What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Windowsill Nepenthes

Is anyone else growing neps in windowsills? Here's a N. ventricosa that I bought at the hardware store about 6 months ago tops, when it was pretty small:
N_hirsuta_x_veitchi2.sized.jpg


And now here it is today:
N_ventricosa_4.sized.jpg


This window gets almost no sun, maybe an hour at an oblique angle, and all I'm using is a desklamp with a compact fluorescent bulb (20 watt?) for extra light. No only is the ventricosa growing (as well as the scaggly vine that is my N. hirsuta x veitchii in there), but so is a D. capensis "alba". And this was pretty much over the winter! Who said you need expensive setups???

Capslock
 
I grow N. khasiana x ventricosa and N. ventrata in hanging baskets in a south facing sliding glass door. I'm surprised at how well they have adapted to low humidity. They pitcher all the time.
When I redo my CP page on my website later this summer I will post pictures of them.
 
WOw! thats really neat!

i like how you did that set up alot!,

how do you get the ventrosicas pitchers so big? ive said this in other threads , my pitchers are about the size of yours but the plant itself is about twice as tal with only 2 old pitchers that are goiung and 2 new ones coming which are smaller than before, the pitcher seems like it delays itself when the leaf opens for a while, the new pitchers that are forming are 3-4 leaves uinder the growth point, strange

but i like your set up alot! its very neat looking!
 
dang,..... just looking over the pictures again, thats very nice! did i already say that??

i like that ALOT,

i am curious to know how you grow them? besides the lighting,.. and where did you get that basket from? very cool!!!
 
That's an awsome setup, Capslock! I have been too much of a chicken to try any of my nepenthes outside of their chambers. Maybe you will inspire me to try something new this summer.
 
I will try that. It seems to be a good idea growing hardy sundews together with neps. The dew tends to dry up as humidity falls. It can be used as an early indicator for the growing conditions of the neps. Kind of like the idea of canery's in a mine shaft as an early indicator for poison gas.
 
Your lighting is that low, eh?  Huh.  I have some neps on a grow rack (not in a tank, just out in the open) under some flour. tubes....well, I don't have much window space, anyway.
tounge.gif

Anyhow, I have ventricosa x truncata and eustachya (red x purple) on the shelf.  The vent x trunc is doing better, but they're both doing well.  They're deck bound as soon as the weather turns nice so they can catch up with each other over a bite to eat!  
wink.gif


edit: oh, yeah! Very nice set up, by the way!
 
Capslock,
I do like that pot you have them growing in.


Here is a picture of the one's I grow. I drilled hooks in the ceiling to hang the baskets from.
133windownep.jpg
 
Hey thanks all,

Nice plants elgecko! I like those baskets too! I'm dying for a N. khasiana to grow outside, but I bet a khasiana x ventricosa would work too!

schloaty, yeah, I was afraid of the low light situation, which is why I only put a cheap nep from the OSH and a scraggely vine in there. But I guess the ambient light from the window is enough combined with the bulb. I think the bulb has 1300 lumens at a good color temperature. I'm growing a N. rafflesiana in a similar situation, and it's not doing as well, but now that we're getting more sun, even it looks like it's primed to start pitchering like mad. All the rest of my neps, except three in a tank, are on racks under tubes like yours. I did cover three sides of the rack with mylar so the light would bounce around. I'm having great success with that method. Here's a photo of one of my racks:


Porch_setup3.sized.jpg


Stefano, it doesn't get easier than this. The basket was from the garden center at the hardware store. I've seen them around. It's filled with sphagnum and some orchid bark, pumice and charcoal. I think I like using larger pots for neps. For some reason, it seems the sphagnum holds up better, and it doesn't dry out quickly at all. Other than that, I use r/o water, and I feed the occasional koi pellet to the pitchers. Maybe once a month ONE pitcher gets a pellet per plant.

Capslock
 
  • #10
Capslock, that's another great setup you have there on your grow rack. Two questions for you:

1. what nepenthes are you growing on your racks not in terrariums?

2. what is the average humidity?
 
