Re: growing boxes, ventilation & Nepenthes

Robert Allen (Robert.Allen@Eng.Sun.COM)
Fri, 9 Apr 93 09:34:30 PDT

>>I've recently constructed a growbox for my lowland Neps and I was wondering
>>what other experiences people have with something similar. My construction
>>consists of: A 4 shelf metal Metro-rack, covered with a plastic shower
>>curtain (with a white flower pattern. More on that in a second). The
>>shelves themselves are also covered with plastic and sealed (so each shelf
>>is a seperate area). On the shelves I put large trays filled with pebbles

You can save weight and hassle by going to a local plastics
store and having sheets of diffraction grating cut to the size
of your trays. This is the stuff with 1/2" square holes in it,
and it's about 1/2" thick (sort of like a holey waffle). It
comes in white and chrome plated. The chrome looks nice but is
more expensive. I use this in my fishtank terrariumand it works
quite well at keeping the plants out of the water.

>>Now, onto my questions:
>> 2. This thing gives zero ventilation. I've read Neps love muggy
>> stagnant air. Is this true? If so, I know another plant
>> which loves stagnant air, too. Mold. Any good ideas on
>> preventing mold from developing?

You don't need zero ventilation. It basically depends on the N.
species (I grow N. ventricosa *outdoors* year round in the SF Bay
area). Lowland species will want 70-80 degree temps and high
humidity, but a little ventilation shouldn't hurt.

Robert