How might my Neps take to my room lighting?

[Lucanidae]

Already, the Neps get about 5+ hours of direct, early morning-afternoon sun, and bright shade till the end of the day in my East facing window. HOWEVER, it's rainy today, and this reminds me that the window might not always be the best light source. Especially with how cloudy and rainy Portland is for the majority of the year.
My room has this semi-ornate, kinda goofy looking light fixture that takes 3 bulbs. Right now I've got around 35-40 watts of compact fluorescent lights in it. This fixture is about 5 ft from the window, where my Neps are at.
I know that this lighting will probably be sorely lacking, but until I can either A. find a cheap small fluorescent fixture or other grow-light to fit my metal shelving, or B. find a good place to hang/mount one or two of my 4ft 2 bulb T12 fixtures, it'll have to do.
Anyhow, coupled with the window light, will my room's lighting at least keep my Neps from dying?

 

[Taliesin-DS]

My neps did fine near a northwest window, they just didnt pitcher until the summer months.
They only got direct sunlight for 0-2 hours, 3 months per year.
Can't you hang the light from the ceiling with steel cables ?

 

[pappydew]

I'm currently trying out a N x miranda in a room with an east facing window. Little direct light, maybe a couple hours a day at most. Some indirect light from my aquarium/terrariums. It's only been a week though so not exactly the best indicator. Hopefully yours do well because that will allow me to buy more plants LOL.

 

[Lucanidae]

I'd love to be able to do that, but a lot or rearranging would need to be done to make hanging lights with cables feasible. When I get back from my trip and find a new dresser that has drawers that AREN'T falling apart and isn't so dang tall, maybe I'll have some room.
I'm SUPPOSED to be getting an art/plant space in the basement soon, so we'll see if my dad ever comes through on that, I'm kind of forcing him to after he hasn't delivered on that promise for a few years.

 

[Taliesin-DS]

You could make your own fixture ?
I made my own with separately bought tubes/ballasts, a plank, white paint.

 

[Lucanidae]

About how much were the were the parts altogether? I already have plenty of planks and white paint.

 

[Taliesin-DS]

hmm... about 30 for an electronic ballast (there are cheaper ones but i wanted a fancy one ), 10 for 2 55watt compact tubes, about 5-10 for the sockets, wire etc.

 

[seedjar]

How many plants do you have? Chances are if you're just starting out you can get away with a high-output compact fluorescent. As a fellow NWer (from PDX originally) I can tell you that windows help in the rainy season, but they won't cut it by themselves until summer rolls around again.
Something like this or this in a basic clip-lamp reflector from the hardware store should be sufficient. (Note that if you buy these from a gardening, hydroponics, or "grow" shop you're liable to pay about double what you would from a hardware or lighting supplier.) If you have extra cash, buy one bulb with a bluish spectrum (5000k-6500k) and one that red/orange (3000k-4100k.) And if you want to get really fancy, you can buy a roll of mylar film or metallized tape and make your reflectors more shiny.
A bulb that's rated 105W or more should be bright enough to keep a foot or two from the canopy of your plants and still keep them happy. Anything less and you should keep them about as close as heat permits - I grow my smaller Neps inches away from the T12 fixtures I use, and the taller ones sometimes even get tangled up behind the tubes. I use six 40W four-foot tubes for each 18" x 4' shelf, but have been moving to T5HO fixtures as my plants get taller.
One small perk to the weather around here is that you can keep highlanders plenty happy just by putting them next to a drafty window.

~Joe

 

[amphirion]

@joe: your growspace is INSANE!

 

[seedjar]

Thanks. That's the bedroom from my old place. It's not quite so wild looking now, especially since I let that rat's nest of Deroose's Alata die back to basals. The N. sanguinea is about 5 1/2 feet tall and putting on its first uppers though.
~Joe

 

[amphirion]

takes the plant 5 and a half feet tall to produce uppers!?

 

[Lucanidae]

I could probably find some clip lamp reflectors at Goodwill after my vacation for pretty cheap, they ALWAYS have some. I'll shop around for bulbs like those you linked to as well, and hopefully my bigger Neps will like those.
I just mounted my T12 fixture under my desk shelf for when my young Neps arrive after I get back. The Neps (Lowii and a "Queen of Hearts x King of Spades") will be about 5 1/2 inches from the lights, is that too close? I'll have some Drosera under the lights as well.

As of now I have 3 Neps, mirabilis x bical (in my terrarium), ventricosa x DeRoose alata, and ventricosa (both in the window). I'm going to cut back on buying any more for a while though, once the two I ordered get here.

That really is an amazing little jungle you have there.

 

[Dexenthes]

I've never gotten a Nepenthes to pitcher or live just off of a window in my house before. However that could have something to do with the fact that my house is about as opposite of a Nepenthes nursery as you can get. We get 13.5 feet of rain annually. So actual sun is a real rarity and the winter days become very short. Also wood heat does not help out the house's ambient humidity!

Regardless, it all depends on the species you are growing. I've never tried some hybrids between the more vigorous basic species, that might work and it probably would for you too. However I would not try to grow a 25 dollar truncata QOH X KOS on a dreary window, just in case...

I think if you had a hardy enough specie or hybrid your window could be a perfectly fine place to grow a nep.

 

[Lucanidae]

I've never gotten a Nepenthes to pitcher or live just off of a window in my house before. However that could have something to do with the fact that my house is about as opposite of a Nepenthes nursery as you can get. We get 13.5 feet of rain annually. So actual sun is a real rarity and the winter days become very short. Also wood heat does not help out the house's ambient humidity!

Regardless, it all depends on the species you are growing. I've never tried some hybrids between the more vigorous basic species, that might work and it probably would for you too. However I would not try to grow a 25 dollar truncata QOH X KOS on a dreary window, just in case...

Yea, definitely growing the QOH x KOS under lights, as well as my lowii. Those will fit in the area I'm able to easily put lights right now. I'll work something out for my larger Neps before winter rolls in though.