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Asking help for my various newly acquired Nepenthes (with pics)

  • Thread starter Lucied
  • Start date
Hello, im new into Nepenthes and I found this plants is more tricky n complicated than my previous Drosera, Utricularia, Pinguicula n even Sarracenia. Although lot of them come from my country. So im asking some question so I can grow them better.

The Nepenthes im asking are Bicalcarata, Globosa x Kuchingensis, Sumatrana, Ampullaria, Rafflesiana and Maxima that I acquired 3 weeks ago.

My conditions are :
- I live in Jakarta, Indonesia. Considered lowland with average elevation 8 metres/26 feet above sea level, humidity/temp around 53%-65% + 90F/32C at day and 68%-75% + 82F/28C at night.
- I grow my plant inside makeshift humidity dome which have daylight but no direct sun with heat
- I use a mix of cocopeat (common for Nepe grower in here), chopped sphagnum moss, black lava rock sand, pumice, and burnt rice husk with mixratio around 1:1:1:1:2. All already rinsed 1-2 times to reduce the minerals. ( I know it should be 3-5 times but it cost me so much). All topped with live moss and dried Catappa leaves (I use dried Catappa leaves for its tannic acid, in hope to imitate their native peat-swamp forest floor littered with dead leaves)
- Some of them, the lately purchased Ampullaria and Maxima are dipped with root hormone (Liquinox Start) mixed with Trichoderma powder before repotting. The others aren't, only soaked the mixture to their media.
- Watering them 2-3 times per week during their first week with distilled water. Now I consider watering them 1 times per week.

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Now 3 weeks has been passed ( 1 week for the Maxima and Ampullaria), there is some leaves condition I want to ask and about the lighting :

First, do I need to add bright lighting system with reflector and dark curtain? Since most of my species are from the lower canopy of the forest that only received shady light. Here is the plant site :

without lighting and minifan to move the air
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with a minifan and single 40w, 6500k cool daylight LED bulb (I use a single bulb because I read lot of them come from shady areas in the forest)
45e9cdee_ec4a_4340_a5c6_67e653e2fd12_1.jpg


the outside reading (inside should be around 62+% humidity and 90F/32C)
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Second, is this discoloration on the leaves are from transplant shock or certain disturbance like overwatering or underwatering or even pest?
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Third, whats happening to this Bical's pitcher? The brown spots and white things on peristome
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Fourth, I acquire this Rafflesiana with "poor" conditions and protested to the seller and he said he exposed it to a fullheat direct sun (crazy?) The leaves are very yellow when it come with dead unmatured pitcher, but now its more greener in my site but the growing tip still look brown. Will the big one will be okay? The small one on the right is newly acquired from different seller.
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Fifth, this Sumatrana come from the same seller that exposed the Rafflesiana to fullsun with no pitcher and dead baby pitcher but having a basal shoot. Now the basal shoot looks worse with dark brown tips and the growth point is blackened too. Will this one be okay? Should I cut the darkened growth point?
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I've read so many articles with confusing opinion about the lighting. Is it true to jump to general conclusion that despite all the required condition differences, all plants (except the temperamental Highlanders) can be acclimated to single conditions of lighting and humidity? I need all the input from you and will really appreciate it.
Regards!
 
Hey, although lowland species can be found in relatively dark understory forest most can be adapted to higher light levels. A single bulb is probably insufficient. I'd use shade cloth or a slat house instead of opaque plastic and a growlight. All the species should be able to live together. The spotting on the leaves and pitchers you are getting are transplant stress it seems to me.
 
Ahh thx a lot for ur information. Will change the opaque into shadecloth then... Im using the opaque sheet to keep humidity higher inside. (60% at day and 70-80% at night).

Now im clashed between give them more light but decreased humidity or more humidity with decreased light?
Some said light is more important for plants to fuel their pitchering, but some say humidity is what cause them pitchering.
 
Ahh thx a lot for ur information. Will change the opaque into shadecloth then... Im using the opaque sheet to keep humidity higher inside. (60% at day and 70-80% at night).

Now im clashed between give them more light but decreased humidity or more humidity with decreased light?
Some said light is more important for plants to fuel their pitchering, but some say humidity is what cause them pitchering.

The humidity in your area is so naturally high that I don't think you need to artificially increase it at all to get plentiful pitchers from most of your plants (bicalcarata and ampullaria might drop pitchers during the lowest humidity months). Light is key to these plants having enough energy to produce pitchers at all, and plants generally won't cease to produce pitchers unless the humidity is low enough to actually harm them. I say adjust the plants to the typical humidity outside and keep them in partial shade, using sunlight rather than a grow light.

Think of it this way: lack of light means no pitchers at all, lower than optimal humidity can mean fewer pitchers.
 
Ok well noted. Will prepare all of the advice. Thx a lot
 
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