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Highland Growers - I need your HELP!

GrowinOld

Not Growing Up!
Hi Successful(or semi-successful) Highland Nepenthes growers!
I could use a little help and advice. While I have read much about building a grow chamber, I would like some actual advice from some experienced growers.
I am in the process of creating/designing a Highland grow chamber and am curious what others have done and what your results have been. (I became a member on TF to hear from YOU, and to share some of my experience too. So realize it or not, YOUR input IS important to others!)
In particular, what are YOU using to cool the unit, keep humidity high, lighting, etc. Anything you think a novice needs to know to build a successful setup would be helpful. (Pics are worth a thousand words!) I have killed enough plants in my lifetime to want to learn from the experiences of others without sacrificing more CP lives! :-(

Also, I have heard conflicting information concerning the best Day/Night temps to keep the unit at (and humidity changes) for best results. YOUR input is important to me. I want to hear your experiences, recommendations, AND warnings or failures! (If someone requested this information previously, I could not find the thread that covered as much as I would like to hear. Perhaps I missed it.)
Anyway, if you don't mind sharing some information, tips, tricks, common info or "trade secrets", or even your miserable failures, your help and input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks All!
Thread & PM replies welcome and GREATLY appreciated.
 
Hi,

To begin with, I would keep it as simple a system as possible -- mechanical breakdowns can be far too many (I've heard of people losing ten year old plants). While the Nepenthes plants are small, I would simply place them in a vented germination tray outdoors (or in a cool garage) at night. The trays I've used are lined with saturated long-fiber sphagnum and the plants are arranged in pots on top.

Here, in Northern CA, where nightime Tbs are almost always in the fifties (unless all of CA is on fire by now), the climate has allowed me to successfully (so far, heh, heh) grow highland or ultra-highland N. villosa, N. hamata, N. macrophylla, N. jaquelinae, N. ovata, N. aristolochoides, as well as a number of Heliamphora. Providing a distinct drop in Tb is more important in the long run, than the actual number. I discovered this much to my relief with our recent heat waves where many cities faced triple digits for several days.

Others I know, have built, had fabricated (for a reasonable price from plexiglass), or purchased Edwardian Cases or orchidariums (which range from 500-2500.00). Some have even taken to placing a couple pouches of gel ice on shelves to cool nasty touchy plants by night. Take a look online at what is available. Some are simply small greenhouses while others feature exhaust fans, and all manner of elecronics. I am probably going the fabrication rote when the plants threaten to outgrow their current location.

The long and short of it. Don't go too nuts with preparation. I have managed to abuse a great number of Nepenthes over the years and they keep coming back for more . . .


Hi Successful(or semi-successful) Highland Nepenthes growers!
I could use a little help and advice. While I have read much about building a grow chamber, I would like some actual advice from some experienced growers.
I am in the process of creating/designing a Highland grow chamber and am curious what others have done and what your results have been. (I became a member on TF to hear from YOU, and to share some of my experience too. So realize it or not, YOUR input IS important to others!)
In particular, what are YOU using to cool the unit, keep humidity high, lighting, etc. Anything you think a novice needs to know to build a successful setup would be helpful. (Pics are worth a thousand words!) I have killed enough plants in my lifetime to want to learn from the experiences of others without sacrificing more CP lives! :-(

Also, I have heard conflicting information concerning the best Day/Night temps to keep the unit at (and humidity changes) for best results. YOUR input is important to me. I want to hear your experiences, recommendations, AND warnings or failures! (If someone requested this information previously, I could not find the thread that covered as much as I would like to hear. Perhaps I missed it.)
Anyway, if you don't mind sharing some information, tips, tricks, common info or "trade secrets", or even your miserable failures, your help and input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks All!
Thread & PM replies welcome and GREATLY appreciated.
 
best and cheapest way i believe would be to buy a large aquarium, tip it on its side, coat the sides with mylar, add a few shoplights ontop, a couple small computer fans for air circulation and slight cooling, and maybe a light mister, you dont even really need the mister. highland terrariums are pretty easy, especially where i am here in Washington, since its in my room and i like it cold anyway at night, i just open my window lol.
 
