Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 14:40:59 +0930 From: Kevin Cook <K.Cook@bom.gov.au> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3283$foo@default> Subject: Low Humidity Tolerant Nepenthes
During Darwin's Dry Season (May - Oct) I had all my Nepenthes growing
outside on a North facing balcony (ie the sunny side for that time of the
year). Relative humidity was typically 30 to 40% but some days it dropped
below 20%. I don't mist my plants for various reasons and I water them
with tap water (which in Darwin is good).
Here's what happened:
The ampullarias stopped growing and small rosettes and pitchers died back,
but all plants remained otherwise healthy (in effect I let them go
dormant). The 2 truncatas kept producing leaves and pitchers, including
one huge one. The thorelli and its cutting also grew leaves and
pitchers. A rafflesiana grew some lovely pitchers, as did a xHookeriana.
Most of my assorted veitchii hybrids stopped pitchering but continued to
grow leaves. The exception was my maxima x vetichii (xTiveyi) which
produced a huge pitcher in the middle of the driest time of the year. My 2
maxima x ventricosa's also grew very well, one in particular produced lots
of ptichers and leaves. A thorelli x tobaica, an alata x truncata, and a
ventricosa x (alata x mirablis) also pitchered throughout the dry season.
All of these plants received some direct sunlight each day. Temperatures
20 to 32 degrees Celsius.
I was very conscientious with watering and made sure that a little water
was in the tray at the start of each day.
Happy growing
Kevin Cook
Darwin
Australia
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