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Lots of Nepenthes questions.

Hello everyone, I'm getting some windowsill nepenthes this month, and I can't really decide what to get...

So far, these are the plants I'm getting:

N. ramispina
N. spectabilis x ventricosa

And I have to decide 1 from these plants...

N. spectabilis
N. fusca
N. copelandii
N. stenophylla
N. maxima, lagaspi


The problem is, I don't even know of some of those neps will do well on a windowsill..

a couple of people have told me that maxima, and spec will do well though.

I really love stenophylla.. spectabilis, not as much.. and fusca, almost as much as the spec. I really love the copleandii, probly as much as I like the spec.. and the store's maxima I'm buys from looks really cool.

Anyway, opinions and stuff would really help please!

ALSO, what is your favourite nep soil mix to use? :-D

---------- Post added at 07:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:36 AM ----------

here's what that awsome maxima looks likes...

maxima.jpg
 
Devon,

Some of those plants on the list really do need a drop in temperature at night to do well, but they might acclimate over time if less-than-ideal conditions are at least consistent. If you can provide that, why not get the one you really want? The only plants on your list with which I have experience are N. spectabilis and N. maxima, and I would hesitate to put N. spectabilis on a windowsill. They seem to be very sensitive to drying out, which is something to consider when plants are growing out in the open. I lost one when I inadvertently let the medium get dry just one time, and it was in an enclosure providing ideal conditions for the plant. However, having said that, simply placing the plant in a large pot rather than a small one will make such a mistake much less likely.

I've since discovered something that seems to work very well that you might want to try for your windowsill plants. I used to have a fogger in my ultra-highland tank, and when the last one crapped out I decided to abandon technology and just hand-mist my plants at night and let them take their chance. Misting them once until beads appear on the leaves and then closing things up seems to work just as well as having a fogger running a couple of times each night.

It might go against conventional wisdom concerning the management of pathogens, but I mist all my plants now at night before I go to bed, including my cephs (lightly), which are never entirely enclosed, and my lowland neps, some of which are growing as houseplants. Sometimes I do it in the early morning, too, while the highland plants are still cool. I let everything dry out during the day. I've been doing this for about six months and all the plants seem to be extremely happy with the arrangement. I suspect it is because it mimics the natural dew cycle they would experience in the wild.

Having said all that, my advice is: do what makes you most happy and figure out a way to make it work.

Glen
 
Don't be fooled by what you read on the internets, Spectibilis is not that easy to grow let alone pitcher. Mine is just barely getting by, if you're going to buy one, make sure its a big one, because they take a hit from the acclimation process. I will comment and say I did not bag mine, but any easy to grow plant shouldn't have needed it in the first place and it caught me off guard.

Maxima would be the one I would pick from that list. The other two are also solid choices for growing and they will grow like houseplants and you won't have to maintain them at all.

Seriously considering getting the Maxima though, it's pretty much the typical pitcher you think of when you think of Nepenthes from a book. It grows very fast, has very large, pleasant to look at pitchers, and the leaves have the additional effect of bronzing/reddening under good lighting, which is what my x Miranda and Maxima do now. It's better to have a more common nep that grows very well for you, than have some rare ones that look like crap. I kind of learned the hard way and I have a deep rooted love for the simple species and hybrids now.

My favorite nep mix to use is straight out of the bag cedar bark and a handful of sphagnum moss. I crap you not, this actually works. The ratio is around 50/50. The bark don't even gots to be cedar lol. You just need a water holding ingredient, and a drainage ingredient. Peat moss or LFS, and then something like perlite or bark, or sand sometimes even work. I read a lot about some people recommending like, 4 different ingredients and it's a headache. Lelani even grows some of their plants in pure perlite (expensive) and coral chips (super hard water) and their neps get by.
 
N. copelandii and N.maxima are the best choices.....the others can be a little more tricky without high humidity or cool nights.