There are portable AC units that do not require ventilation out of a window that I'd love to try if I had the money. I think I saw them at places like Home Depot. You'd probably need to add a humidifier to the chamber along with any AC. This would all be only if you had a BIG walk-in chamber. If you're looking for an easy way to cool a tank, me too!
 
There are portable AC units that do not require ventilation out of a window that I'd love to try if I had the money. I think I saw them at places like Home Depot. You'd probably need to add a humidifier to the chamber along with any AC. This would all be only if you had a BIG walk-in chamber. If you're looking for an easy way to cool a tank, me too!

The far simplest (read "cheapest") method for cooling a reasonable sized tank -- especially for beginners -- is to use a few blocks of gel ice in a safe spot away from plant contact. The stuff lasts a good twelve hours or so and can simply be refrozen. I think I recall Peter D'Amato even suggesting its use at one time.

I used a couple during recent heat waves in CA . . .
 
I'm telling you guys, windowsill is the way to go!
 
hey,

I agree . . . to a degree. I simply ran out of available windowsills and do not wish to go hunting for a new girlfriend anytime soon . . .



I'm telling you guys, windowsill is the way to go!
 
I grow mine in a cool basement but I'm still looking for a way to get night temps under 68 for the summer months. I might try to go with that gel ice. Is that just stuff you can find at wal-mart for use with lunch boxes?
 
I grow mine in a cool basement but I'm still looking for a way to get night temps under 68 for the summer months. I might try to go with that gel ice. Is that just stuff you can find at wal-mart for use with lunch boxes?

Yeah,
It's the stuff for lunch boxes, etc. We use it to ship specimens and get it by the case. It is available in several different sizes, is harmless cellulose gum should it ever leak, and is quite cheap . . .
 
  • #10
The gel ice barely lass the night for me. If it was used solo it wouldn't last that long at all. I use a bunch of water bottles with ice till I can make a chamber using a freezer. I have to change the ice bottles out every 12 hrs or so. It is a pain in the rump, but just until I can get things built in MN.
 
  • #11
I guess that all depends upon your local climate -- something we all have to take into account growing things half a world away. Family in Florida can easily grow low-lander Nepenthes in hanging baskets next to a patio; I require heating.

In Northern California, highlanders can be grown to a large degree on a windowsill but those that require a Tb drop at night really need that extra punch. The gel ice works out here as needed. Use larger sizes then if melting is a problem, I suppose . . .
 
  • #12
Thank You!

Hi again all,

Thank you for the input! Much of it does help to know what others are doing. I live in the midwest, so the flux of temps outdoors makes "windowsill" growing seasonal at best.

I will have the most control over an indoor setup I believe. For those of you who are growing indoors, I am curious how long your plants have survived. I have had limited success in the past, however a "thriving" plant is much different than a "surviving" plant.

I suppose the best thing would be to move to a mountain top in the tropics, but then I don't think "I'd" be comfortable there for long!

Thanks again for the help! It is appreciated.

Paul
 
  • #13
I live in the midwest, so the flux of temps outdoors makes "windowsill" growing seasonal at best.

Not so true, my friend. I bid you to look at my location. Very midwest. I only grow highland Nepenthes, and do so with success only on a windowsill with some supplemental CFL bulbs.
 
  • #14
I am glad that some of the info was useful. Like I mentioned before, most of my ultra-highland plants are in propagators outside, where Tb gets into the fifties at night in CA. They do very well and grow larger each year (the villosa could get bigger faster!).

But as far as nighttime cooling is concerned, I will stick with the gel ice for the time being. It kept a seed grown N. hamata from becoming toast a couple of weeks back and I always have freezer space . . .
 
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