, but so far so good.
 
  • #11
Hi JB OrchidGuy:

I have had lowlanders surviving cold temperatures for 1 winter but not 2.
So even if typical lowlanders survive the first winter, they may not be so lucky the second winter.
We always assume that the heat during the day may help these cope with low night time temperatures, but we seem to forget that other factors are also needed for successful survival attempts in the greenhouse under suboptimal conditions
confused.gif
 
  • #12
I assume that many of these lowlanders grow in the same areas that many of my orchids grow in. If they decline and I kill them then so be it. I don't want it to happen, but I am growing more than just one species in my GH. I have some orchids that need to be chilled to flower. The temps in the GH do not get much below 60. I would assume on a cold night it could get colder, but not to much.
 
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