Update on grow-tent (day/night temp. range)

[SWAGnum]

I've had my Nepenthes grow tent up for a couple weeks, and I have been recording the day/night temperature to get a feel for what conditions I get with no supplemental heating/cooling. I've been recording the min/max temps for each day, as well as the % humidity (I addressed this in another thread, found out I really need a humidifier!), so I can address any issues before they become problematic, and also so I can select appropriate Nepenthes varieties for my conditions in the future.

Over that past 2-3 weeks, my day temps have ranged from 85-92f and my night temps have ranged from 63-69f. I feel like this is somewhere on the border between "lowland" and "intermediate". When I made my first Nepenthes order, I played it safe and only got hybrids with one highland parent and one lowland parent.


I feel like my temperatures are good for most lowlanders and lowland hybrids, as well as some of the easier intermediate/highlanders (maxima, ventricosa, alata, etc.). What other varieties should do well in this temperature range? One species I am very interested in growing is N. veitchii "highland", but I think my temps might be a bit on the warm side for it.

 

[510thebay]

Pics please. I think a veitchii will be fine.

 

[SWAGnum]

I don't have any pics right now. My grow tent is the common store-bought variety that you see a lot of other growers using. I got it at a local hydroponics shop. The brand is "GrowLab", but that doesn't matter much since a bunch of manufacturers make what is essentially the same product . The lighting I'm using is a 4-foot 8-tube T5 HO fixture.

 

[DrWurm]

I would imagine that the veitchii will do fine in there. The fact that veitchii comes in both highland and lowland forms is evidence of its adaptability.

 

[SWAGnum]

Thanks, I will be getting a N. veitchii "highland", and possibly also a N. veitchii "lowland" if I can find one after I get my humidity issues taken care of.

 

[hcarlton]

The "highland" veitchii in reality probably fits a more intermediate label, much like the "highland" truncata. Both are rather tolerant, and your temps are definitely fine for lowland and intermediate plants. Any highlanders that can take warmer conditions might be worth a shot too.

Also, if you're recording humidity without any water evaporating in there, it's natural you'll find it on the low side. Humidity will increase if there are plants and soil causing water to evaporate.

 

[SWAGnum]

I moved about 15 plants into the grow tent 2 or 3 weeks ago. I have a few more being held for me at a certain northeastern carnivorous plant nursery for me to pick up after I get my humidity conditions improved (these are N. bellii and N. merrilliana hybrids, which can go into shock easily).

I know I need to improve my humidity (40-50% day, 70-80% night) because about half of my plants are showing symptoms of low humidity stress, like smaller leaves, aborted pitchers, and premature pitcher opening. Two of the plants I got, N. (kampotiana x ventricosa) x alata and N. thorellii x aristolochioides have been growing and pitchering vigorously despite the low humidity, but then again, I think these two crosses could survive a nuclear blast relatively unharmed.