Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 21:51:08 -0500 From: garkoinsf@netscape.net To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3278$foo@default> Subject: Re: windowsill nepenthes
Hi everyone--
I grow a very large N. sanguinea (green form, although it reddens quite a bit
in the angular winter sun)) and N. ventricosa in a south-facing bedroom
window in San Francisco's fog belt. Both are doing fine, although the larger
the sanguinea gets, the more frequently it needs to be watered. I also saved
a N. khasiana from a very dark and wet nursery display and have placed it in
the same environment. It has produced its first healthy pitcher and seems to
be on the road to recovery. In an east-facing, morning sun window (in my gas
stove kitchen, no less), I'm growing N. maxima (highland Sulawesi) and N.
alata (highland, purple-spotted)in hanging orchid baskets over my sink. The
alata has had a growth spurt, sending out tendrils willy-nilly left and
right, and the maxima is continuing vigorous growth, but has halted pitcher
production while it braces its climbing stem by growing its huge leaf-like
petioles against the basket's hanging wires. I'm confident that once it
feels it has adequate support, the pitchers will form normally. The ambient
humidity fluctuates, especially when direct sun floods the south-facing
windows and the air gets bone dry. I've forgotten to water the plants and
have gone to lift their pots and found them incredibly light--so they must've
been dry. I never mist them. And yet, all are doing quite well. I've found
them to be highly resilient houseplants. BTW, I use Peter D'Amato's
Nepenthes mix recipe in The Savage Garden, and water my plants with RO water.
The N. sanguinea really does need a larger pot (I have it growing in a 14"
wooden basket), but dread repotting a big floppy plant with pitchers filled
with water and decaying insect carcasses. What methods do other Nepenthes
growers use to re-pot their plants?
Gary Kong
garkoinsf@netscape.net
BTW, if anyone would like to see pictures of my plants, email me privately
and I'll send you pics.
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