Martin Hingst Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 (edited) Hello, after having had success with my h. het x min on a window sill (see http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=18634 and http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20510 I am now trying out some species. This time I'd like to report the whole thing from the beginning, no matter if it will work or fail. Species: chimantensis and minor, watering on the tray (always about 2cm)´, light 35W HCI colour 942. The lamp produces quite a bit of heat even in 1m distance, so humidity was very low, what the mosses caused to suffer, and the minor looks not very good either. So I brought in this fountain (this time self made, as one can see most probably ), something that worked well for my previous experiment. Here some pics: Let's see what happens. Regards Martin Edited June 1, 2008 by Martin Hingst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted March 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 (edited) First update 22.03.08 Of course not the ideal way to grow Heliamphora, but taking in account that the phase of acclimatisation was in the dark, dry winter months, I am not that unhappy. Not really sure with the minor any more, maybe a het x min? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Second update 01.06.08 About time to call it a success? Regards Martin Edited June 1, 2008 by Martin Hingst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langy Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Hi, Martin Your plants are looking good so far. Not really sure with the minor any more, maybe a het x min? The best way to tell the difference between H. minor and H. heterodoxa x minor is that H. minor has a dranage 'slit' whereas H. heterodoxa x minor has a drainage 'hole' in the pitcher. Regards Langy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted March 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Thanks for the advice Langy! But in my plants things look a bit different. Both my quite certain hybrid and minor have a closed drainage slit, as well as this uncertain plant here. The only difference in the drainage system seems to be that the margins of the opening are forming a closed circle in minor, whereas in the hybrid there remains a gap that narrows towards the drainage slit and closes just right above the slit itself. Or do you mean the same? Are there any other differences that are already to be seen even at such a young (and maybe still untypical formed) plant like this one? My scepsis came up by a look at the nectar spoon. Regards Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samoied Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 Hey, Martin It seems like a sucessfull experience until now! Your H. minor (pulchella?) seems to develop that characteristic deep color from habitat photos. I read people saying that is difficult to get these colors in cultivation. They seem to tolarate higher temperatures than I expect. Is the little Nepenthes a N. ventricosa? Regards Adilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted March 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) Your H. minor (pulchella?) seems to develop that characteristic deep color from habitat photos. I read people saying that is difficult to get these colors in cultivation. Hi Adilson, so you think it is H. minor ( or maybe H. pulchella) indeed? I began to doubt... That is the good thing with this lamp I use - though only 35W, it is a little Super nova! The bad thing is, that it produces much heat - and therefore drought. Something I still have to work on. The Nepenthes is N. x ventrinermis , and a N. truncata next to it. Regards Martin Edited March 28, 2008 by Martin Hingst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesredtraps Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I think that's a wonderful windowsill set-up,I enjoy your pictures-encouraging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Hello, two more pics added from today. I think I would call this experiment a success now. The minor (?) is far over the worst already, and the chimantensis looks quite well in between - new pitchers, new grow points - only the colouration and hairyness of the new pitchers (on the right) is not so strong as the winter pitchers. Not surprising though. Regards Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 I grew several Helis in a windowsill for several months with no problems and had a few flowers, eventually i moved them to a conservatory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Hi manders, thanks for another confirmation - which species did you grow? When I started this one here the result was at least uncertain to me - I did some searching and found many sceptical opinions about that - so I chose the word "experiment" here. Maybe mainly because "windowsill" is a very vage description - each one may be quite different to any other. This setup is placed at a south facing (or south/west facing) window, and the summers here in my part of Germany are quite hot, with day temps in the thirties (degrees Celsius) for many weeks, sometimes even in April, and the 40°C (100°F ) -level has been reached in most years. Night temps do not fall below 25°C then - quite tough conditions for a highland plant! So this story here still has some doubts to overcome - next documentation point will be at the end of summer. Regards Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vraev Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 wow martin....even in trial (comparitively) and un-natural conditions, your plants look better than a lot of those which I have seen grown in better conditions. Fantastic. :) Can u pls tell me somehting?? How long does it take for a nutans to finish a pitcher from start bud to somehting?? Sorry for hijacking your thread..but I got this nutans from a local buddy and I think this growth is new. thanks, V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) I've grown a Heliamphora ionassi x heterodoxa on an east facing windowsill, under a 6400k compact florescent light quite successfully. I think that a lot depends on how successful you are at acclimatise them. If you remove them from a very high humidity environment, straight to a windowsill then they are likely to suffer. Edited June 1, 2008 by mobile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 vraev - sorry but I find your question quite difficult to answer. Do you mean from juvenile to adult pitchers? That depends very much on the cultivation conditions, and if the plant is from seed or a division. In the latter case a division of an adult plant may start with juvenile pitchers first, but will soon form adult pitchers again - should take less than a year then, if conditions are OK. mobile, I agree - that acclimatisation phase is the decisive one. Not sure what point of time is worse for that, the cool but dry winter months or the more humid but hotter summer? I chose the winter and tried it with a local increase of humidity - I guess the fountain has helped a lot. Regards Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel O. Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Hi Martin, good job. They are looking very good, the colouration is really intensive. Perhaps i should try it with some plants too. Best regards, Dani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vraev Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Hi martin, Thanks for that info. You answered another question that I wanted to ask. However, what i meant is.... How long does a pitcher take to develop?? I mean from a small bud at that size as I posted all the way to a open functional fully formed pitcher? Most nepenthes (highlanders) take like 3 to 4 weeks to make a pitcher. What about helis? My minor is doing fine....takes like a couple of weeks to form a fully open mature pitcher. But nutans I am concerned about...I didn't really get it in good shape. thanks, Varun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Hi manders,thanks for another confirmation - which species did you grow? When I started this one here the result was at least uncertain to me - I did some searching and found many sceptical opinions about that - so I chose the word "experiment" here. Maybe mainly because "windowsill" is a very vage description - each one may be quite different to any other. This setup is placed at a south facing (or south/west facing) window, and the summers here in my part of Germany are quite hot, with day temps in the thirties (degrees Celsius) for many weeks, sometimes even in April, and the 40°C (100°F ) -level has been reached in most years. Night temps do not fall below 25°C then - quite tough conditions for a highland plant! So this story here still has some doubts to overcome - next documentation point will be at the end of summer. Regards Martin Nutans (maybe giant type) Heteroxida*Ionassii Hispida Minor Heteroxida*Minor I had no artifical light in an east facing window, humidity might have been ok as there was a lot of water sloshing around in the trays. The Heteroxida * Ionossii is the least tolerant of low humidity and if its ~40% humidity on a hot day they shrivel up, other ones were ok though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 I had no artifical light in an east facing window, humidity might have been ok as there was a lot of water sloshing around in the trays. The Heteroxida * Ionossii is the least tolerant of low humidity and if its ~40% humidity on a hot day they shrivel up, other ones were ok though. I didn't do anything artificial to increase the local humidity of my Heliamphora ionassi x heterodoxa. The original pitcher did shrivel but was soon replaced with a new one. It has a sphagnum moss topping, which I guess would help a little with the local humidity. The grower who supplied me said that he grew it in a cool greenhouse environment - summer 30% humidity or so , 40°C max and and winter 80% humidity, 5°C min. So, I guess it was already acclimatised when I received it. I now have it in a terrarium, simply because I have built one for other plants, but I'm sure it would have survived fine on the windowsill as it had done so for several months and was pitchering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 I didn't do anything artificial to increase the local humidity of my Heliamphora ionassi x heterodoxa. The original pitcher did shrivel but was soon replaced with a new one. It has a sphagnum moss topping, which I guess would help a little with the local humidity. The grower who supplied me said that he grew it in a cool greenhouse environment - summer 30% humidity or so , 40°C max and and winter 80% humidity, 5°C min. So, I guess it was already acclimatised when I received it. I now have it in a terrarium, simply because I have built one for other plants, but I'm sure it would have survived fine on the windowsill as it had done so for several months and was pitchering. I agree, mine was ok when it was in the window long term, it shrivelled up one day after it had been used to 70-80% humidity, one day I left the conservatory door open and the humidity plummeted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted June 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 (edited) Hello, vraev - maybe your pitcher is already fully developed? Is it open already? Normally I would say it takes just a few weeks. If yours needs much longer, then you should think about your conditions - maybe light first. manders, mobile, If you do not use artificial light, then the humidity may be suitable without anything elseon a windowsill. mobile, you wrote that you had some Sphagnum growing ontop, so you definately had a good humidity there. While the higher plants may adapt to different humidity levels, Sphagnum won`t. At least in my experience. I think one important decision to make is the amount of colouration you want. I love the Heliamphora for their colours and growth habit that they have in the wild. So I always try to get close to this (with more or less success). I would doubt there is a way to that without art. lighting on a windowsill in winter. But I have seen quite green but nice looking Heliamphora as well. Anyway, a matter of taste and effort you are accepting. Regards Martin Edited June 2, 2008 by Martin Hingst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 I think one important decision to make is the amount of colouration you want. I love the Heliamphora for their colours and growth habit that they have in the wild. So I always try to get close to this (with more or less success). I would doubt there is a way to that without art. lighting on a windowsill in winter Martin, I agree. Your plants have much more vivid and nicer colours that mine and that's undoubtably down to the lighting. With my ionassi x heterodoxa, only the nectar spoon colours to a nice red, the rest of the plant stays green. This is true of when it was on the windowsill and now that it is in the terrarium. I guess this is down to lighting intensity but my H. minor which is in the same terrarium takes on better colour. Here's a pciture of it a few months ago, since then it has put on more growth and I've trimmed the overactive moss.. Vraev, If you are refering to the juvenile pitcher in your picture then it appears to be fully grown to me as it looks like it may have opened - though a little difficult to be sure due to the picture angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted June 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 mobile, a nice example for what I had in mind nice shape, nice and colourful nectar spoon, good hairs on the inside - that is for sure a nice Heliamphora pitcher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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