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New arrival(soon)

Hello everyone
I will soon be a first time owner of a young bicalcarata 'red flush'. I live in southern alabama and the growing conditions during the day seem about right (high humidity and temp). During the day I plan to have it outside under a sort of netting that provides 50% sun 50% shade, but at night I have to bring it in because of dem dang coons are a possible threat (they have been known to knock plants over consistently
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) The temp. inside is about 73 deg with low humidity. I have a little terranium that I could put it in. My question is if I just mist the plant and the terranium during the night would that substain the right amount of humidity until I would be able to put it outside again in the morning.
Thanks
NINJA
 
Nepenthes bicalcarata is a lowland swamp species and requires consistently high humidity in the 80%+ range and bright light for optimum growth and pitchering. I would just leave it in the terrarium if I were you, making sure the temps are never below 70-75*F at night and 85-95*F in the daytime. Remember a well tended N. bicalcarata will very soon become a behemoth! You will need to think of what you will do with it in a year or two. I have one of the red trap variety which is 58 inches in diameter now and will likely grow another 12-24 inches before it is full diameter and begins to climb. I got this plant at 12" in diameter in only June of 2002! So you will have a big plant to contend with quite fast if you can give it the care it needs. I received some small 2" typical orange variety bicals in december 2002 and they are 8" in diameter now. The more you water it the faster it grows it seems. I sit bical in a tray of water (1/2-1" deep) so the soil is always plenty wet. Allow to dry a few days between refilling the tray.

Despite the monstrous size I think everyone should have a bical, they're such fun, impressive and easy plants! If it wasn't for the need for water and humidity it would probably make a great houseplant.

good luck!
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Thanks!
I had no idea bicalcarata could get so big! My terranium is fairly small so I will have to get a larger one as time goes on.
I also didn't know you could use the watering tray method so I'll give it a shot when it comes. thanks agian for sharing advice and how big your bical.s are
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NINJA
 
Another quick question. I got a plexi glass lid for the terranium that covers it fully when I read in a post a while back to cover the terranium "MOST OF THE WAY". The terranium itself is 9 inches across so should the lid be only 8 or 7 inches across?
 
No the Lid should be on fully. But you want air flow so have a little crack open and have a little fan blowing ito th terrarium. I would suggest getting a small 2 tier Greenhouse for your N. Bic later on. But for know have it in a 15 gallon tank with one of the humidifers that PFT sells, they work great.
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I keep my lowland terrariums as sealed as possible without actually taping the joins closed!
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I feel my lowlanders grow better this way. I know almost everyone says the contrary and that gaps in the lid are needed for lowland plants. For me it works better wth the lids totally covered than if I have fans in the chambers or a gap in the lid. I can not keep the humidity high enough when there is a gap in the lid. My lowland chambers are hot, stagnant and steamy. I am satisfied with the conditions when I stick my face in and begin to sweat. The leaves on the plants feel as warm as the air. My own plants seem to agree with my care but it may simply depend upon what you acclimate your plants to.

My highland chamber has an "elaborate" (someone else called it that not me) fresh, cool air and ultrasonic fog setup and an extra oscilating fan under the bench for total circulation. The highland plants seem to like this.

I had bought an extra oscilating fan for my large lowland chamber and thought I'd be doing the plants a treat but they did not respond well at all. The fan now sits on somones table at work!
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Thanks for everyone's help
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</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (swords @ July 27 2003,1:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I keep my lowland terrariums as sealed as possible without actually taping the joins closed!  
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I feel my lowlanders grow better this way. I know almost everyone says the contrary and that gaps in the lid are needed for lowland plants. For me it works better wth the lids totally covered than if I have fans in the chambers or a gap in the lid. I can not keep the humidity high enough when there is a gap in the lid.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Same thing with me. In my terrarium I also have a bical and they are very cool plants. I have tried to leave a crack open in the top and put on a fan but the humidty drops, and very fast too, so I always have to turn the fan off and cover the terrarium and keep it that way. Plus my bical likes it hot and steamy.
 
