Care information?

[Aric]

Im new to CPs and just recently got a ventricosa and I might be doing a trade for some more Nepenthes. My question is what is the care requirements for the ones I might be getting, are any of them a good candidate for a hanging basket next to a window?

Heres the list

Nepenthes lowii
Nepenthes mira
Nepenthes ampullaria
Nepenthes rafflesiana
Nepenthes bicalcarata
Nepenthes rajah

 

[Nepfreak]

Nepenthes lowii -- generally, no.
Nepenthes mira -- maybe... but you'd have to have good light at least to get a pitcher out of a mira.
Nepenthes ampullaria -- would probably grow, but would be an inconsistent grower, unless your windowsill is hot and humid. Lowlanders...
Nepenthes rafflesiana -- very possible, but would grow like ampullaria.
Nepenthes bicalcarata -- got an elephant sized window? This one would grow like ampullaria or bical unless you have a very hot and humid windowsill.
Nepenthes rajah -- it's been done before, but 90% of the time the plant dies. I don't want to say no because some crazy people like elgecko have done it...

N. maxima would be a good one, as well as its hybrids. N. ventricosa, sanguinea, alata, ramispina are also good windowsill candidates, as well as hybrids involving those. I've found highland truncata to grow well in a windowsill too. What you can grow depends a lot on how much light you can provide. Southeast and east windowsills are the best.
Good luck. And nice avatar

 

[Aric]

the window I would be growing them by is south but more close to southeast facing, it is also a big sliding glass door, I dont know if that makes any difference. Are the ones I listed lowlanders? Where would they grow best? Any of them could possible grow outside here during the warmer months? I have a heated reptile room which stays around 80-82 degrees throughout the winter and the could go in there if it would work.

 

[Clint]

Nepenthes ampullaria
Nepenthes rafflesiana
Nepenthes bicalcarata

are lowlanders.

Nepenthes lowii
Nepenthes mira
Nepenthes rajah

are highlanders.

The lowlanders would do great in your reptile room year round if you hung a shoplight or two. N. rafflesiana and N. bicalcarata grow very large, however. The lowlands you listed are easy plants that grow fast. The highlanders you listed are not so easy and grow pretty slowly. The plants Nepfreak suggested are very tolerant, with N. maxima and N. alata having both lowland and highland forms. So does N. truncata, but he specified Lowland or highland N. truncata would be good choices. I would not put any of the ones you listed outside without a greenhouse. Unless you live on a lake or something.

 

[Aric]

I might just try those lowlanders in my reptile room with a light if I can get them. Would I need to setup a tray for the pots to sit in, maybe elevate the pots a few inches from the tray?

 

[phissionkorps]

You can use a tray if you want. I don't. I pot in 5:2:2 peat/perlite/vermiculite and water once every 3 days.

 

[Aric]

What kind of bulbs should I use for the shoplight and will one shoplight be enough? There is a window in the room also, aswell as all the lights on the enclosures. How close to the light should the plant be?

 

[phissionkorps]

Get a 4' dual tube fluorescent with the GE Daylight bulbs. (should cost $20 total from Walmart). Put the plants as close to it as possible.

 

[D_muscipula]

haha 2 40 watt lights if you want use a 50/50 midx of daylight and cool white and I would save the flourescents for winter when light levels are lower and just grow them on the window the rest of the year.
16 hours of light is good according to pk and don't worry nepenthes ventricosa is very forgiving of mistakes. and if you want more easy to grow species I suggest n. sanguinea and
N. ventricosa x maxima ( n. x red leopard)
Andy has nice sized sanguinea for sale.

they have prewired four foot shoplights at homedepot for 8-9$
they are dual tube also idk what the total cost would be with bulbs but I imagine cheaper than 20$ and oh it's not on their website.

 

[Aric]

Get a 4' dual tube fluorescent with the GE Daylight bulbs. (should cost $20 total from Walmart). Put the plants as close to it as possible.

so the daylight bulbs would work? I know for orchids they say to use both cool and warm bulbs, so for CPs do you only need the cool bulbs?


Edit; another question, I want to put these into hanging pots, what type of hanging pot is best for Nepenthes?

 

[phissionkorps]

I use the blueish looking GE Daylights. They're 6100K I think. I used some "warm" ones that were yellowish and they work, but not as good. I've also used the red flowering bulbs which are crap because they're too weak. I think to get neps to flower, light intensity is a bit more important than color.