Hi Alan,
If you have WWW access check out the CP FAQ page located at:
http://www.indirect.com/www/bazza/cps/faq/faq.html There is quite a lot
of information located there that will answer many such generic
questions. If you still have some specific questions after going
through the FAQ, ask away :-)
>P.S. I had bought a Madasgar Nepenthes that was not in very good
>condition about 2-3 months ago(it was the only one I had ever seen that I
>could buy and it was only about $4) I thought it had died and forgot
>about it, even though I kept it moist. I went off to college and when I
>went home for a weekend, much to my suprise, it had begun growing!!!!! (I
>suppose the roots wern't all dead) Anyway, can anyone give me some hints
>on the care of these plants. Mine looks like it is growing very well
>(about 1/4-1/2" in about a week for a plant no bigger that 1 1/2 "), but
>I just want to keep it that way.>
A good suggestion is to keep on doing whatever it is that you are doing as
your plant seems to have adapted to it's new conditions. Various people
keep these plants differently, and as long as you don't subject them to a
rapid change in environment (shock) they will probably stay pretty stable.
FWIW, Here are my conditions:
Soil: Mix of peat moss, long fibered sphagnum, sand, pearlite
(sp?), and charcoal.
Light: Four 40 watt tubes suspended over a terrarium.
Humidity: 70%
Water Distilled water, every two weeks, drenching the soil (do not
allow plant to sit or stand in water)
Temps I have seen N. madagascarienses listed as both a highland
and lowland variety. Here in Arizona I grow them as a lowland with lows of
70F in the winter and highs of 92F in the summer. Caution: I let the
temperature get up to 93F during one of the last weeks of summer, burned the
plant, and lost 90% of the current growth. The plant is however forming
lots of new basal shoots.
This plant is a slow grower for me but has very nicely colored moroon
coloring.
Hope this helps,
John in Phoenix
p.s. The tap water will catch up to you eventually. Use rain, distilled,
or RO water.