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!

Winter's coming...i'm scared

Last spring I ordered my first Nepenthes...Miranda.  He was a little banged up when he got here ("here" being New Orleans, LA) and his pot was broken but other than that he was alive and green.  I didn't want to stress him out any further by repotting right then so I just put his pot inside of another pot, trimmed off the dying pitchers and hung him outside on the patio with my small herd of aroids.  

It rains here almost every day (a deluge followed immediately by a blast furnace sun...can you say H-U-M-I-D  
smile_k_ani_32.gif
)  If it doesn't rain for a day or two I mist him with the hose.  This being one of the bug capitals of the world...I don't feed him.  He does very well on his own.  Currently there are about 8 or 10 pitchers and all of them have "bodies" floating inside.  There are new leaves and pitchers weekly and there is a resident anole who has set up housekeeping among the leaves and pops out to say hello every time I go near.  Life is great.

So here's the thing...  Eventually it IS going to cool off here and then what do I do?  I know what the "books" say about max/min temps, etc but I need some real life info.  When should he really come in?  What about the lack of humidity in the house?  What will he eat (not to mention the anole)?  Will I have to feed him (the plant, not the lizard) and if so, what?  I've read that some people fill the pitchers with water when they open?  Should I be doing this?  I've just been leaving it up to the rain and mother nature for them to make their own "goo".  And...he's just about to outgrow his glob of moss or whatever this is he's potted in.  Should I order a mix or make something myself?  Is there a good time to repot vs a time when you NEVER want to repot?  

I'm obsessing over all of this but he's just such a groovy little oddball plant and if he does well over the winter I could see this turning into a new addiction.  Please help.  I'm looking for some really practical advice.
 
Hi Newbie in N'awlins,
Born and raised there myself. Now living in south Florida, where growing conditions are not vastly different from yours.
First word of advice: don't repot now. With winter approaching and the daylight hours getting shorter, it would be harder for your Nepenthes to adjust. Best to wait until spring.
N. 'Miranda' is fairly tolerant of coolish conditions, as long as the humidity remains high, and when those cold fronts push through, the humidity plunges along with the temperature. Cold dry wind is not good! Bring it inside, or place it in a large plastic bag to retain humidity and cut windburn. This is not the easiest thing to do with a large 'Miranda'. Some people hang them in the bathroom, where conditions might be a little friendlier for a temporary stay. When conditions improve...humidity goes back up along with temps... put him back out there to enjoy the sun and air. Cool nights down to the low fifties is tolerated as long as there is no drying wind, however he may shed a few pitchers and slow down growth rate. It's to be expected during winter, especially if he's not being grown in a greenhouse or enclosure of some sort. Between cold fronts there's that period of time when conditions get nice-take advantage of it!
By the way, your N.'Miranda' is a "he", because Nepenthes are dio...dioeaceous.....dioecious....there's males and females
smile.gif

And N. 'Miranda' is a male.

Trent
 
Shouldn't he be given a more masculine name, like Murray, or Merv or even Mercury, or even Murgatroid???

Cheers,

Joe
smile_n_32.gif
 
Thanks!  That's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for.  I was born and raised in Tennessee...transplanted here two years ago (actually in Mandeville).  This is a strange place.  I thought I'd be able to grow more things here than you actually can.  Heat & humidity is so extreme and a really acid soil.  Plus, these lizards are everywhere...I mean everywhere...in the house,  in my hair...everywhere.  Anyway, I would have repotted him for sure if you hadn't advised against it.  If low 50s is tolerable (with humidity) then he can stay out pretty often.  Last winter I moved plants in and out...in and out.  Some I brought in I'm sure could have stayed out.  I'm only two blocks from the lake and it seems to keep the temp from getting really low.  I never have frost.  I guess 'Miranda' can just join the parade.  Interesting to find out that "he" is really, biologically a male!
 
nepenthes are just as easy to grow as any other plant if you give them the right conditions.

and unfortunately nepenthes are either male or female. about 70% of all plants are male.
 
Did you say lake? Would that be Lake Ponchertrain?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Oct. 05 2004,8:23)]Did you say lake? Would that be Lake Ponchertrain?

Yep.  Lake Pontchartrain...the ecological toilet bowl of the south.  Actually they say the water quality is better now and it's not without its charms.  The pelicans are pretty groovy and there are some big fish that swim around the sea wall.  
 
I stayed at some ritzy hotel in N.O. some years back, while working with an environmental company. The name of the hotel escapes me but it may have actually had the lake's name in it. Might you know what hotel that was? we had to put in monitoring wells at a landfill, built on top of a residential area.
 
Back
Top