Hello everyone. I can't leave be and am going try to help with a few considerations with growing
N. argentii. In Oct 1996 a group of 4 of us were the first CP nuts to climb Mt Guiting Guiting and locate this sp,
N. sibuyanensis,
N. alata(?) and another unidentified sp.
N. argentii only grew on the wind swept ridges at the near summit of the peaks. This was an area of very low shrubs under lined with deep thick moss. Most of these ridges were razor back and terrifying to cross in the wild winds that swept the ridges, often with out warning.
N. argentii grew under this low shrubery and the mature flower head would surface any where up to a metre away. The "vines" were like grass runners through the moss and shrubs and would emerge to flower. Very seldom were the pitchers exposed to the winds and were buried deep in the moss.
In 1996 I attempted to formally describe and write this new species up as (
N. bicristata) for the way the peristome continues up the throat of the pitcher and out along the under side of the lid.
N. argentii and
N. campanulata growing conditions are very far apart as with
N. campanulata is semi lowland growing on and around the face areas of limestone hills.
To this day
N. argentii remains the smallest of all the Nepenthers species.
When growing this plant so many people don't look at one of the most important requirements. Consider the soils of the mountain tops. Yes they are often composed of different mineral and matter structures, but in these altitudes the soils will keep stable low conditions. In the collections, Nepenthes are always grown in pretty coloured pots (esp black) which will have the soil temps fluctuating to the surrounding temps. All the ultra highland plants will experience different day condions to nights, but the soil will maintain a steady cool temp with very little variation.
Remember the size of the pot, especially as N. argentii is a small plant and is always kept in a small pot. I found when I grew this species and the other ultra highlanders, by keeping the soils cold, it was not a worry with the plant surrounding temps (within reason).