osmosis

Mine was lowland, then highland. It hated the change - thought I would lose it for a while, growing point died. Now it seems to have adjusted and it is growing again with basals and a new growing point

Agreed - I have some very vigorous Helis, both large and small but sarracenioides just seems to crawl along. If there is a secret, I clearly haven't found it. I have tried in different light levels, with no perceptible difference. The other thing I am blooming frustrated in is ionasii - it not has 5 inch juvenile pitchers and multiple crowns, but only ever produced one adult pitcher 6 months ago - I know it is meant to be slow to mature, but 3 years from TC seems an awful stretch - any secrets here?

Sept this year - biggest I've managed so far

Great looking setup. If it ever does get too large I would be very happy to make you an offer.

More expeditions to Mt. Mantalingahan. Doesn't mention Nepenthes, but this seems to be an area of generally high diversity or endemism http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/...rticle_id=80239

Thanks for the comments. No particular secrets - I just try to get as close to the 'highland ideal' as the variable British (not jungle unfortunately) weather and my purse will allow. Indeed, I hope to be able to post a few more '2 years in the life of' collections and other updates in the future. I love sharing all this stuff, a feeling only spoiled by the paranoia that some b*stard will latch on to the posts I have made and come up with the idea of going robbing - as has happened to me in the past with orchids. Regrettably we clearly have a few light fingered people among us already, as recent open days have proved. This is a particular shame, as one of the reasons I love CPs is the great community spirit. I have some comfort that anyone in my neck of the woods will be very visible and I do take technological precautions, which I will not elaborate on for obvious reasons. Best to all, Dave

Nice one Tony - this is one of my favourites, Is this the one Andreas was selling a while back? My own has slightly different colouration. I don't know, but I get the impression there are very few clones of this in circulation. Dave

Just starting to show characteristics of those wonderful elegant uppers

Didn't think this would get any bigger, but it has. Now a shade under 9 inches. Does it get any bigger? This looks intermediate to me - are the uppers smaller?

On arrival June 2005. Unfortunately the clone was not identified and Andreas has since been unable to tell me which it was Pitcher December 2005 April 2006 September 2006 - Gorgeous colour and superb peristome Whole plant (front,right) September 2006. It's now strongly vining - about 1 1/2ft long Mature lower pitcher October 2006 Intermediate pitcher July 2007 - losing the intense colour, but I love this :) Next - proper upper? July 2007. I am looking forward to seeing this, but I have seen some examples in cultivation which do not match the attractiveness of the wild photographs. Time will tell

We have a winner!

Superb - all correct, except for ??? of course (not another spec nov. Sumatra). :)

Four rather similar looking species at this age Not too easy to tell apart

I don't drink it - but it seems to be becoming the standard international SI unit of Nepenthes pitcher size, or the 2L bottle for larger plants :)

Yes, it is. From BE. It is getting more beautiful with each pitcher, and seem to hold it's peristome flared quite nicely. I will still be as far up the queue as I can elbow when Robs black truncata seedlings are released. Interesting point. Mine had a lovely flush of pitchers earlier this year (see here http://pitcherplants.proboards34.com/index...read=1180575749 ) they all died off quite fast - it was only at it's best for 3-4 weeks, and were replaced by the one pictured above, which is the largest I have had. Lowers seem to be more persistent Yes, from Wistuba - it's now got a strong basal as well. Not vining, but then I'm not sure they ever do. I am not sure what size they have to be to flower, either

Sorry to dissapoint, but I don't have much of a feeding program. I pitcher feed crickets and houseflies from time to time Last year I foliar fed with diluted orchid fertiliser regularly. I haven't this year and haven't noticed any difference. I'm not saying this is the best thing to do - just what I have been doing. My opinion of key factors for success are to drive the plants with as much sun while keeping humidity above 80% and temperature below 26oC, to get them bursting with energy in the day. What I know I can impove on is night temperature to stop that energy leaking away. I'm just about to put in a time triggered thermostat to force vent about 23:00 to drive down night temperature in the summer. Here's my hamata, BTW

