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Highland Nepenthes Temp drop

MasterGrower

not really...
I'm thinking about buying some highland nepenthes, but some of them need a big temp drop at night, like N. Rajah. Can I achieve this without using humidifiers or other electronic devices? I live in TX where the temp is almost the same 24/7 and I don't have a basement to move it to (we live in a one story house). I was thinking about using a cooler (the type you fill with ice to keep your sodas cold) and putting a few ice packs in it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Adrian
 
Growers commonly use ice packs in terrarium set-ups at night, small computer fans plus misting (allowing evaporative cooling to take effect), refrigerated water, and physically placing the plants outside, etc.

Good luck; the hiughlanders are worth the hassle . . .
 
Cool, thanks! Would it be a good idea to put them in a cooler?
 
I guess I'm lucky, I keep my highland chamber in my basement where it is always cool, and the light system being on during the day creates a 15F difference.
 
i did the computer fan setup, but im scared to get into highlanders because id have to have a fan on at night and quite frankly im not THAT confident in my wiring of the comp fan to the ex phone charger to leave it on while im asleep. id go with the ice packs, stick a thermometer in the cooler before and then stick the ice packs in there for a couple hours and see if you get the temp drops you need? idk. or maybe if you have an aquarium/terrarium thing going on you could just stick the ice blocks directly into there and see how well that does. experiment what works to get the temp drops you need BEFORE you get the plants.
 
Anyone ever tried Dry Ice?

I know the extra co2 is appreciated by plants. I had used some once in an attempt to gas some mealy bugs off a massive pothos I had just brought home. It didn't slow the mealy bugs down too much, but the pothos did have a massive growth spurt of some very luscious looking foliage after that.

As long as care is taken to keep the plants out of direct contact with the ice, it should perform wonderfully. In fact, it may even bring the temps down too much? Maybe keeping a few small chunks of it in a container with regular ice placed in the grow chamber over night. The dry ice will make the normal ice last longer...

Over complicating things, maybe? It's late for me....;)
 
Wow, nice idea! I might experiment with that if I can get some :D
Does anybody here grow N. Rajah? If so, what temps do you keep it at?
 
Id imagin that Dry ice would get expensive though... Good idea howerver. :)
 
  • #10
Not that expensive, it's about a dollar per pound :)
 
  • #11
They carry it in Harris-Teeter of all places! Around a dollar a pound if I remember correctly. They receive it in five pound blocks, but it sublimates in their freezer. Find a smaller block to start with, you pay after they weigh it. The trouble with it is keeping it from "melting." It doesn't keep in freezer too well.

I've seen people talk about using it for camping. Supposedly they duct tape the cooler shut with it in there, only going in it once a day. It keeps stuff frozen for several days like this (in the desert!) In that same vein, I've heard not to put dry ice into air tight containers as it will still melt causing a pressure increase inside the container until it explodes.

Maybe a bit too complicated for everyday use, but a good excuse to play with dry ice!
 
  • #12
Anybody here on TF grow a Rajah?
 
  • #13
Cool, thanks! Would it be a good idea to put them in a cooler?

You probably wouldn't need to -- that is, if you have a terrarium set-up. Just place gel-ice packs into the chamber and re-freeze them during the day -- less trouble than dealing with pets.

Luckily, in Northern California, I do very little to maintain my highland plants, since it's almost always in the low fifties or upper forties at night; but when I lived further south, near LA, I did the gel ice routine -- a bit of a pain at first, but far better than losing sometimes irreplaceable plants . . .
 
  • #14
Yeah that's a good idea, my only worry is that the ice pack won't stay frozen the whole night. I'm also currently experimenting with ice cubes to see how long it lasts and how cold it gets.
 
  • #15
yes i grow an N. rajah, and im pretty sure David (BigBella) got a rajah from me some time ago....its quite picky and does not like lowland temps at all.....so far mine seems to be doing rather well for a change though XD

there are several others on here who have a rajah, its not a rare plant, just hard to grow...
 
  • #16
SK, what temps do you keep yours at?
 
  • #17
yes i grow an N. rajah, and im pretty sure David (BigBella) got a rajah from me some time ago....its quite picky and does not like lowland temps at all.....so far mine seems to be doing rather well for a change though XD

there are several others on here who have a rajah, its not a rare plant, just hard to grow...

Yeah, I got one from you a while back ; and between cool nights and dousing it with espresso, I have real hope that it'll take care of the neighbor's shrieking cat some time soon . . .
 
  • #18
lol its doing well for you then david? thats awesome :)
my temps are 60-75 days (bipolar northwest weather) and 40-50 at night
 
  • #19
wow SK thats a big drop and thats all done by your natural climate?
 
  • #20
grown outside in a greenhouse lol yep
 
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