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Oh Darn... In a Bit of Trouble!

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
Today I purchased two Nepenthes, both rather large. I was told that they were both highlanders, which proved true for one, but I was too dense to realize the species of one of the hybrids were of the lowland and ultra lowland variety! The lowlander is an N. x 'Momoka' (insignis x merrilliana)... Insignis being the ultra lowlander, merriliana being the lowlander... So what can I do to keep it alive, let alone happy? My night time temperatures are in the 50s, but on nights when it goes into the 40s I turn on the heater which keeps it in the high 50s. Daytime temperatures are ideally in the 80s, sometimes more if it's a hot day, sometimes less if its a cool day. I was told this cross grows well as an intermediate to highlander, which is why I bought it. Still a newbie at this stuff though. Any help will be appreciated!
 
It will like the 80's day temps, but won't really like the 50's day temps at all. This winter my lowlanders experienced your type of highlander conditions and they stopped growing completely. To be honest (according to what I saw with my lowlanders this winter) the best thing to do would be to seal it off in your greenhouse somehow and vent a bit of the heaters exhaust in there, or give it away. SOme lowlanders can grow in highland conditions ( N. bicalarata) but their pitchers are a bit different. You should leave it alone first to see how it cops with the environment.
 
It will like the 80's day temps, but won't really like the 50's day temps at all. This winter my lowlanders experienced your type of highlander conditions and they stopped growing completely. To be honest (according to what I saw with my lowlanders this winter) the best thing to do would be to seal it off in your greenhouse somehow and vent a bit of the heaters exhaust in there, or give it away. SOme lowlanders can grow in highland conditions ( N. bicalarata) but their pitchers are a bit different. You should leave it alone first to see how it cops with the environment.

Thanks for the reply! I've only had my greenhouse up since the dead of winter, so it may get warmer than I expect in the summer. Since the dude I got it from said it grows well as an intermediate/highlander, let's hope that he grew it as that, because it obviously did well. If it does well I'll keep it, but if not, I know where I can give it a good home with a lowland chamber. How hot of temperatures can it take? Would it dislike being in a glass terrarium if it doesn't do well in the normal greenhouse temperatures? I don't want to roast it, hehe.
 
as long as theres a good amount of humidity and some shade, then it should do fine in a lowland chamber.
 
Just read a bit more about both species. Some people say they do well as intermediate. I read one account where insignis was grown as a highlander outside and only slowed growth in the winter, but liked the summer temperatures. Merrilliana does well as intermediate too. Maybe "hybrid vigor" appears in this cross allowing it to grow in warmer highland conditions, like mine? I'll post an update in a bit after I see how it does. I'll closely monitor growth. Thanks for the help, Lance!
 
My bical hated 50's but I have my low set to 60 in the GH and everything's seems to be doing fine.

Have to just play with it s lil. Never assume with hybrids.
 
It's going to get huge, I can tell you that now. N. merilliana is a massive plant, and N. insignis forms basals readily, and the pitchers can attain massive size.

It might be able to grow as an intermediate. N. x mixta and 'Miranda' can grow as both lowlanders and highlanders, even though both parents (maxima x northiana) are lowlanders. It all depends on what the parents plants are adapted to.
 
It's going to get huge, I can tell you that now. N. merilliana is a massive plant, and N. insignis forms basals readily, and the pitchers can attain massive size.

It might be able to grow as an intermediate. N. x mixta and 'Miranda' can grow as both lowlanders and highlanders, even though both parents (maxima x northiana) are lowlanders. It all depends on what the parents plants are adapted to.

Since the dude said it was an intermediate highlander, which is what he was growing it as, there's a good chance it is adaptable. It was a hobbyist I bought it from, so he had grown the plant himself and he probably knows what it likes. It will probably just slow down in the winter and it will love the summer I suppose.

Pitcher on the right...
352npcp.jpg


New pitcher...
sbjwyf.jpg
 
That is quite the beast...

Do you have a warmer part of the house? Ultimately you will probably want to grow it separately from the rest of your plants.
 
  • #10
Yeah, that's just a teazer of the size it will reach if cared for correctly. Give it a year and watch what happens.
 
  • #11
That is quite the beast...

Do you have a warmer part of the house? Ultimately you will probably want to grow it separately from the rest of your plants.

Not an official warmer part of the greenhouse, but I have all of my nepenthes growing about half way back from the door. They're in direct line of the heater/cooler. Will the 50F night temperatures stunt its growth (if it isn't adaptable to HL conditions) if the day temperature are in the mid eighties or close to nineties? I'm hoping that since the guy said it was a highland intermediate that it would adapt to that. I believe that is what he was growing it as, as most of his collection was highland to my knowledge. Every plant I recognized by name that he had was a highlander.

Yeah, that's just a teazer of the size it will reach if cared for correctly. Give it a year and watch what happens.

Ooo, goodie! I like big pitchers. :boogie:
 
  • #12
Not an official warmer part of the greenhouse, but I have all of my nepenthes growing about half way back from the door. They're in direct line of the heater/cooler. Will the 50F night temperatures stunt its growth (if it isn't adaptable to HL conditions) if the day temperature are in the mid eighties or close to nineties? I'm hoping that since the guy said it was a highland intermediate that it would adapt to that. I believe that is what he was growing it as, as most of his collection was highland to my knowledge. Every plant I recognized by name that he had was a highlander.



Ooo, goodie! I like big pitchers. :boogie:

Yeah I was asking if you had a warmer part of your house. Generally the houses we live in aren't suitable for Highland Nepenthes, but would do just fine for lowlanders if you mist them often or erect some sort of humidity dome.

Just a thought!

It may very well do just fine in intermediate or highland conditions, who knows. I am unfamiliar with this cross and both its parents.
 
  • #13
Yeah I was asking if you had a warmer part of your house. Generally the houses we live in aren't suitable for Highland Nepenthes, but would do just fine for lowlanders if you mist them often or erect some sort of humidity dome.

Just a thought!

It may very well do just fine in intermediate or highland conditions, who knows. I am unfamiliar with this cross and both its parents.

Sorry, I misread!

I'm actually clearing out a closet and it should be empty within the next few months. I'm thinking of using my 29g aquarium currently in use for housing my highlanders (moving them out to the greenhouse slowly) as a lowland terrarium in the closet. I'll just need to come up with some ways to heat it up during the day. It will stay around 65F at night, as it is staying there now with my highlanders.

I did some looking around and found a vendor carrying that exact cross, so I assume that is where the hobbyist I bought it from got his mother plant from. I sent the vendor a message on another forum regarding the adaptability of this hybrid to highland conditions, so I'll let you all know what is said when I get a reply.
 
  • #14
The vendor I asked said that they had never tried growing the cross in highland conditions, but they thought it wouldn't be adaptable. Who knows. It looks like the new leaf it is putting out is growing, so that's a good sign.
 
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