Hello all, I stumbled across a book in Barns and Noble called "The Savage Garden". After reading it through, I decided I simply must get me some. I look on the internet and did a bit of searching around. I really liked all of the information and professionalism on *a certain website*, so I decided to buy two plants from them. They both just got here today:
Nepenthes Sanguinea - Highland
Nepenthes Rafflesiana, Giant - Lowland (but apparently can be grown as an intermediate)
Both plants arrived in very impressive packaging. The way they were packaged was ingenious and perfect for shipping a plant (though rather tough to remove).
I do have a few concerns though.
The first is Humidity. At night the Humidity drops to 65% and during the day it is around 45% (according to a very accurate Hygrometer). I went to the store and bought two "trays" and some pea-sized rocks to try to make two Humidity trays (as pictured). I filled the water up to about 3/4ths the height of the rocks. I'm waiting for them to sit for a while to start letting off humidity into the air, and I don't know the results yet, but has anyone had any success in using a humidity tray to increase the humidity in the air around their plants any noticeable amount?
The second is sunlight. Both are in a South-facing window but also have a slight amount of sun in the morning from a West-facing window (however not for long as there is a tree that blocks most of it, which is why it is against the South window and not the West window). The amount of sun the two plants get in the evening is about 3-4 hours. And it isn't quite direct sunlight as there is a tree in between them and the sun that has very few leaves, and sun does get to the plants but since the wind is always blowing, it's more like sun for a second, no sun for a second, sun for a second, etc.
Another slight concern is temperature. At night it drops down to about 60 degrees and during the day it gets up to 82. Is this ok for both plants?
Also, my N. Rafflesiana came with some slightly discolored small spots on it. As if someone sprayed water on it in very hot sunlight. Is this normal for it going dormant or perhaps from being in a box for 3 days?
Finally, I ordered some Nepenthes Burbidgeae seeds that were collected this summer and kept in a refrigerator until now. I'm expecting them in the mail any day now. I've heard that some Nepenthes seeds have rather short lifespans so my question is this; Out of 20 seeds, could I expect a good germination rate regardless of being refrigerated for a few months?
Any replies/feedback is greatly appreciated.
Other information: I live in Southern California (Moreno Valley) in an almost desert-like area that usually has low humidity. I plan on watering the plants twice a week (with distilled water) or more depending how how good they retain water and misting them every morning.
Nepenthes Sanguinea - Highland
Nepenthes Rafflesiana, Giant - Lowland (but apparently can be grown as an intermediate)
Both plants arrived in very impressive packaging. The way they were packaged was ingenious and perfect for shipping a plant (though rather tough to remove).
I do have a few concerns though.
The first is Humidity. At night the Humidity drops to 65% and during the day it is around 45% (according to a very accurate Hygrometer). I went to the store and bought two "trays" and some pea-sized rocks to try to make two Humidity trays (as pictured). I filled the water up to about 3/4ths the height of the rocks. I'm waiting for them to sit for a while to start letting off humidity into the air, and I don't know the results yet, but has anyone had any success in using a humidity tray to increase the humidity in the air around their plants any noticeable amount?
The second is sunlight. Both are in a South-facing window but also have a slight amount of sun in the morning from a West-facing window (however not for long as there is a tree that blocks most of it, which is why it is against the South window and not the West window). The amount of sun the two plants get in the evening is about 3-4 hours. And it isn't quite direct sunlight as there is a tree in between them and the sun that has very few leaves, and sun does get to the plants but since the wind is always blowing, it's more like sun for a second, no sun for a second, sun for a second, etc.
Another slight concern is temperature. At night it drops down to about 60 degrees and during the day it gets up to 82. Is this ok for both plants?
Also, my N. Rafflesiana came with some slightly discolored small spots on it. As if someone sprayed water on it in very hot sunlight. Is this normal for it going dormant or perhaps from being in a box for 3 days?
Finally, I ordered some Nepenthes Burbidgeae seeds that were collected this summer and kept in a refrigerator until now. I'm expecting them in the mail any day now. I've heard that some Nepenthes seeds have rather short lifespans so my question is this; Out of 20 seeds, could I expect a good germination rate regardless of being refrigerated for a few months?
Any replies/feedback is greatly appreciated.
Other information: I live in Southern California (Moreno Valley) in an almost desert-like area that usually has low humidity. I plan on watering the plants twice a week (with distilled water) or more depending how how good they retain water and misting them every morning.