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A rajah!

Hi,
I just ordered a nepenthes rajah! That means soon I'll have a giant plant! (o.k. maybe it will be like 5 years, lol.) are there any specific requirements for them? Thanks,
Spectabilis73

Can't wait to get it! Just had to spread the joy!
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spec.73, i posted in the discussion forum. Buy the way who you getting it from?
 
I'm not a rajah major but I grow mine in a chunky loose mix of orchid bark pieces, LFS and charcoal. I'm doing an experiment with some rajah plants by adding Laterite (Fe) to the soil of one plant and Flourite (Fe , Mg, Ca) to another to see how it affects the growth, leaf/pitcher color, etc. but all the pots are "loose" and drain f-a-s-t! I water them thouroughly about twice a week nowadays, more often in summer.

Make sure your plant gets a lotta light and cool temps at night (50-60*F) YEAR ROUND. For me this meant building a vent from the AC and humidifier to the terrarium and hooking up a thermostat and humidistat so the tank gets cold at night and stays very humid at all times. This time of year I simply have a 4" fan sucking cool air from outside toprovide chilling on the tank. In winter I will take air from the surface of the closed window which will bring the temps down plenty as my windows need to get that plastic draft guard anyway.

My terrarium is cooler in the daytime now (only to 70*F) and my highland plants seem to be picking up speed with this temp which is 15*F cooler than they temps they were getting in mid-late summer.

Keep humidity 80%+ with bright light to get reddish hued leaves and nice pitchers. People say it can take lower light but I've put all my "lowlight" neps in bright flourescent or compact flourescent light and they always do better with more light, at least when it's artificial light. The rajah and other highland neps are getting 280 watts of FL/CPFL about 14 hours a day.

I hope you have plans worked out for cooling the plant before you receive it as it's the most important aspect of highalnd neps stayin alive. Running the cooling gear in summer aint cheap unless you like in an alpine climate-so be prepared! I could order a lot more utrics, sundews or lowland neps instead of paying these heinous electric bills! Too bad highlanders are so much cooler than anything else plant like on earth!
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Hi !!
I'm very happy for you Spectabilis73, N.rajah, as everyone of us know, is a beautiful plant.
Recently I found that it is stronger than I thought before.
I adapt mine very slowly to full sun and to outdoor condition only to make an experiment and to observe what would be happened.
This is the result:

Nrajah
I think that with the well known highland conditions remembered by Swords it would be better, but I think however that the plant is very adaptable even when it is very little like mine.


Kind regards

rajah
 
Rajah is NOT hard. I wouldn't even say it is moderatly easy, I would call it piece of cake! Just remeber that it need the temp drops,high humidity, VERY clean water (seems to be picky with other water quality's) and give it bright light. Also remeber one of the most important factors with N.rajah, give it a wide and deep pot. But for the plant your getting it will be pretty small so I would go with a 4 inch pot. And my planting mix for it right now is living sphag, but in the past I had it in peat/orchid bark, and perlite and it grew equally well. But living sphag is my choice becasue pitchers resting on the moss surface get big! Remebr that for contests in the future, to get big pitcher let them rest on sphagnum!
 
live spagnum makes rajah grow bigger pitchers? I always see 3 or 4 pots surrounding the pot the rajah is in to catch the pitchers not already growing in the original pot in spagnum...I thought they were there to help relieve pressure by growing in there rather than just hanging....BTW very nice pic of a rajah, rajah. I'm guessing mine will be about that size when it arrives, eh? http://members.hometown.aol.com/neprajah/images/n.rajah5a.jpg
how long will it take for it to get 3 in. long pitchers? and if it gets a climbing vine, which I read is rare, should I let it grow and take cuttings?
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Many thanks,
Spectabilis73
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I suspect how the 'larger pitchers if they develop on a bed of sphagnum' thing originated from growers with less than ideal conditions. The humidity level at and near the surface of a pot of sphagnum is bound to be higher than surrounding air. This little microclimate of high humidity around the developing pitcher would allow it to develop better and bigger.
Tony
 
Plus, the pitchers will grow larger because of the extra support. Naturally, the plant will produce smaller, lighter, pitchers when there is no support, so that there isn't any harmful pressure on the leaves and stem.
 
Hi !!
Tony is right, to reduce the stress of "less ideal condition" I try to create a microclimate around the plant with two expedient:

1- living sphagnum
2- using a white pot to prevent the overheating

This is the global view:

n.rajah4.jpg


Kind regards

rajah
 
  • #10
wow Rajah you really got it tucked in there. what are your temps and humidity there in italy
 
  • #11
Hi George !!
This summer (In North Italy) was very good for highland Nepenthes outdoor, Temperatures from 18°C to 30°C (if I'm not wrong from 65°F to 86°F) and humidity from 60% to 80%.
In general the weather was quite rainy and cool.
Now the experiment go on indoor.
Kind regards

rajah
 
  • #12
*Giggles* It reminds me of my N. burbidgeae seedling. I have it growing in live moss. It looks so cute all in htere by itself! Hehehe...
 
  • #13
IT CAME! My rajah came today in the mail!!!!!!!!
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It's small enough to fit in my "One Plant Terrarium"! woooooohooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I'll try to post a pic.
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woooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(O.K. that's a little too far)
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  • #14
spec post it with the others can wait to see te little bugger
 
  • #15
I'll try to post it tonight. My parents don't believe me on the ice!
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They say it's too cold here for that. it's a constant 60-70 degrees here. Is that too hot for rajah in the night?
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at least they let me put a frozen cup with a little ice by the plant. Is that enough? Or do I have to sorrund the entire pot with them? Thanks,
Spectabilis73
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  • #16
A few ice cubes for a small Rajah is fine. It does no need to be SUPER cold for a small plant.
 
  • #17
Hello, Spectabilis73, and good luck to you with your new plant.  I have written a small online
article about the cultivation of this species.  You can find it here.
Hope that it is some help to you!
 
  • #19
Neps., very good article you wrote there. it has inlighten me with some more knowledge of the plant and its requirement. even with repotting it. which well be soon. the lighting time i will increase also just a little. i do belive that plant is doing quit well since new leaves and a pitcher has come from it. yes the plant is very pretty in deed with its pitchers it puts out. i will post a new pic of it later sowing its progress since i have had it. thanks for the artical
 
  • #20
man...My Dad had a headache, so he couldn't get out his digital camra...
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I'll ask tomorrow...
 
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