I just recieved it today
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, but it is in very bad shape. When I was taking the lid off it completely uprooted the roots so I quickly covered them with soil again. The soil was completely dry and everywhere (including the insides of the pitchers). It had two fully formed pitchers and one that was just developing. One of the big pitchers and the baby pitcher were completely black. I cut both of these off. Also should I put a drop of milk in the remaining pitcher to help it recuperate?
p.s. The plant was much larger than I suspected so I will have to buy a new terranium very soon.
 
  • #10
I need help! the edges of the leaves are starting to blacken and srivel and the base is starting to look wrinkily
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PLEASE HELP
 
  • #11
How wet is the soil? Generally N. bicalcarata will show distress by wilting or blacking of the foliage due to insufficent moisture and humdity.
 
  • #12
The soil is moist but should I have it sit in a very little amount of water or will that cause root rot. Also I recently learned that my parents moved it into direct sunlight outside while it was in its terranium so that might have burned it and dried it out.
 
  • #13
Yeah that well burn it good. Remember since in your tank the air doesn't get circulated the air becomes more hotter and since it is a tank that has been made of glass the glass heats up the plants leafs and soil like a magnifying glass but it isn't so powerful. Never put it in full sun (the tank) the plant you can put in full sun when it gets out of shipping shock, and after it get bigger. Are the bottom leaf becoming black because if so that is normal, just cut them of (the black part only).

Keep the soil moist at all times, keep it as moist as you would a N. x coccinea. For the other pitches that aren't black put water into them so they wont dry out. When new pitchers come then you can put milk into the pitchers. Put milk into new pitcher make sure you have about 2-3 new pitcher before adding milk to any off he pitchers. I have never put milk into pitcher and never heard of anyone that has tried putting milk into nep pitchers, but I have heard of people putting milk into Sarrcenia pitchers and the growth they got. It is your choose personally I wouldn't experiment on a rare plant. I would do it on a N. ventricosa.

Hope that helps.

PT2

PS Have warm air around 85-90 day temps for the N. bical and nights 80-85. Humidity should be always in the 80s 90s.
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  • #14
Thanks for the reply, that cleared some things up
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. I bought a ten gallon tank today and will be getting a lid for it probably on tuesday(thats when the owner said a new shipment would come in.) I am also thinking about a growth lamp because with the bigger terranium I will not be able to move it outside. So how strong should the light be and how long should I leave it on, and will that raise the temperature inside the terranium?
P.S. I cut the black edges off and decided not to give milk to it.
Thanks again!
 
  • #15
ya good for not using milk
can you get some pics
 
  • #16
I aquired a Bical about two months ago and grow it outdoors, here in South FL, with one layer of window screen shading it till noon and two layers till about five. It had one cute little fanged pitcher that died almost immediateluy after repotting. However it has since produced one mature pitcher, one is completely formed but not open and another is just forming and will probably be full size in about two weeks. It looks like a happy puppy to me. How big is this thing going to get in another year?
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I have heard some outrageous claims.
 
  • #17
Oh its going to get big. Really big, I mean that is if you keep giving it what it needs.

Ninja -- You can go to Lowe's and buy a real cheap shop light that is 48 inches long. Then hang it where ever you are keeping the plants at. The shop light fixture well cost 12.99 and the bulbs are 48 inches they well both cost 11.00. But remember you will also need chains and 2 hooks. It is pretty hard to hang these things. In your house in the ceiling there are sticks that support the ceiling. You well need to find those sticks and but the hooks into them. Make a little hole and screw them in. Then do the rest.
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That light fixture will make your plants really colorful. And it will make the tank warm to were you need it.

Do not forget to buy the lights that say they are for Plant/Aquarium.
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PT2
 
  • #18
i live in south florida, about 10 minutes away from ft lauderdale, well, its always nice and hot here but i have trouble keeping the humidity high with it, when it rains its always like almost 100% but when it geyts sunny everything dries so fast,


how many hours of direct sunlight should a bical get? and any ideas how i could keep the humidity high when its sunny?
 
  • #19
My bical. looks a lot healthier than when I got it but there is still no signs of new growth
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. Is this still because of shipment shock and if so how long will it take to recover.

P.S. sorry Jmenprkr I can't post pics
 
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