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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2007 5:02:46 GMT
wow you guys do have large collections of cps..lol im down to like 3 plants all from homedepot :1 tiny dried out vft that im trying to bring bach, 1 tropical pitcher plant which i think is on its way out and 1 sundew sadly it got attacked buy mold....jeez i do horrible with cps i always seem to kill them now i used to have some really great looking H. minor but it was never looking as good as some of the plants you guys got
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Post by Dave Evans on Jul 9, 2007 23:09:15 GMT
Dear Steven, I think as time goes on we will get better at cultivating Heliamphora. While we can keep them alive quite well; most plants, including mine, seem to grow in a way that indicates (at least to me) that they could be happier with the conditions. My plants looked terrible when I was growing them in closed terraria. Now that the plants are in tanks with the lids off, they do much better=the growth is more compact, the leaves more colorful. However small plants don't seem to like the lower humidity and maybe that is because the soil I'm using is not quite right. As per Sean Samia, Heliamphora like neutral to just slightly acidic soil, whereas the soil I have putting them in has a fair amount of peatmoss (source of acid, and lower pH)... The older plants also have much older soil and I think the pH rises over time as the peatmoss in the soil is slowly digested by bacteria... While most growers of Heliamphora use a soil of mostly perlite and Sphagnum moss, I don't like this soil since it dries out too fast in my lower humidity conditions. I am positive the plants do like the lower humidity, but I can't figure out what soil to use in place of the one which contains more peatmoss... Does anyone have suggestions? I have been mentally toying with the idea of using pure perlite and setting them in deeper water. Or maybe using those tissue culture blocks (not sure wht they are called...), or using oasis foam blocks... I would just push a cutting into the block, let it root and then set the green block with the plant growing from it in a water tray... The plants in the older soil are actually growing much faster now and have been picking up speed of growth as the soil has aged... BTW, Heliamphora are truly carnivorous, as they have no trouble digesting the sterilized crickets I am feeding them. If Heliamphora 'Tequilla' is a "Truly easy to grow Heliamphora" then divisions from it should be available for trade or sale, for a low price, soon. If not, it may be best to look for another type to grow in sub-optimal conditions. Patience is important when working with this genus, they are not "fast" growers. Take care, Steven Stewart
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Post by stevestewart on Jul 10, 2007 21:47:10 GMT
Dave, I have only had success with Heliamphora in Florida because I was lucky enough to have met Cliff Dodd in Daytona Beach and see his growing conditions, and start with large undamaged plants that I got from him. My plants seem to tolerate more extreme conditions when surrounded by growing live Sphagnum moss. I grow a variety of Sphagnum that I first collected here in Florida, it is very heat resistant. I now only grow the one one Heliamphora hybrid in several containers. Growing in glass is perfect for keeping the planting media alive and thus not having it break down and change in pH over time. It is also dangerous because of potential heat buildup. Pots of other small plants placed around the planters "soil" line to shade it helps keep the Heliamphora roots temperature lower. If watered with softened water that has not been filtered by an RO unit the entire micro system crashes and must be started over. Never trust your source of water without checking for TDS! My Heliamphora only show heat stress when the temperatures get into the +90F/ +30c range. If I see a pitcher(s) that flare out when it opens, I know the plant is reaching it's high temperature tolerance level, and move the planters to a less sunny, cooler area (with a cost of having less colorful pitchers). Artificial lighting will keep plants colorful and not over heat stress them. I agree with you when you state that mature plants grow more quickly. I was fortunate enough to start with flowering size plants and I can use divisions of these to work with. I only close or cover the lids of my growing containers when the temperatures are low and I want to speed up new plant production. Heliamphora do get better color and tougher leaves when grown in a more open atmosphere here in Florida. I don't grow my plants in enough light for good color. I would be concerned about growing this genera in the open air when humidity levels drop below 30% for extended periods, but I have not had to worry about that in Florida. I have never used perlite (or peat) for Heliamphora, but you would need to make certain the water you set them in is fresh. I think Cliff planted a number of his plants in a Nepenthes like mix, using cypress mulch and other ingredients, but I know I would not water enough in a mix like that. I can't even grow Nepenthes like most people do. Take care, Steven Stewart
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Post by sunbelle on Jul 18, 2007 15:30:05 GMT
We have a number of seed raised H. Tequila (hint...hint) growing amongst our Nepenthes. We grow them in clay pots for rapid evaporation from the media (and thus cooling the roots) and pot them in the same cypress mulch/sponge rock mix we use for the Neps. Right now they are growing new pitchers with 90 F days and 77 F nights. Some are starting to hurt a little because they are in very intense bright zones shared by N Red Dragon, mirabilis hybrids, N. Medusa and other lowland-intermediate types. The plants in slightly shadier conditions are doing better. During our winter they produce their most colorful pitchers when the nights are down to 65F and experience some winter nights down to 50F. We've grown them through two summers now, and they are performing better this year than last year. Once they aclimate they are fine. Anyone wanting to attempt Heli cultivation should start here because they are so forgiving. I see no reason they wouldn't do great in a terrarium/under lights. T.
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Post by quogue on Jul 19, 2007 15:24:39 GMT
Here's an example of H. 'Tequilla' grown in a terrarium under lights... They are quite forgiving of high temps, and are all-around easy to grow.. And I think they're the best-looking of the Heli's as well!
