N. rafflesiana... uppers!

[Clint]

Wow, I didn't that that was N. ventrata! You don't see many N. bellii, especially decent sized N. bellii. Good work!


Give that hybrid more light and it'll turn a nice bronze.

 

[adnedarn]

Thanks the one from you is pitchering well. I don't think the one you pointed out is though... May be too much light or something I'll have to look closer when I get back there...

 

[phissionkorps]

I'd be very surprised if light caused a nep NOT to pitcher, since light is generally what induces pitchers...

 

[adnedarn]

Well, I don't know... it hasn't pitchered in quite some time. And I think the color of the leaves is proof it's getting "enough" light... I'm heading to the g/h now. I'll try to remember a better picture. It may even be pitchering haha

 

[DerbyCityNeps]

Garren: im not a newbie. get off my back...

my raff(will get a pic up tomorrow maybe?) is about the diameter of my hand, fingertip to end of my palm. the pitchers that it came with died in a few hours because it was in open humidity for its first home. then from there it grew slow....like cold molassas slow. then as soon as i put it in my terrarium with higher humidity it started to make its pitcher. the pitcher is mainly pale whiteish with red spots and a neon green lid... typical form? im happy its finally doing something other than just sitting there.

elgecko: if you see this, at what size did you introduce your raff to your conditions?

Alex

 

[adnedarn]

Well, my plant looked better further away haha It apparently does produce pitchers on and off... The part that sucks, is the leaves die so quickly.. Is that normal for bellii? Or are mine just not living long enough for one reason or another? I should prolly move it to a bigger pot too. The first one is N. bellii the second is the bellii hibrid.

Andrew

 

[MrFus]

I have a Bellii and its the only one that give problems, it looks like its doing good for a couple of weeks and then some of the leaves die and slow the grow on general for another couple of weeks... I will say its like the temperament on general of that variety of plants because the rest of the plants are growing really good (my rafflesiana grow super fast each new pitcher is at less 25% bigger than the last, the same for the ampullaria).

 

[phissionkorps]

I'm afraid the only way to solve that problem is to cut the top off and send it to me. Haha but seriously, the basals look fine, but the main vine does not. Often, when there are multiple basals, it drains the energy from the main vine which eventually dies (though the basals will live on. So if I were you I'd either take a cutting or separate a basal or two. Conversely, you could try to spray the plant with 50-100 ppm GA3 to halt leaf senescence. That probably won't help the plant in the long term, as I'm sure you'd have to do it a couple of times, and it might not even solve the problem w/ the main vine.

 

[adnedarn]

MrFuss- this is the only one I can think of that looks like this too... Well, of the ones I can't explain lol

Phisson- I've thought about cutting the tops off before, mainly for the reason you describe. Have anything lowland you'd be interested in trading for some? PM me Thanks for your opinions.

 

[schloaty]

Hey all, I must agree with Phiss on a couple of points

1) more light = better. Almost universally true
2) BAD idea to grow raf as terrarium plant. They get BIG.

As far as speed goes, mine grows in spurts. Couple of months xzooooom, couple of months in the pit stop mode. Not sure why. Seems to pitcher in batches, too. This is my big one, anyway. The babies are still too small for me to have formed an oppinion on their growth patterns.

Glider, I should have broght my raf to the show, but there was just not more room in my car!

 

[MrFus]

hey adnedarn do some of the leaves on your bellii have a tint of red on the leaves?

 

[adnedarn]

Yes, quite red actually.

 

[MrFus]

On the past I have see plants get a red tint or even purple, The plants were under artificial lights so its only a guess to thinks the exposure to unfiltered light and/or level of UV have to do some on the coloration on leaves...

 

[phissionkorps]

Think of the coloration as sunscreen. Its like when you go out in the sun and get a tan. The pigmentation is put there for protection.

 

[jm82792]

Okay,well I am still thinking about trying some micro neps since it would be a waste to get a 50 gallon tank then have things outgrow it in months. I am thinking about doing a few thing like build a large polycarb indoor mini greenhouse that would take over my closet(that is emtey and has no door) but I think my mom would not like it unless it was perfect astetically. Maybe I dunno ,it would look good if I had plexiglass for the front,corragated for the back and sides. I grew ventricosa in hawaii sun all day long it had redish leafs,I killed things in hawaii like lots of things from the hawaii sun cp wise. I am going to work with my dad in hawaii(2 hours away from the nep nuseries) the ticket is bought so I am sorta his slave for 10 days. I will take some pics of some of the large native hawaiin garden and of the neps I gave her.
Since there doing so well in her extremely hot(bright) greenhouse I wish she would order some from hilo but she is scared of getting a pest that is on that side of the island. I think she could grow bicals(many lowlanders) without trying Well in about 3 weeks I will show some pics of the garden. She has put like (If I can remember)$300,000 into the garden so it is a nice sight. Well I think that was why she was so scared of me having goats right down the street of her

 

[Pyro]

There are actually a number of very experienced Nep growers who would argue that Neps grow and pitcher better under somewhat lower light conditions. The argument is that Neps rarely grow in fully exposed conditions in situ.

FWIW in my years of growing I have found that my plants seem to do better under lower light conditions as well (i.e. 1m below the HID rather than the 0.5m below that gets best growth for other sun-loving plants like Helies and Drosera.) But that may just be my set up...

One thing I like about my raff "giant" is that it adapted easily to growing as a windowsill plant. My beast is probably close to 1m tall and nearly as wide. Quite the weed

 

[phissionkorps]

A variety of lowlanders grow in full sun on the wild. Also, partial shade at 3000m = full sun at ground level. I wouldn't put my neps in full sun though, but some people do (some ppl in Hawai'i, Ludwig has some in full sun), and they look absolutely amazing.

 

[MrFus]

My are outside, they get a little bit of shade on the morning but after +-2pm until sunset they get full sun, and now they get even more because of the sun position...

Apart of the red pigments on the leaves of the bellii and some red on my albomarginata all are doing great, good size and healthy pitchers.

 

[adnedarn]

here are some updated photos of the newest pitcher on this plant...

Andrew