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N. villosa

I have a baby N. villosa and it isn't doing well. I'll admit that I don't have the super cool conditions required to grow it well, but I'm wondering if anyone has ever grown N. villosa as an intermediate. I'm sure I'm going out on a limb by asking this, but it's worth a try!

What's the highest temperatures N. villosa has been known to withstand? For those of you who grow it, I'd appreciate knowing your conditions
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.... oh dear.... what will the others say....
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I'm about to get started on ultrahighlands soon. Last year I built the chamber using a chest freezer but the project was ever completed because the freezer had some problems staying cold consistantly. The problem has been fixed now and and I'm on the last finishing touches on the cover, lighting and gathering the potting materials. I did a quick test run last night and everything went smoothly. I would suggest to get a small chest freezer, its the only way to cultivate villosa with ease and success. They're cheap these days, just go on a local classified section and you'll be surpised how many people just want to give those away. Maybe I'll start my thread about the chamber since I've been documenting the entire building process. Good luck though, villosa is a pain and they don't seem to like to adjust to anything but what they like.
 
Thanks for the info Cprus. I'm not sure if I want to make something like that, simply because I don't have the room or the resources. Just a question though: How will the lights work inside of the freezer? Won't they malfunction from the cold?

I'm wondering this as well: Are there any small coolers for sale that would cool, say, a 2.5 gallon tank? My plant is so small and I'd be willing to invest in a small cooler if they exist.
 
how much are villosas anyway, some 20-30 bucks? thats cheap! plus arent they TC too?
 
So true, but I'd rather keep it alive if I have the means to. I just wish there was an easy way to cool a small 2.5 gallon tank so I could start growing it the correct way.
 
  • #10
The lights sit on top of lid (acrylic) which is sealed using weather stripping. I went off and built a more complex lid so I wouldn't have to drill holes for the fan and thermostat wires. I'll show everybody the process when I make my thread.

As for the small cooler, I would do something along these lines: since the 2.5 tank is too small for a conventional evaporative cooler I suggest you raise a platform and fill the bottom with water. Then using a piece of cloth (one that easily absorbs water) attach it somehow so it'll stand vertically. Then place a PC fan behind the cloth, turn it on, and now you have an evaporative cooler. I'm not aware of any small coolers that will fit in a tank that small. You can always try ice cubes.

EDIT: Come on you guys, a life is a life no matter how cheap it is. I would gladly spend an eternity bringing it ice cubes then to let a villosa go down that way.
 
  • #11
I also have an extra 10 gallon tank. Would there be any size cooler that could fit in there?
 
  • #12
Probably not, the smallest one I've seen is a personal one and that's about the size of a ten gallon.
 
  • #13
Dang. What about one of those terrarium foggers? I know those increase humidity but wouldn't it help cool a tank as well? I've seen those for sale at Petsmart and they're not too expensive.
 
  • #14
Not that I know of since those are made for reptiles and amphibians that prefer warm mist. An ultrasonic humidifier may help a bit but not to the point where villosa will thrive without complaining all day long. If you want to work extra hard, you can find a way to put it into the refrigerator at night and take it out during the day.
 
  • #15
I am not an expert on ultra highlands, but N. villosa likes it very cold. I am working with someone who has a refurbished chiller (the kind for salt water aquariums and crab-lobster tanks set up for some experimentation here in Hawaii. The N. villosa still has not progressed to the point of success but no dead or dying leaves and its been already two years.
The cobra orchids also growing in the actual circulating water is growing like mats over everything. I hate it! I also have a couple other nepenthes that needs cold and are just so so.
A possible reason why these may not grow so well might be (as a friend suggested) that they require thinner air or not much pressure on them at our lowland condition.
Sorry no photos of this set up as my friend who devised this set up is planning to make these refurbished tanks and get a patent for growth chambers for such and other specific climate vivarias and so forth, mostly for offices and high-tech outfits that wants a high tech appearance in a self contained unit.
Michael
 
  • #16
You know Mike thats a great point about the thinner air.
 
  • #17
Observation of several large, healthy specimens of N. villosa growing at sea level, (one in California and one in Florida) has lead me to conclude that air pressure has little, if anything, to do with the successful cultivation of this species. Moreover, my own experience with this plant leads me to assert that success is predicated largely upon providing appropriately low temperatures, especially nocturnally. Just my two cents....
 
  • #18
The N. villosa in California...Would you happen to know how it was cultivated?
 
  • #19
Probably also in a freezer, if not a really expensive greenhouse.
 
  • #20
With the chiller the ambient temperatures can be as low as 34 degrees F at the lowest and up to 50 degrees at the highest (with filtered sunlight). I have also seen some specimens in California where they are no more than six inches in diameter including the small pitchers. While N. rajahs have grown to almost two feet in diameter in less time!
I would be very interested in seeing a low elevation grown N. villosa even if grown in a walk-in reefer! The actual growing of a plant cold is not a problem if you provide chilling from a reefer unit or what ever. The chilled water is great as it also makes for humidity (cold humidity) and if subject to a fan, the actual coils for chilled water of a conventional air conditioner. N. rajahs have grown with less cooling and currently able to prosper with a six hour per week of cold temperatures versus normal tropical air temps. More experimentation is also under way to see if these variables can be lengthened.

Michael
 
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