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ultra-highlanders

Hello,
     I'm going to be making a ultra-highland tank, but was wondering what neps rather than rajah and villosa, also do really good. It will be a true ultra-highland too. Thanks,
                 Kevin
 
Kevin, a few plants that I have researched that would fit the bill are:

N. muluensis
N. spathulata
N. macfarlanei

What temperatures are you looking at in your Ultra tank? Right now, I keep all my highlanders, including those three, in one structure. Since it is the garage, it gets to about 50 degrees F. at night and in the 70's F. during the daytime.
 
Hi all:

I don't know about those three. Muluensis definitely needs cooling to perform better, but it does not have to be 50F. I think low 60's would do. Spathulata can grow in intermediate conditions for extended periods of time. McFarlanei, I don't know much about.

Nepenthes lamii is another candidate that can go along with N. villosa in an ultrahighland tank.that's a real challenge to grow.

Gus

Gus
 
A little clarification, TRUE ultra highlanders (those species occuring above 2600 m) should be given temps cooler than necessary for plants like: N. rajah, spathualata, muluensis and macfarlanei. 50's (10-12*C) is good for these guys, mine get colder nowadays (40's/5-8*C) and do just fine.

For plants like N. villosa, N. lamii and others occuring at the highest altitudes, these need the nighttime temps to reliably drop down into the 40's (5-8*C) at night and no higher during the day than the mid 70's (20-23*C) prefferably 60-70*F (15-20*C) for continued health and well being as they grow. This is why they are called "difficult", it's not the plant, it's suppling the frigid nighttime conditions year round for the plant which is difficult. Extra stong airflow and a light misting after lights out will help bring the temps down a few more notches through evaporation but the daytime must be cooler as well.

How were you planning to do your cooling setup?
 
i hear n. lowii is also an ultra-highlander
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Ultra highland can mean different things to different people. Better to define just what your goal is for day/night temps. Then decide how your planning to achieve it and how consistently you will achieve your goal.
Tony
 
Typically I group all highlanders in ultrahighland conditions in my greenhouse because each plant (yes even a few lowlanders) are subjected to cold nights (44-50F) natural cooling and warm to hot days 75-85F. It all depends on the plant you have. If you have N. lamii N. villosa and N. macrophylla you better have a reliable good cooling method if you want to even think of seeing these plants move in growth. But the more typical highland plants can be grown with good success with 60 nights and 75-80 days. Plants like N. burbidgeae, N. veitchii, N. carunculata, N. khasiana, etc. So basically in my opinion, try to provide as cold as you can get it for highlanders at night. and stay under 90F in the day time. Stay above 40F at night though.

My .02 cents.
 
Hello,
     What I was trying to accomplish was a tank for N. villosa, N. rajah, N. spathulata, and the others I was trying to find out about. It's going to be a large tank, like 100 galloms maybe. I live up in Washington state, and where I live, at the bottom of the Cascade Mountains, its cold all the time here. So out in a "shop area" we have, I would put the tank. In the day it would be like 70*F - 75*F in a tank, at night, around the low fifties, high forties. Cooling during the summer would be achieved from ice, a/c etc. Thanks,
                  Kevin
 
That's alot of air to get cooled down. I would suggest an exahust fan to run and at the same time have a fogger running, to exhaust the air, yet it would be humidified. SO maybe have a duct with the fogger blwing into it on one side of the tank, and on the other a small fan exhausting the terrarium air. It would also help in the day.
 
  • #10
Kevin, I will be building a vent/cooling system for my plants for the summer.  This is a project we could work on in the spring and summertime, if our group ever finds the time to get together.  
My idea is essentially what Nep G. was talking about.  I will be using a fan to draw in cool air from the outdoors (since our nights are in the fifties during the summer) through a pipe.  The cool air will be humidified using an ultrasonic humidfier, then it will be moved into the structure I built.  The whole thing will be set-up on a timer. I have considered placing a fan at the top of my grow structure to draw out the warm air.
 
  • #11
This is the window cooling unit I designed about 2 years ago and how I am doing mine:
coolingdiagram.jpg


A: Fan (placed in window to intake cool air)

B: Mount for junction of fan and duct tube.

C: Flexible aluminum air duct (wrap in layers of duct tape to act as insulation and keep the air colder longer before it reaches your terrarium.)

D: Ultrasonic Humidifier

E: Output of humidifier stuffed with a hose that intersects the air duct BEFORE it reaches the growing chamber

F: Growing Chamber

This setup can be used wherever you live, but to rely on outside air you must have cool temperatures. In warmer areas simply put the intake fan in front of an airconditioning unit. So in warmer areas you can have highlanders, you'll just pay for it continually whereas I only need the AC through July and August to get my nights cold.

A timer is not as accurate to run this setup as is a humidistat (to just control the humidifier). The fan is benefitial to run 24/7. Just take it out of the window (or just shut your window) during the day so temps in the terrarium can warm up.
 
  • #12
Hey,
Thanks again guys. Dustin, I will use a fan like you and Jeremy said with the fogger, thanks. Josh, thanks for the diagram, gives me a clear view of how to set it up. Yea, sometimes in the summer, things were I live can heat up, well, they did this summer! But in the winter the cold weather is always reliable. Jeremy, that would be a great idea. Cpers around her should hook up and meet. I dont know if you read my last reply in the topic on the whole thing, but I got an ok from Karen Oudean to use her nursery, it is a drive though!! Thanks again for all your help.
Kevin
 
  • #13
yeah i have found lowii the easyest
but it is the only ultra highland nep i have
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