Outside plants, come on in

[ritlane]

Hello all,
  I have been living in Austin TX for a while now (I can tell, I'm starting to think this weather is cold).  I have been growing a large Nep. Coccinea outside with great success this summer.
 I'm wondering if any other Austin residents are doing the same thing.  If so, when do you bring the plants inside?
 Temperatures now range from the mid (sometimes low) 50s to the mid to high 70s. [forecast for my area]
 The plant has done very well so far, and I'd like to continue with the success by bringing it indoors before it gets too cold.


---Lane

 

[RamPuppy]

hey ritlane...

Im just a few miles south and have been to scared to try a nep outside just yet...

but I am planning on leaving my sars out all year this time around... bolstered by the fact my oreo has already gone dormant...

However, I think that th3 50 degree nights were getting here in south texas now are probably a little to cold for a nepenthes right now... especially a lowlander...

I doubt it will do anything but slow your plant down, but I am truly not sure...

sorry!

 

[ritlane]

"to scared to try a nep outside just yet"

You really should...
I was worried about trying, when I first moved down here at the beginning of summer, but I decided to give it a try... I had made some clippings, so it wouldnt' be a total loss...

Anyway, the plant absolutly exploded, and put out a lot of really dark read pitchers.

The trick is, this was a larger hanging basket Nep, much larger than is sold at PFT. They sell them at a certian location in Austin quite often, along with some other mature sars.*

The trick is, as far as I see.... having a large plant (because then it's in a large basket) to hold a lot of water. I also gave it only rising sun for about 2 hours, the rest was ambient. I ended up giving it 8-12 oz. of water per day. Especially on the hot days skipping days was not an option.

I think I'll give the plant another week outside now... I'm hoping this colder weather might induce some flowering.

---Lane

*PM me if you don't already know where this is, even though their products and PFT don't overlap, I still don't think it would be nice to advertise.

 

[RamPuppy]

rit---

I don't think any of my plants are big enough... but the thing you have to remeber is I have a western exposure, brutal afternoon sun... and on top of that, it gets about 102 down here when it hits 98 up there...

I may try with a species that can take the humidity and the likes abusive heat... :{ don't know when I will have a chance though.

 

[cephalotus88]

Man neps outside? I have seen some high land ones outside hear in CA, but i would never imagine Texas lol

.

 

[swords]

I can't add any info about Texas outdoors but I have done great with south-eastern sun exposure for Sarracenias and Cobras in south/central Minnesota (the tiny town of Chaska to be exact). My Nepenthes x Mixta grew tons of leaves but the pitchers never formed, even with twice daily misting from June til Sept (when our air hit the low 50s at night) but premade pitchers (those on the plant before I brought it outside for the experiment) lasted until the 50*F nights started but then they dessicated, seemed like almost overnight.  

  When I visited my pal in Plano (North Texas, I know) the air seemed much dryer than 90+ degree air when I'm back here in MN. So nepenthes pitchers might be quite hard to produce in dry sun.