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Post by stevestewart on Jul 20, 2007 17:50:30 GMT
I'm glad to hear that Sunbelle has Heliamphora 'Tequilla'. If seed plants are uniform in qualities it would be one to have in any collection. qougue, Beautiful plant! I like the pot it is in, does it have drainage? What potting mix do you use? The nice red color makes me want to buy another fluorescent light setup, and Heliamphora!
Take care, Steven Stewart
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Post by quogue on Jul 20, 2007 18:36:37 GMT
Thank you kindly Steven, The pot does have drainage (think it's an orchid pot) and as for the mix? Don't really remember.. I think it was: Volcano rocks, orchid bark, perlite, sand?, lfs? and peat (although I've heard peat is bad) Just kinda threw it all together as quite a loose mix and it sits in a saucer. As far as I know, there's quite a bit of variation in 'Tequilla'. Around 4 or 5 main types of em I think. This hybrid will have a very interesting future I'm sure...
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wadave
Full Member
He don't know me vewy well do he?
Posts: 283
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Post by wadave on Aug 12, 2007 16:02:06 GMT
Hi guys,
I've been growing several different heli's for about 18 months now with great success in my greenhouse.
I've got heterodoxa x minor, pulchella, tatei, and tequilla (I've only had this one for about 6 weeks).
They get overhead watering via a misting system fed straight from the tap, for one minute every hour during the day in summer down to three times a day during the cooler months. The water hardness is about 120 - 130 ppm acording to the water corporation but as the water is constantly flowing through the pots there is no salt buildup.
I wasn't sure how they would go as I've never grown them before but they seem to thrive in the greenhouse. The heterodoxa sent up four flower spikes this season, and the pulchella is sending up it's first flower. The tequilla is only a very small off shoot and the tatei, whilst larger is also an off shoot with four pitchers but both are doing great.
I've used 50:50 peat/ spagnum moss for the heterodoxa x minor and the pulchella, and pure sphagnum for the tequilla and tatei. It's too early to tell if there is any discernable difference.
The greenhouse is cooled by a personal sized evaporative cooler which is blowing across an ultrasonic humidifyer.
Last year the top corner of the greenhouse was open to allow excess hot air to escape but it was difficult to keep the humidity up. This year I've enclosed this gap with the result that humidity is much better but I am waiting for summer to see how the plants react. If it get too hot for the cooler to manage I will have to experiment with varying sized gaps to find the optimum compromise of gap for temp vs humidity level.
From my relatively limited, but very successful experience I can only assume that so long as heli's receive plenty of water flowing past their roots (as they do in nature) they don't seem to be overly fussed about the temperature. Last year during days of over 40 deg C the greenhouse never past 35 deg C.
In contrast my cobras still suffered even though they were sitting under the benches. I found that to keep water useage down the retic needed to be set for one minute per hour which was not always enough to clear the hot water in the water pipes. The hot water affected the cobras more than the higher temps inside the greenhouse so other measures have to be put in place this year for these guys.
I hope this helps.
Dave
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Post by pinglover on Aug 13, 2007 15:51:11 GMT
I love this thread. Just getting back to it after having been gone for a bit. Thanks for all the great information. I'll have to come back to this thread and read it from start to finish again.
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Post by pinglover on Sept 7, 2007 13:43:57 GMT
I have my bowl and am ordering my 'Tequilla'! I'm excited! Here's my bowl and the opening is large enough for me to get my hand down into it-
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Post by chloroplast on Sept 18, 2007 13:22:53 GMT
Which Heliamphora species are the easiest for terrariums, what kind of grow mix do you use, and do you foliar (or otherwise) feed them?
I don't grow any of my Helis in terrariums but I've been told that H. heterodoxa x minor grows well in this setting.
I've posted my grow mix on the potting mix thread.
I foliar feed my helis about once per month with a 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer.
hope this helps,
Ken
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Post by pinglover on Sept 18, 2007 16:05:23 GMT
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Post by stevestewart on Sept 18, 2007 22:26:19 GMT
Which Heliamphora species are the easiest for terrariums, what kind of grow mix do you use, and do you foliar (or otherwise) feed them? I don't grow any of my Helis in terrariums but I've been told that H. heterodoxa x minor grows well in this setting. I've posted my grow mix on the potting mix thread. I foliar feed my helis about once per month with a 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer. hope this helps, Ken Ken, You mention that long fiber Sphagnum turns to mush in less than a year for you. I have found that live Sphagnum will grow if planted in a glass container, and watered with RO water, eventually filling the container if allowed and not harvested. Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor is one of the easiest to grow in a drainless glass container. ( a turkey baster is a must have for removing excess water from drain-less conditions) This hybrid can take quite a bit of heat and grow in lower light conditions than many species. If grown in living Sphagnum you don't have to transplant annually, just harvest excess moss as it out grows the Heliamphora. Others have been growing the cultivar H. 'Tequilla' in warm conditions and it looks like a nice one. I don't fertilize Heliamphora at all, but they would probably grow faster if I did. I sometimes get algae problems when I do fertilize. In drain-less containers foliar feeding might be the best way to go. Take care, Steven Stewart
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Post by pinglover on Sept 18, 2007 23:31:45 GMT
The turkey baster is an excellent idea. Thank you.
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Post by jm82792 on Oct 7, 2007 0:04:10 GMT
I have rooted a nepenthes cutting in a clear cup with live sphagnum, it keeps on growing,it stays crisp and not mushy. For nice looking glass containers go to walmart in the grden area.
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