Summer Growing @ Zone 7 (Olympia, WA)

[seedjar]

So, I'm wondering who (if anyone) has been growing Neps outdoors during the warm season. Specifically, I'm hoping to find some folks that are working within USDA zone 7/8 in coastal/latoral climates. I've had my largest ten or so Neps growing uncovered for most of the winter and I'm curious to try a few outdoors once it's warm enough. The candidates are all highlanders, so I'm pretty sure they'll work if anything will.
Anyways, who's got experience with this stuff? Any tips? I think I'm going to just use some cheesecloth or semi-translucent plastic for shade, and eventually move them into full sun during the early part of the day. Failing that, the other side of my yard gets a few hours of noonday sun in spots and tree-filtered PM light.
Thanks,
~Joe

 

[bianchi914]

I have never tried it i live in oregon so tell me how it works out for you

 

[Its_a_friday]

i grew my ventrata outside last year from early july to late october. It started out 5 inches tall and grew to 1 ft tall. I didn't have to worry about thrips and other bugs eating the plant because ventrata has relatively thick waxy leaves.

 

[Nitecrawler]

I plan to grow my two n. ventricosas outside this summer in Northern California, along with a ventrata. Given enough acclimation time I think it will be good for them, and hopefully they won't miss a beat.

 

[JMurphy97]

I know one year I had a ventrata outside where it did have some protection from a big tree. But it was always filled with bees and it grew great and I'm in zone 5. Last year I tried with the predator and black dragon but they kinda burned from being in full sun. I really did'nt acclimate them though.

 

[Capslock]

Any khasiana hybrid should work - I've grown N. truncata x khasiana outdoors all winter long! The most cold-tolerant nep I've ever had is N. ventricosa x aristolochioides, which I've had outdoors for two years, winter included (been down to freezing several times.)

Dappled light is the best - and make sure they get their water - they dry out faster outdoors.

Capslock

 

[brisco225]

I placed my entire highland collection outdoors twice so far (kinda). The first go around they lived in two 55 gallon fishtanks outdoors. They were in a shaded area growing under shop lights. Most did a great job, especially the N. tentucata. The second go-around they were in one of those cheaper "greenhouses" from Fred Meyers with morning sunshine. Both years I brought them in when it got cold. This year I am going to place them on my covered deck with grow lights again but without the fishtanks or greenhouse. My rationale is to keep them under the lights so when I transition them back indoors, they don't need to re-acclimate from real sunshine to lights again.

Several years back, another nepenthes grower placed his in fishtanks outdoors on his deck starting around May. They did great also.

 

[seedjar]

I placed my entire highland collection outdoors twice so far (kinda). The first go around they lived in two 55 gallon fishtanks outdoors. They were in a shaded area growing under shop lights. Most did a great job, especially the N. tentucata. The second go-around they were in one of those cheaper "greenhouses" from Fred Meyers with morning sunshine. Both years I brought them in when it got cold. This year I am going to place them on my covered deck with grow lights again but without the fishtanks or greenhouse. My rationale is to keep them under the lights so when I transition them back indoors, they don't need to re-acclimate from real sunshine to lights again.

Several years back, another nepenthes grower placed his in fishtanks outdoors on his deck starting around May. They did great also.

Interesting... that gives me a lot of confidence. I like your idea about the lights, but I don't have a spot where that's possible. Besides which, one of the reasons I move my plants outdoors is to save on electricity. My house has skylights and big windows, so they already get some diffuse sunlight where they are inside. I was thinking about moving them to an eastern facing window before they go outside as well, so hopefully that treatment will allow them to make a good transition.
Thanks for the species tips, Caps. I'm looking at species and crosses in the ventricosa, alata, sanguinea, maxima and vietchii areas for the time being so I think they should all be good. I had an N. aristolochioides cutting a while back but it never really struck roots well and kicked it a few months after I received it... I'm wishing now that I'd just left it on my back porch for a month or two instead of trying to baby it in my terrarium. N. vent. x aristo is one of my "dream plants." N. khasiana and company (N. vent. x khasi in particular) are also on my wishlist, for the very reason you describe. (They'll all go together with my N. eymae and N. ventricosa x inermis on the "weird pitchers" shelf.) Your anecdote about the winter isn't particularly impressive though; last week here it snowed, yesterday intermittent hailstorms. Oh how I wish I could compare to SF bay weather.
~Joe