What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Lots of Nepenthes questions.

  • #21
Devon, you gotta take some readings man. Invest in one of those nice thermometer/hygrometer combo units on ebay or get the exoterra one (The one I use). You can get readings of maximum/minimum temps/humidity at a location. THis way, you can do your homework before getting a plant.

Another option: depending on how small the plant you get, you can grow it in a small 2.5 - 5 gallon tank and believe me.... for that size...ice packs work very very well in cooling down.

Also, this is how I successfully grew many highland neps for 2 yrs: greenhouse enclousure...ice packs (basically frozen water bottles) suspended on the shelf above the neps. Cold air falls...so, grow the highlanders close to the floor, place cold frozen bottles. Works very well. I had a pic of that somewhere...must be on my other laptop back at home. I had successfully grown a villosa that way even through the summer. This a perfect affordable idea if you want to get into highland neps. This greenhouse is only 30$ from canadian tire..and if you can manage to persuade your parents... you can do very very well with it for atleast a couple of years.

4419831961_7d5e623d5c.jpg
 
  • #22
Vraev, thanks for your wonderful suggestion.. but I want windowsill neps. Plus, I'm completely outta space for more grow set ups and my mom, and especially not my dad.. wouldn't let me get another set up and put it somewhere else.

and I do have A/C, would that help?
 
  • #23
Hmm...AC should be great man. But remember...u need a "DELTA" in the temperature for most highland species. I mean day temps should be a bit higher than night temps. This temperature zone can be larger or smaller depending on the "pickiness" of each species. But generally speaking, since I grow mostly highland-UHL species, I would consider 75-80F is perfect day temps and 55F-65F as perfect night temps. Now for plants like villosa, they need the lower extremes in those ranges....but..you're not looking at that right now anyways...so lol.... would you be able to manage a temperature change from day to night? If its direct facing towards the sun, the plant should get warmed up a bit... so.... as I said...we can't say until you actually take some readings. That should be your priority. ALthough...I never did grow neps on the windowsill (apart from a ventrata nearly 3y + ago), so perhaps Daniel and others here can help you more with their experience.
 
  • #24
alright.. well I'm taking readings of the temps right now, and later tonight.. so we'll see what's going on so far. Thanks for you halp. :D
 
  • #25
no worries. But as I said, I started by growing more "pickier", "fancier" nepenthes, so this might be a bit un-necessary for hardy plants like maxima as Exo mentions. ;) You might as well give it shot. ;)
 
  • #26
alright. I have high hopes for these neps.... :-D when they grow I'll post pics. :D
 
  • #27
Vraev, thanks for your wonderful suggestion.. but I want windowsill neps. Plus, I'm completely outta space for more grow set ups and my mom, and especially not my dad.. wouldn't let me get another set up and put it somewhere else.

and I do have A/C, would that help?

The best windowsill neps I've seen and or have had experience with are truncata, alata, sanguinea, ventricosa, maxima, coplandii, reinwardiana, and many hybrid neps.
 
  • #28
I grow all my neps on my windowsill. I have found that as long as you either buy them from retailers who pre-adapted them to household-like conditions or adapt them yourself using the bag method, it is possible to grow many highland and intermediate species with success (this is not universal but right now I've got 22 different kinds in my computer room). That said, I keep the house cold at night (65 degree usually) and I do have some supplemental lighting (2 clamp lights with compact florescent bulbs). Humidity is average, however, and I don't use terrariums. Right now, my N. ephippiata is in the midst of inflating several small pitchers and my N. glabrata is producing its first one. Both of these plants supposedly need high humidity, but I bought them pre-adapted and they have been doing fine. My N. clipeata x (clipeata x eymae) whose seller insisted it needed high humidity just finished inflating a pitcher three times the size of its last one.

To all those terrarium lovers...I'm not saying my way is the best way to grow them, but on a low budget it seems to work. In my opinion, Nepenthes are a lot tougher than people give them credit for. But then maybe I just have one of those magic windows. Who knows.

Devon...If you would like to know some of the better retailers who will sell you plants that are healthy, will not need to be acclimated, and will do well in lower humidity on a windowsill, send me a pm and I'll give you some links.

~Cassandra
 
Back
Top