  • #11
Growing on racks are:
N. alata "boschiana mimic"
N. alata luzon "speckled"
N. aristolochioides
N. hamata
N. sanguinea [California Carnivores]
N. maxima
N. mira
N. ventricosa "red"
N. lowii
N. truncata
N. throelli x aristolochioides
N. maxima x albomarginata (N. curtisii?)
N. maxima x ventricosa
N. hirsuta x vetchii
N. spectabilis x ventricosa
N. ventricosa x bongso
N. ventricosa x aristolochioides
N. x cocineae
N. x "efflugent" Koto (mirabilis x thorelii)
N. x Holland (unknown hybrid)
N. x 'home depot' var. mutant freak
N. x Ile de France [(mirabilis x thorelii) x (northiana x maxima)]
N. x Judith Finn (spathulata x veitchii )
N. x Manny Herrera (miribalis x khasiana)
N. x Petra Giant [ventricosa x (talangensis x bongso)]
N. x trichocharpa (ampularia x gracilis)
N. x Splendiana (kampotiana x maxima)
N. x Rokko (thorelii x maxima)
N. x ventrata (alata x ventricosa)
N. x Weigneri ((thorelii x maxima) x (rafflesiana x hirsuta)) or (x 'Balmy' Koto x x Intermedia)
N. x Wrigleyana [mirabilis x (rafflesiana x ampullaria)]

My average humidity is around 60%. I live in San Francisco, which is great for humid air! It does get a lot lower during our hot spells, but the plants weather these periods fine.

Capslock
 
  • #12
I'm very envious of your window sill setup.

It looks like your ventricosa is growing better than mine, which is under controlled highland conditions!
smile.gif


I guess, don't change what you're doing.. And with that, I'm off to feed my plants.
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]N. aristolochioides
N. hamata
N. lowii

YOU'RE KIDDING!! Those guys take 60% humidity?? ?? They actually pitcher?? Good Heavens! I'm going to have to do some serious experimenting with cuttings this summer....(well, I won't be able to cut THOSE species, they're still babies).
 
  • #14
Capslock,
You have got a nice collection of Neps. I'm thinking of getting 2 more. The 1 I would love to have would be a N. hamata, but I'm not going to pay that much for a plant. My wife would kill me also.
tounge.gif

If anyone would like to donate 1 for an experiment so I can try to grow it low humidity I would then be happy to post the results for the other growers.
tounge.gif
tounge.gif
 
  • #15
schloaty,
The N. aristolochiodes and the N. lowii pitcher, but the N. hamata I got is a barely-alive tiny thing that was given to me by someone having trouble growing it. I've only had it a few months, and it's growing well, but the leaves are only around an inch and a half.

I think two factors make it possible: It cools down EVERY night, to at maximum 60 degrees. Usually it's 55 or so. Also, every night, the humidity raises, so it'll go up to 75% or more over night. And we get foggy periods where it's 80% - 95% humidity for days.

I've been toying with the notion of growing a N. rajah outdoors here.

Capslock
 
  • #16
San Francisco has amazing weather for highland type plants. There are orchid growers out there that grow fantastic specimens of Masdevalias in their backyards year round. Masdevalias originate from the cloud forests in South America. Where the plants are literally covered in clouds every evening.

Capslock I don't think you would have any problem with N. rajah.

Tony
 
  • #17
Caps, you are a lucky so-and-so.
tounge.gif
 
  • #18
capslock, your rack is so nice! its so presentable and very well lit, while my neps outside are just,.. there, i have a small green house for em but they are kinda cramed in there, and not that presentable, theres fog all around for huimidity up,.... ill see if i can take a few photos when my mom comes back from guatemala cus she took my cam,

blah! seeing all these pictures makes me want to do more with my plants but i dont know what else to do ;[
 
  • #19
My sister lives in the San Francisco area, and she is always talking about how much she loves the weather down there (being from Western Washington).  I keep telling my wife we should move on down there, but alas, she's not up to the idea.  So instead, I build grow chambers in the garage for the highlanders, and dream of building a greenhouse for them someday.  
tounge.gif
 
  • #20
Hmmm...i don't think this would work in Fresno though...
 
Back
Top