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Hi,

I was considering a small setup for highland nepenthes, and after getting quite a bit of information from this forum, was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice. I'm trying to provide a 5-10°F night temperature drop, targetting 60-65°F; perhaps some daytime cooling as well. Increased humidity is the secondary objective. Here's what I was considering:

1. Keep a jug of dist./RO water in a refrigerator (~40°F, I think), either in my full size or in a cheap adjacent mini-fridge.
2. Run an ultrasonic fogger disc inside and into the jug of water.
3. Cap the jug except for a tube to direct the fog into the tank. Tube should be small enough for the fridge door's rubber seal to just close around it.
4. Set the fogger on a timer as needed.

This seems way too simple to be original, so apologies if I'm stealing someone's idea. Anyway, ostensibly this would provide 40°F mist to the tank at any time; however, I have no experience with ultrasonic foggers, so before I invest in anything, please feel free to shoot holes in this plan. For instance, I have no idea if a fogger will have problems operating in cold water. Nor do I know if the disc will heat up the water too much (or if at all).

For additional info, here are my constraints:

I live in San Francisco, which has pretty good natural humidity (~50-80% RH outside, ~50-60% inside according to my therm/hygr). My apartment can get to 85-90°F during the day, but outdoor temps drop to 45-55° at night, year round. Problem is, I like my apartment warm (70°F min. at night). My understanding is that this is fine for intermediates - I have an N. alata spotted that appears to be doing well and pitchering after a month on my windowsill. However, I'd like some a highland or two, specifically hamata (surprise...).

My place is fairly small, so I can't do a dedicated cold room, or even a big terrarium. What I had in mind was providing just enough of an enclosure around the plant(s) to hold in the fog and provide a micro-climate so that they're happy and I'm not shivering at night. I should probably mention that I do have a fairly large deck where I grow all my Sarracenias, as well as an outdoor grow rack covered with shade cloth. I know that some people have grown highlands successfully outdoors here year-round, and I'm planning on trying it with maybe a maxima, but a hamata..? I'm thinking it'll love the night drop, but it'll dry out too much in the daytime.

What do you think, should I try them with the fogger, or just throw them outside, or just give up and settle for a ventricosa? (not a big fan...)

Thanks very much for any help/suggestions; I certainly appreciate it.

Mike
 
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