Carnivorous Plants - Indoor Windowsill Tour Summer 2024

[@keithmartland6463]

Swap you my plants for yours! Ha! Really stunning Neps

[@davidb5255]

Thanks but no chance I'll swap, especially my hamata! What do you have BTW?

[@keithmartland6463]

@@davidb5255 Manley the same as you, but my nep's are a hell of a lot smaller

[@averageanimations3391]

is your spect x veitchii the BE3664?

[@davidb5255]

Sorry but I don't know which clone it is, I bought it from a really good seller on ebay who I have bought the majority of my Nepenthes from. He has some really good plants he takes cuttings from and also does his own crosses.

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

For your nepenthes what’s your average relative humidity?

[@davidb5255]

Wow good question, to be honest I don't know, I've not got anything I could use to measure it. The humidity mostly comes from the small (< 5mm) amount of water I keep in the trays most of the time, although I do let that dry out between waterings. On rare occasions I might mist the leaf tips of the odd plant to encourage the trap formation, but that is only if I remember which I don't tend to. So whatever the humidity is the plants seem happy enough with it that they grow well and trap pretty consistently.

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

@@davidb5255 Either way, that’s awesome. I have my nepenthes in my homemade greenhouse, a controlled environment, humidity constantly around 80 percent. From so many sources saying at least 60 percent. But they higher humidity the better. I saw a video of a guy growing lowland nepenthes OUTSIDE. I asked him how he’s done that and he replied he lives in the Philippines. Well that’s easy enough, that’s where they come from. Cool!

[@davidb5255]

For humidity I think if you asked 10 different people you would get 10 different answers. Ultimately the real answer depends on the species or hybrid you are growing and where they would live naturally, i.e. lowland, intermediate or highland. I doubt I get more than 60% humidity but so far the ones I have seem to love it. It's possible there is one maybe two that don't pitcher as frequently as the others but that could just be variation in the vigor of the hybrid rather than too low humidity. When I first started growing carnivorous plants some 40 years ago I stuck to Sarracenia, Drosera and Pinguicula as back then the Nepenthes needed grow tents with 25+'C temperatures all the time and 80+% humidity, something I just don't have the space to accomodate. I think in recent years with Nepenthes popularity growing there are so many excellent hybrids which are tollerant to really wide ranges of temperatures and humidity that you can grow them quite successfully on just a windowsill, see #windowsillnepenthes as an example. Some of the ones I have, hamata as an example, I've heard varying comments on whether you can grow that on a windowsill with maybe not optimal conditions, but just look at mine, it's stunning, doing way better than I could have possibly hoped for. I think there is also an aspect of adaption, within reason, that Nepenthes are prepared to do and still thrive. Again this from what I have heard depends a lot on the hrybrid. BTW where do you live and what sorts of Nepenthes do you have growing in your greenhouse?

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

@@davidb5255 That’s awesome you’re growing a Hamata. It looks great. I’d love to have one someday. I kinda have limited space in my greenhouse, and I think they’re expensive. I’ll have to get a hybrid. I live in Illinois, I have three Gayas and one Veitchii x Mira x lowii. I was told they’re good intermediate, beginner plants. All of them under a simple shop light from Harbor and freight and they’re growing well.

[@davidb5255]

@@DeadlyPlants2024 My Hamata was quite expensive, IIRC it was around £110 or approx 140USD, but well with it. Bought it with a load of others from Scottish Carnivorous Plants, that video is on my channel also if you are interested.

[@glennsworldoffun]

That's ventrata not alata

[@davidb5255]

The garden center I bought it from many many years ago lied to me 😮 Worst still I've been telling people it's alata all this time when it's not. Thanks for pointing out my mistake, you are right I looked up the difference, Windowsill Nepenthes had a good video, this is indeed not alata. I'll be out with my labelling pen later to correct this.