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Post by agustinfranco on Jul 28, 2007 0:00:35 GMT
Hi el gecko:
Please correct me if I am wrong, but you are not growing bicalcaratas as windowsill plants, not in PA?
Gus
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Post by elgecko on Jul 28, 2007 17:35:56 GMT
Hi el gecko: Please correct me if I am wrong, but you are not growing bicalcaratas as windowsill plants, not in PA? Gus All my neps are grown as windowsill plants and I am located in South East Pennsylvania. Gale, Since you have seen my plants more then once, and I know that you are on the forums here, have anything to add? Many might have seen this before as I have it saved and copy and paste it when asked about my conditions. I did not see anyone ask, but I'll post it here so you can get an idea of the conditions I provide for my plants. I find that Neps are a lot tougher then they are given credit for. When I was first reading about them and the high humidity requirements they need, I thought I would never be able to keep one outside a terrarium. Since neps can get large, I did not want to confine the plant into a terrarium. So I started to experiment with growing them as windowsill plants and have had great success with several neps this way. It seems that they take around 3 months to settle in and start pitchering in my conditions. The plant which took the longest to settle in has been my N. rajah, which took about a year. (The length might be exaggerated by the fact it was in too small of a pot and root bound for a long time before I repotted it.) Winter humidity: 30 - 50% (I have the humidifier on my furnace set to around 45%. I see lower humidity during the day because the furnace does not run much with the sun shinning into the room and warming it up.) Winter / Fall temps: I keep the house cool. Heat set to 64 degrees. (Humidified air feels warmer then dry air) During the day it can hit mid 70's with the sun shinning in the room where I grow the neps. Nights can drop to low 60's. Spring / Summer / Fall humidity: 30 - high 80%. (Windows open and such) Spring / Summer temps: During the day it can hit mid 80's. Night to the low 70's. (I usually have the A/C set around 74)
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Post by Bogiron on Aug 2, 2007 10:16:28 GMT
Hey Gus, I don't know how to do the fancy insert quote thing but you said "Please correct me if I am wrong, but you are not growing bicalcaratas as windowsill plants, not in PA?". I have been to Steve's house several times in the past two years or so and the pictures tell it all. There's no hidden greenhouse or large terrarium. It's like visiting a botanical garden going to see Steve.
He has been my inspiration to keep growing CPs since we've met (through Ebay). I had my two or so Nephs stuck in a small terrarium until I saw his. I am now experimenting with growing them in my bathroom with no terrarium under a powerful flourescent light on a timer. I started it in the fall of last year. I don't add humidity during the winter so they really get tortured.
The 75% marked-down N. ventricosa (unlabeled, just a guess) I bought has been doing fine there and I added my former tiny terrarium plants N. tobaica and N. madascarensis (if I recall the label from the little domed pot I bought from a local nursery). I bought an Ebay N. rafflesania this year and so far it is pitchering well and we'll see if I can get these plants through the winter.
Last winter I followed his technique for overwintering temperate CPs and had a very good success rate for my Sars. The previous winter my small collection turned into a huge ice cube and I lost every plant.
Last summer Steve and I visited two CP localities and also two CP nurseries so I started building my collection. I hope to approach his level of success of growing all plants especially the window sill Nephs. I wouldn't have know it was possible without seeing his collection. Gale
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Post by elgecko on Aug 2, 2007 13:35:31 GMT
Gale, Thanks for the kind words. Since it seems some people like my "Magic Window" I thought I'd take a picture with me in it so that you can see the size of the neps I grow there better. The plant I'm holding which is in the left of the picture is Nepenthes bicalcarata. The plant I'm holding to the right is Nepenthes rajah. The plant hanging to my right is Nepenthes rafflesiana. The one in the white pot that you can not see is Nepenthes aristolochioides and the one in front, far right, is my Nepenthes hamata. The N. bicalcarata and N. rajah will need a bigger pot soon, again......
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Clint
Full Member
Posts: 808
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Post by Clint on Aug 2, 2007 23:35:55 GMT
He's a witch!
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Post by artificialive on Aug 17, 2007 12:27:43 GMT
Hi elgecko Firstly, i would say.. WOW! u successfully grown hamata, rajah and aris which is difficult to cultivate on lowland conditions here in Malaysia. Really drooling seeing ur hamata. Congrats man! And to my surprise, u kept ur highlanders along with lowlanders (bical) with no side effect (stunted growth, plants dont pitcher etc). So are u saying that your neps pitcher altho the humidity is around 30% to 50%? How much sunlite does your neps receive? direct/ indirect sun?
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Post by elgecko on Aug 22, 2007 2:39:35 GMT
Thanks for the comments. That is correct. The neps pitcher just fine in 30% - 50% humidity. The plants in the hanging baskets get very little to no direct sunlight during the summer. With the sun high in the sky it does not shine in the window. All winter, spring and fall they receive direct sunlight a good portion of the day, especially winter. When not receiving direct sunlight they get bright indirect sunlight all day. The neps on the table in front of the window do get a several hours of direct sunlight all year. Here's a new pick of the N. Marbled Dragon. The pitchers are coloring up very nicely. compare to the pic on the first page.
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Post by artificialive on Aug 23, 2007 14:34:54 GMT
Hi elgecko, Thanks for the elaboration. I was thinking of trying to grow highland neps here in lowland conditions. But i think the main enemy of the plant will be temperature. Humidity levels are high enough here, around 80%. So far i have only manage to cultivate only lowlands (havent tried highland neps, afraid they will die on me). Sorry, a bit off topic. Your experience, comments and views are very much appreciated
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