Alright, my 2 cents. First, have you consulted the writings of the Jedi Master himself:
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/GrowingGuides/Heliamphora.php
Regarding specific growing info (and I do not think I have read the sticky yet that Ron suggested so I apologize if anything I say is redundant. I should read that...),
Okay, I'm planning on ordering a Heliamphora minor. I do know that these plants are more difficult that plants like Venus flytraps or Drosera capensis.
- Keep in mind, easy and hard are largely a function of personal style. Helis may just click for you. Just watch the temps, light and the soil moisture and you should be good (I agree with Exo's comments on this one). I personally do not think they are nearly as bad as some make them out to be (then again, personal style. I happen to have a harder time with VFTs).
I have a setup waiting for it (if I ever do order it), which consists of a plastic terrarium (woo hoo) which currently houses my Nepenthes fusca that takes up about half of the space in it. The humidity inside it hovers around 90%, but due to a few holes in the sides it still has some circulation. I do know that these plants expect a nightly temperature drop and that they prefer to be top watered (which won't be a big problem in a terrarium).
- IMHO, the top watering thing is not really necessary depending on soil composition. This is where style comes into play. The top water thing is more representative of how they live in nature. If you want to go this route make sure you have a more open soil mix (see later). Also, stay on the ball about it (speaking from experience here...). I make a point of top watering occasionally even with a more dense soil mix just to make sure the pitchers stay full but do they need to be top watered every day to simulate rainfall? Nope- I don't think so.
The only problem I have is that I don't know exactly what to pot it in (I'm probably ordering a bareroot plant). I've heard that they like Sphagnum-rich mixes but at the time I have none, unless I repot all my other plants (the nursery just took the plants from their tissue culture peat plugs and dropped them into pots lined with Sphagnum) and take it out of them.
- Don't do that, never reuse soil unless you autoclave it first. That is pathogenic cross-contamination waiting to happen- you will eventually regret it, I promise you! Helis are succeptable to soil based fungal infections (see that link I posted above for some more information).
If
Heliamphora desire the moss only for aeration, though, then I'm in luck.
I would greatly appreciate any opinions, facts, personal anecdotes, rants (yes, RANTS), etc., etc., etc. on the topic of growing these lovely plants!
\
(End of five-minute anomalous formality.
)
Ok, my personal anecdotes. I have not tried the aquarium media thing yet though likely will next time I transplant/propagate/buy a heli. I have used some form of the following recipes:
- 1:1 LFS: Perlite or Pumice (I forget which, maybe I have done both)
- 1:1:1 peat: perlite:lfs (I think this was what I potted my heliamphora sarracenioides in.... I will try to verify)
- 1:1 peat: perlite
The 50/50 peat/perlite mix was the first I tried. It worked for a while but eventually I started to have problems. This happened when temps went up so it is hard to say whether it was the soil density or temps. My hunch is the temps. Then again, it could be both- the increase in temps could have encouraged a pre-existing infection to attack full force. I had several helis in this mix happily growing for over a year without a single problem (some even flowered). I used with mix with a water tray/wick system. I maintained water levels about 1-2 CM up the pot and used tall pots (about 6 or so inches high off the top of my head). With this mix, I would avoid the top watering technique or only topwater/flood very occasionally.
The LFS/Perlite mix is what I currently have my H. folliculata potted in and it has worked out pretty well. I do top water more regularly with that mix but also have a 1 cm water level up the side of the pot (Vented humidity domes in both cases).
As I said before, the peat/perlite/lfs mix is what my H. sarracenioides is in. This is a new plant and a new soil mix so I cannot say much yet. The plant does appear happy thus far but I have only had it a month or so (beautiful species by the way! Almost no nectar spoon, really weird looking for a heli!).