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Neps outside in MA

Nepfreak

Nepenthesian
I was thinking of getting a table and putting my highland Nepenthes outside for the summer. Our summers are generally around high 70s -- low 80s in the day and in the 60s at night (50s in late May and early October, when I'd move the plants in/out.) I can provide a place that's fairly shaded, with a treeline on the South, or alternatively somewhere that gets full sun pretty much all day. So what do you guys think? Is this a good idea? Anyone else in NE keep highland neps outside for the summer?
Thanks!
Ben
 
I kept truncata, eymae, spectabilis, and ventricosa outside during the summer last year. They got 7 hours of direct sun and temps into 100. The truncata grew the worst while eymae grew the best. I think it is a good idea.
 
Sounds great. Nepenthes really color up well in sunlight and your temps sound perfect. Use shade cloth or mottled sunlight from trees to acclimate them. Some of the hardier varieties can then go into full sunlight.
 
I tried growing N. miranda outside last yr in the summer. I grew it in my back yard (AM sunlight) and it seemed to put out alot of leaves with good color but no pitchers. Hopefully you will have better luck, but I would say keeping Nepenthes outside during the spring-fall works.
 
How highland are your highland Neps? You must be in coastal Mass, because we go way beyond upper 70s/lower 80s here around Hartford, CT. I've had a lot of success with N. maxima, veitchii, ventricosa and others living outdoors in summer, but I've never had any ultrahighland species.

I've alway put Neps outside for summer and they've done well, once they adjust to the change. Neps seem slow to adjust to the indoor to outdoor move, at least compared with my other plants, so give them time. Move them out to complete shade on rainy days, to smooth the transition, and slowly move them to a sunnier location, giving them plenty of time for the transition. The 1 week I give my orchids or tomato seedlings for that transition seems too short for Neps.
 
upper 70s - 80s was just a ballpark. It's not at all uncommon to get high temps in the 90s. Last year was really hot, I think it went up to 100 once! I used to live in West Hartford so I know what the temps are like down there... not very different from here. Fortunately, I'm not growing any villosas :D. Most of my neps are intermediate-highlanders. My most highland plants are probably aristolochioides and densiflora. As it is they don't get "ideal" temps -- middling humidity, basically windowsillers -- and they're doing decently. Thanks for the transition advice, I'll be sure to do that. How long is it usually before they're growing normally? It's just that I've had Neps take months to adapt (things like spectabilis take forever) after shipping, and I don't want to put them all outside just to have them adapting all summer, only to be moved back in again!
 
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