Wsituba clone

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070603/Plus/pls15.html Borneo Exotics wins another gold at Chelsea By Hiranthi Fernando Borneo Exotics has reached the top slot once again, winning a coveted Gold medal at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show 2007 held in May in London. The Sri Lanka-based company’s display of Nepenthes in the category Carnivorous Plants, reached the high standard required to be awarded a Gold for the second year running. To cap it all, their exhibit has also been nominated for the Anthony Huxley Trophy for the second year. This highly acclaimed trophy is awarded for the best exhibit of ornamental plants shown in all the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) shows in Britain during the year. In April 2007, Borneo Exotics became the first ever Sri Lankan company to be awarded this special annual award for their display at the Chelsea Flower Show 2006. “The Gold Medal at the 2007 Chelsea Flower Show was won by the unanimous vote of 13 judges,” said an elated Robert Cantley, Founder and Managing Director of Borneo Exotics. Exhibitors at the Chelsea Flower Show are by invitation and only previous medalists at Royal Horticultural Society shows are eligible for consideration. Borneo Exotics first launched their product at the RHS Great Autumn Show in London in 2004. The judges voted unanimously to award a Gold Medal and issued an invitation to make an application for a place at the Chelsea Flower Show 2005. They were later presented an additional award from the President of the RHS for ‘The Best New Entrant to the London Flower Shows for 2004’. At their first appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2005, Borneo Exotics narrowly missed a Gold Medal and were awarded a Silver Gilt Medal, which is a category between Gold and Silver. Mr. Cantley explained that the exceptionally cold weather in London that year caused some damage to the plants, which was noted by the judges who were looking for perfection. The display reached perfection at the 2006 show, when they were unanimously awarded a Gold Medal and subsequently the Anthony Huxley Trophy for the display as well. For the display in 2007, over twenty varieties of Nepenthes were used. Dixon Wickremasinghe, Export Sales Manager explained that about 69 plants were taken to London to be used in the display. The display was set in a landscape, which was not fully wet nor dry, which is where the Nepenthes ideally grows. Two new hybrid species Ampullaria x sibuyansis and Veitchii x lowii were used in this year’s display. “No one else in the world has these plants,” Mr. Wickremasinghe said. In view of the special achievements of Borneo Exotics, the Export Development Board, in conjunction with the Sri Lanka High Commission in London made arrangements for a display of Kandyan dancers in front of the Borneo Exotics exhibit on Press Day at the show. The dancers were well appreciated by the visitors to the show. Mr. Wickremasinghe said the company was very grateful to several people whose cooperation helped them to achieve what they did. “We would like to thank the Sri Lanka Customs Export Department, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Wildlife for helping with the CITES export permits, the Board of Investment and SriLankan Airlines for their cooperation in transporting the plants in ideal conditions.”

I grow P. gypsicola, P.moctezumae, P.jaumevensis, P.laueana, P.cyclosecta and P.ehlersae. All do beautifully with my highland neps

Thanks for the comments. I haven't purposely subjected it to a dry season, but it does grow in a very open medium - as I said, the same medium I use for my highland neps (fine orchid bark, rockwool, perlite, charcoal and NZ spagnum with a sprinkling of sphagnum moss peat) I also use the same for all my helis All my plants are overhead watered frequently, most get as much light as I can give them without overheating the greenhouse. Humidity kept usually above 70% at all times, the U.quelchii is also quite close to the hydrofogger plume which will very lightly mist it in the day U. alpina (normal and giant), endresii and longifolia grow and flower well in the same conditions

Thanks for the info Daniel, and yes it is 'BG Bonn' I take it the original location for this is not known?

Grows with my highland neps in the same open media, and watered just like them Question for Utric experts - how do you set seed on these flowers, and will it be self fertile? Are there any other colour variations? -this one is more magenta than red, which wasn't quite what I was expecting I think I might be ready to try my hand at campbelliana now, if anyone has any likely to be available?

I bought a 250w Metal halide rig for my highland nep greenhouse a few years back. It covers a length of bench about 5 ft long, produces light levels of about 10Klux, I think, about 2 ft above the plants. I must say I've been rather dissapointed at the results, I guess I had hopes of things romping away with lots of light, warming the leaves in the day and then good temperature drops at night. In reality it seems to keep most things ticking over, some things thrive under it, but there doesn't seem to be any substitute for real sun.

I just love the fur on developing pitchers

Yep - they're fed a couple of crickets per pitcher and I spray all of my plants with dilute orchid fertiliser now and then. I don't put anything into the media - which I flush though at pretty much every watering No idea how much good it does but I haven't killed anything yet