ventricosa and lowii questions

[n bicalcarata]

hi everyone,
well 3 hours ago i just got a lowii ventricosa and vtf cuptrap !!! I am very happy about that but i am wondering about the lowii and ventricosa . First of all can i keep them together and what conditions do they both like i know that the lowii is a lowlander and the ventricosa is highland . And also can i keep them with my truncata ? ? If not what needs to be different with the space they are in ?

 

[Exo]

Oh dear......

Ok....N.ventricosa is an intermediate, it preffers day temps between 75-80F and night temps between 60-70f in my experience.....it can grow as a HLer, but mine seems to do best when kept a little warmer. Humidity for this one can go as low as 40%....some grow them in lower, but mine won't pitcher in lower than 40%

N.lowii is a HL nep..it likes day temps of 70-75F with nights of 50-60F. It likes humidity no lower than 60%...and it still does better in humidity over 70%.

 

[swords]

Both Nepenthes lowii and N. ventricosa are only happy in cool highland temperatures (under 80*F days and 50-60*F at night), bright light and high humidity. Keep either of them in warm lowland conditions and they will not be happy for very long.

Example of my cooling and humidifier controller settings for a tank that is setup to grow these plants:
Days 75*F / Nighttime drop 50*F / Humidity 90%

 

[n bicalcarata]

thanks exo

 

[dsrtfox1942]

Also to add onto what Exo said already, most people find lowii to be a slow grower, so be patient with it. Good luck.

 

[n bicalcarata]

also i have some hamatas with a tank similar too these conditions cold i put them in a seperate tank near there ?

---------- Post added at 07:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------

could i put them under simalar conditions to my hamatas which are at 59 f with 99% humidity nights and 70 f with 89% humidity days what shoul i change humidity ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

---------- Post added at 08:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:56 PM ----------

so should the lowii be changed to around 80% humidity

 

[dsrtfox1942]

That should be pretty good for lowii. venticosa can be grown as either a HL or intermediate. It is very tolerant of varying conditions. Just remember to slowly acclimate your plants, or they will go in shock for a while and possibly die if the plant is small or weak. I had a spectabilis that took over a year after I received it to pitcher for me. Took that long to acclimate. Patience is definitely needed for some species. I have had two ventricosas. One enjoyed my lowland conditions a lot but the other was very finicky and never quite grew right for me. I ended up giving it away. Good luck!

 

[n bicalcarata]

1942 do you mean the 80% or the hamata humidity ? ? ?

 

[dsrtfox1942]

Humidity isn't as big a deal as one would think. For babies, like the TC hamatas, it is. All of my plants grow in 40-75% humidity. A few on my windowsill receive as low as 20% occasionally and are fine. Again, just remember when changing conditions, they must adjust slowly especially when small.

 

[n bicalcarata]

well mine is not too small so should i make a separata tank or can they go with the hamatas

 

[dsrtfox1942]

I do not grow lowii, but if I did, I would be growing it in the same conditions as my other highlanders, that includes hamata. To me, a baby plant is any plant 3" or under. They will be bagged up and slowly acclimated by snipping the corner off. Plants over 3" are generally fine to acclimate on their own. Besides, your humidity is not that far off of ideal. My hamata I just received will be slowly acclimated via the bag method mainly because my humidity is less than ideal.

 

[thez_yo]

Ventricosa does well on my balcony - so if you look up the temps for zip code 92103, that should give you a good idea. Truncata doesn't like the winter here but loves the summer, I just got a lowii so I don't know what it wants, and hamata loves it here year round like ventricosa too but like the humidity a touch higher in order to pitcher.

 

[n bicalcarata]

and what should i do about my cuptrap ? it is a little wilty

 

[dsrtfox1942]

and what should i do about my cuptrap ? it is a little wilty

This would be best asked in the flytrap forum. This could be caused by numerous factors. Over watering, under watering, pest problem, not enough light are the biggest four causes I can think of. Over watering causes the roots to rot essentially causing your plant to dehydrate and wilt the same as under watering. Pests can cause all sorts of problems. Malformed leaves being the biggest. Lack of light can also be a cause or distorted looking leaves. I still suggest to anyone, buy a good book on carnivorous plants. I recommend Peter D' Amato's Savage Garden. It is written with both experts and beginners in mind. You will find the majority of your answers in a good book. Good luck!