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Nepenthes (light requirements)

As some of you already know, I have started my nepenthes collection. I would like to ask the experts in the field about light requirements and terminology found in books and common discussion forums:

Peter D'amato mentions the following:

Sunny: plants should be illuminated by the sunrays for most of the day.

Partly sunny: plants should be illuminated by direct sunlight from 2-4 hrs.
Bright shade: plants should not illuminated by sunlight for no more than 2 hours.

When he describes greenhouse light requirements, then he says that a greenhouse should exposed to the sun for most of the day. Does this means that plants that need to be exposed to "partly sunny" conditions won't do well?

What about plants that are in a greenhouse and only receive 3-4 hours of direct sun through a 50% shade cloth?? wouldn't that be partly sunny conditions or bright shade because of the intensity of the light is now diminished due to the shade cloth even though they are receiving the right amount of light??

What is the difference between bright shade and indirect light??.

I would be very grateful if someone can clarify this terminology
salad!!

Thanks

Agustin
 
Uhhhhhhh that's quite the salad!

Greenhouses are usually exposed to full sunlight for the entire day. Light inside is reduced to the proper level depending on the crop. This is preferable because the plants then receive the correct light for the entire day, rather than just a portion. It also allows for different levels of light by layering shade cloth over various portions of the same greenhouse.

You can't really compare a partly sunny spot outdoors to a greenhouse with 50% shade. On one hand you have a situation where the plant is going to get very intense light for short periods mixed with long periods of significantly less intense light. Compared to a situation where the plant will receive very long periods of moderatly intense light.
Tony
 
Thanks Tony:

I have another question then:

For Nepenthes which of the following conditions is better:

1) Partly sunny
2) 50% shade for the whole day 8AM-5PM under the sun
or
3) 50% shade for 3-4 hours

Thanks again

Agustin/Gus
 
All my neps are kept outside under a tree. They get a little direct sun in the early morning and late afternoon and the rest of the time they get filtered light through the trees. Occasionally during the day a small amount of direct sun will hit the plants through the trees but not enough to burn the leaves.

Bottom line... if you have a greenhouse, try putting your neps in and see how they like it. Just keep in mind, it is probably better to err on the side of too little sun rather than too much.
smile.gif
 
Hi all:

The reason why i wanted to make sure my plants are receiving the right amount of light is because I have N. tobaica which had pitchers until mid march, since then, it refuses to produce more pitchers. I have a maxima ventricosa with with two pitchers which are slowly drying up, but it is not producing pitchers. The exception is an N. alata X ventricosa which produces 1 pitcher every 2 1/2 months. Since I acquired some more neps. I have recently installed 2 grow-lux bulbs inside the greenhouse. So they should now receive 5 hours of artificial light and 3 hours of 50% shade. I hope I can get more pitchers from my plants.

Any input will be appreciated.

Gus
confused.gif
 
Gus, what are your temps? If it's too warm, all of these (which are intermediate/highlanders) won't pitcher. I assume the humidity is fine since it's in a greenhouse.
 
Hi D. muscipula:

the temperatures for the past couple of months have been 70-75 during the day and 48-55 at night. I know that most of these are highlands and the humidity is relatively high, even though, i don't have a hygrometer, but I know it is high, because I spray the inner walls of the greenhouse with water every three nights and the these walls remain wet for the next two to three nights.

Gus
 
Those temps sound ok to me, maybe a bit low if anything for these intermediates, so that's probably not it. I've never had my neps refuse to pitcher, and i had them in a rather low light environment at the start. One other possibility that comes to mind is that you've got some kind of pest sapping the strenght. That's about the extent of my diagnostic abilities. Good luck!
 
High Dionea muscipula:

Thanks for your reply. Although what you say may be true, well i need some proof of it. Like what are the possibilities. I don't see any insects, except for the mosquitoes and an occassional moth. No fungus so far, if there are any pests, they are pretty well hidden (roots??)

Well, I'll inspect the roots of the tobaica soon!!

Thanks again.

Gus
 
  • #10
This is what i'm basing that suggestion on. There are some infestations invisible to the naked eye. I'm beginning to wonder if that's what my new rafflesiana and gracilis have, because they're hardly the fast growing, easy wonders that people have described them to be.
 
  • #11
Hi everyone:

I would like to say that there may be another reason why my N. tobaica has not pitchered for some time. I have seen 2 websites in which N. tobaica is described as a highlander (nepenthes university, michael catalani and Malesiana tropicals). Borneo exotics describe N. tobaica as a lowlander. Which is true??. If Rob Cantley's site is correct then, My N. tobaica is shocked by the ultrahighland conditions and that's why it does not pitcher. I will add another discussion topic to find out what is the general consensus regarding N. tobaica classification.

Agustin
 
  • #12
Number 2!!

Plants don't store alot of food. 50% shade for the whole day is far better than very low light for most of the day and then very bright for a portion. The few hours of very bright light don't make up for the remainder being too dim.

Your temperatures are also on the cool side. Daytime I would rather see 75-80, night 55. Although I don't think this is the reason your plants are not pitchering. They would grow alot faster. The N. xVentrata could be putting out a pitcher every month.

In my experience low humidity and/or low light levels are the primary culprits for plants not pitchering. There are other instances such as excessive nitrogen fertilizing, or a plant in vine mode being particularly stubborn but these are usually easy to determine. I am guessing it is both moisture level and light. You mention the N. tobiaca had pitchers until March. I am assuming it was making pitchers for you before that and your not talking about pitchers that were already on the plant when you got it??

Next questions... do you have exhaust fans on the greenhouse and how often do they run? What is the local relative humidity on average?

Tony
 
  • #13
O also could you give me more details on the lights you installed? 2 growlux but what type and watts and how far above the plants?

Sounds to me like your greenhouse is in the shade for most of the day?
Tony
 
  • #14
Hi Tony:

You are partly right about the plants being on the shade for most of the day. They get only 3 hours of direct sunlight until i installed the growlux bulbs (they are 2 of 18 watts each) and they are no more than 2 feet above the plants. Now they are receiving around 8 hours of artificial lighting plus the three of natural lighting.

No, i don't have exhaust fans, but the bottom of the greenhouse is open so fresh air can come in. Humidity is about 70-80%.

Regarding the pitchers of N. tobaica, to tell you the truth, it had 3 pitchers in November when I got and it remained with the same pitchers until march. However, I had it in my terrace for 3 months prior placing it into the greenhouse. At that time it was summer and it was hot and sticky. In the terrace, it received 4 hours of direct sunlight every day (no shade) and i watered every 5 days without any visible effects on the plant.

In other words, i have never seen it produce any pitchers since i got it.

Agustin
 
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