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Neps in South Florida

Hi guys! Been a member of the forums but never really post, but going to try to change that now. I currently live in Sunrise, Fl, a western suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, my neighborhood lies right up against the Everglades. Been here for about 3 yrs. I currently have a number of Neps, intermediate and lowlanders, that I have been keeping outside since this Spring (but Spring is a subjective season here in South Florida :-D Overall, I have noticed good plant growth this summer; plant's traps are numerous in some plants and i have noticed that the traps are filled with flies, mosquitos, palmetto bugs, ants and the occasional lizard! I will try posting pics in the very near future, but I just wanted to say hello!!!!!
 
Y hallo thar fellow Floridian. :) How do your lowlanders fare with winter? I'm planning on getting some lowlanders next spring to put outside.
 
It seems that the more waxy leafed lowlanders do better than the less wax. In other words, my N. bical seems to be able to handle more direct sun than my N. rafflesiana or N. veitchii (they will experience more sun burn than the bical if exposed to full sun). Also, my N. truncata does well in some full sun exposure . The bical and alata are under a areca yellow palm and the rest are hanging from an arrelia (think I mispelled it) tree - in these areas they get partial to short-term direct sun as well as ample amounts of rain from our thunderstorms.
In terms of temps: in Dec, Jan and Feb, I will bring in the plants into my enclosed patio if the windchill drops to the 30 or 40 and ensure that I adequate mist them a couple times before bed (or I will bring them inside the house for the night if it seems really cold). When in the 50's I just leave them outside but mist them well before bedtime with the hose. They slow down in terms of growth speed during these cooler months but seem to do very well especailly once March rolls around. I think it also depends on the size of the plant and the age of the plant as well. I plan to put up some pics in the very near future!!!:D
 
Cool! I was in Ft. Lauderdale last spring break. I didn't know it ever got so cold there.

It's good to see you posting.
 
Hmm, interesting. Good to hear that N. bical does well. And are you sure you have an alata and not a N. x ventrata/deroose alata?
 
Yeah it probably is, I know that it is not a pure alata, in fact it could just be a ventrata. I got it about 3 yrs ago at a Lowes down here in Sunrise after we moved into our new house. Found it in a hanging basket and felt sorry for it so I bought it. It seems to me that it produces pitchers in the cooler winter months and has quieted down this summer (in terms of pitchering). But on the otherhand, it is vining up and in between the palm tree. Just recently I have noticed smaller pitchers around the bottom of the vine being produced, so I guess I'll see if the cooler weather kicks it into gear!
And yeah, the bical is doing very well!!! I keep it in a 6 gallon pot and it does get some afternoon direct sun; no burn, but nice long leaves and bright red traps.!

---------- Post added at 09:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:51 PM ----------

Believe it or not, yeah it does get a little cold down here, but NOTHING compared to up North. Our coolest months are Dec, Jan and Feb, where temps during the day are 75 to 85 low humidity, with nighttime temps in the 50 to 60s. If a cold front drops down from the North with wind, our windchills can get to 30 degrees and then the daytime will be like 78!!!! That's cold for us South Floridians!!!!! :)
 
Hehe, I know. :p I live in central Florida. Planning on getting a N. bical and N. ampullaria outside in hanging baskets, but the fact that N. bical grows soooo big, I might have to move it in a non-hanging pot quick.
 
Wickmo, I would advise not to wet the plants when a cold front pushes through. Like you mentioned, put them on the porch or in an area where the wind blast cannot dissicate them. If they are on the ground, you will be okay. If they are hanging, you could spray underneath them. Wet leaves and sudden temperature drops will cause severe spotting, so aim for as high an ambient humidity as you can get without wetting the plants.
 
Thanks Trent for the good advice. When we have gotten that cold windchill, I have actually moved them into my kitchen. My patio is enclosed with hurricane shutters, so I have also closed the shutters to prevent the cold wind from coming in; if I close the shutters, should I still just spray underneath them and not onto the plants themselves?
 
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hey wickmo, if you bought that from Lowe's, I'd most definitely call it as a deroose alata (ventrata). The lowes up here by me deals with deroose, although they only carry mirandas. Also, if I'm not mistaken, deroose operates only out of florida in the US. Who knows, you may be close..... Lets see some pictures!
 
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