My favorite nep mix is a 3 parts pine mulch, 1 part peat, and 2 parts small lava rock chunks. I use a 1in layer of LFS on top for moisture retention. Adding the lava rock keeps the mix from breaking down as fast since it doesn't decompose.
 
awsome, thanks so much guys. :) really appreciate it. I'm definetly fgoing for a maxima...

But what about the copelandii, stenophylla and fusca? would they do well on a windosill?

thanks.
 
awsome, thanks so much guys. :) really appreciate it. I'm definetly fgoing for a maxima...

But what about the copelandii, stenophylla and fusca? would they do well on a windosill?

thanks.

Copelandii would for sure, but the other two require cooler nights and high humidity (at least 68%) to pitcher.
 
@exo: thanks. :) I'm super exited now that I know copelandii will do well on a windowsill...
 
@exo: thanks. :) I'm super exited now that I know copelandii will do well on a windowsill...

It's a pretty fast grower and one of the easiest neps to grow, just make sure the window gets some direct sun and it will do great.
 
I'll second, or third or whatever 'bout the spectabilis. I've found they can be touchy. Mine needs lots and lots of light to pitcher consistently, and consistent temp drops at night.
 
  • #10
Good choice on the Maxima bud. I was shipped this hunk of crap that had like a tiny bit of roots attached to some twigs and dried foliage, so I clipped it back and look what sprouted out!

This is actually my favorite plant that I'm rooting for in my collection now!
 
  • #11
sweet! I mihgt actually switch the maxima for a copelandii, because the cop is a lot cheaper. (maxima is $40, cope is $25.. but the maxima is a large plant and the cop is a small) I'm gonna see if I can get a maxima from montreal at this thing... I donno what it's called. :p

---------- Post added at 05:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:01 PM ----------

I have one more question: would diats or densiflora do well on a windosill? to me they looks picky for some reason......
 
  • #12
I hear diatas is picky no matter what, and I think densiflora wants a good regular temp drop every night to thrive.

Honestly I think copelandii in addition to the other two you plan on getting is the best choice for you (having been an exclusively window sill grower for a year now).
 
  • #13
alright, thanks. :)
 
  • #14
I've heard that diatas is hard to grow for no plain reason (some say its harder than hamata/rajah) and densiflora, according to some, is not much better. Personally, diatas, densiflora, and singalana look just about the same to me, and singalana is a lot easier to grow.
 
  • #15
Yeah, IIRC, densiflora comes from the higher altitudes of what's considered highland, so temps drops should be a must.
 
  • #16
Devon...I don't have any of those species...(except ramispina), but if I can suggest something...wait till the end of summer man. Especially for windowsill growing, you realize temps are rising very much now in canada. Those plants will not like the hot night temps. Just wait till autumn and you can grow any of those (stenophylla..if I had to choose) with considerable success.
 
  • #17
Devon...I don't have any of those species...(except ramispina), but if I can suggest something...wait till the end of summer man. Especially for windowsill growing, you realize temps are rising very much now in canada. Those plants will not like the hot night temps. Just wait till autumn and you can grow any of those (stenophylla..if I had to choose) with considerable success.

Copelandii and maxima don't seem to care about warm temps....not one bit. ???
 
  • #18
@vreav: damn.... what about the summer after? would they do better since they would be grown in more?
 
  • #19
Yup! Exo, you may be right. Sorry...as I said I don't have those in my collection. But just on the basis that they are highlanders and he plans to grow them on the windowsill...I Just feel...if he is living in a non-airconditioned house, those plants wouldn't like burning up in the summer heat that is coming ahead.
 
  • #20
Yup! Exo, you may be right. Sorry...as I said I don't have those in my collection. But just on the basis that they are highlanders and he plans to grow them on the windowsill...I Just feel...if he is living in a non-airconditioned house, those plants wouldn't like burning up in the summer heat that is coming ahead.

Copelandii and most forms of maxima are more like intermediates.
 
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