Misting

[Tim]

Hi all, I was glad to find such a knowledgable bunch.

I want to set aside a portion of my greenhouse for highland type nepenthes, and wish to know if the fact that they are misted 2 or 3 times a day very briefly will hurt anything. I need the mist for my tillandsias.

Thanks

 

[carnivorous23]

No, it won't hurt them at all. I mist my plants around that often usually. Nepenthes like the humidity from misting, so it actually may be good for them.

 

[schloaty]

Hi Tim,
Welcome to the forums....

I would just caution you that you should make sure you're using pure water (rain water, distilled or reverse osmosis). Nepenthes (well, C.P.'s in general) generally don't like tap water.

 

[mindmaze128]

You can mist neps with tap water, but more than likely you'll end up with white stains on the leaves. Also, my neps are fine with tap water, although they get water when it rains as well.

Jœl

 

[Tim]

Thanks for the welcome. I've ordered several neps from Phillip Crane, whom I assume to be associated with the hosts of this forum.

My background is tissue culture bananas in South Africa, and Gerberas here in California. I'm currently a landscape contractor, and many people are putting in fountains in semi protected areas, and I thought it could be fun to keep some nice specimen neps on hand for something different for my customers.

My reading has led me to believe that rain or distilled water is optimum for watering, but for me it is basically out of the question because of time. My greenhouses have always been automatic, and I'm spoiled rotten.

Do you guys think that if I flush, say, once a month with distilled water it would be enough? (Here in this area of Ca. we HAVE heard of rain, but don't know much about it).

Also, as the above poster said, white marks are a problem for the orchid growers around here. Is it just cosmetic? Can it be cleaned?

Thanks again, and any info regarding my situation would be much appreciated. Mr. Crane plans on sending a mix of N. vent. and N. grac, although I've asked him to feel free to send a few plants of other spp. that he thinks will do well in the Central Coast area.

Tim

 

[carnivorous23]

You might want to get a water quality report from wherever you get your water from. Most likely, unless there are a lot of minerals in the water (and possibly even if there are) you should be okay with the monthly flushing with distilled water. With those species, I doubt there will be much of a problem, they're pretty good at adjusting. As for the white stains on the leaves, they are mainly cosmetic, and they can be cleaned when you flush with distilled water (I've actually got them on my ventricosa, I've been using tapwater for a while

 

[Guest]

I know the San Diego area has really bad water for nepenthes. I wouldn't use the tap if I were you

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