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By Jade
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Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454123
I got this N. Veitchii x Platychila x Veitchii (Bareo Squat) off of eBay last month. I’ve been trying to keep it indoors, but I have a humidity meter, and the readings are about 39% - 45% generally. I was worried this wasn’t enough so I mostly have it under my grow light with a humidity dome on.

I had read that Veitchii x Platychila could be grown in any of the growing conditions, but they did very well in intermediate conditions. I started getting it outside because the humidity at night is usually pretty high. I’m trying to acclimate it to the sun as well.

I had a little pitcher completely blacken, but there was new growth, so I thought it was just something to keep an eye on.

I now have 3 pitchers that are going the way of the first blackened one, but I also have two new ones that are fine and what looks like another one growing in.

So what should I do/what am I doing wrong. Also I wanted to make this a houseplant, but I want to help it get stronger before maybe trying to have it inside in the lower humidity.

And if I have it inside should I be using the humidity dome or just misting it every couple hours or when the top of the media is dry?
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The dry stuff at the bottom is just a couple pieces I believe of LFSM. The rest of the media is moist, but for some reason those pieces don’t seem to get wet even when I mist.
By Gary
Posts:  562
Joined:  Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:23 pm
#454131
I can only speak to acclimating N. ventrata, but it took about 2 months for my grocery store rescue plants to start behaving. They're now doing well in a bright window, watering about every three days, in 45 %rH. The pitchers that were on the plant when they came home shriveled and died, but new ones started growing in about a month later.
I should add that due to the extremely low humidity here in central AZ, I never tried placing them outside.
By Jade
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Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454135
Wow that is actually pretty much the exact progression as I’ve had. Only the old pitchers dying is happening at the same time as new growth. I’m thinking about getting a small humidifier for the room mine is in. We’re getting great humidity in Ohio right now, but it changes on a whim. I just thought taking it outside to get growth while I could might help but it didn’t seem like a great idea to keep moving it.

One other question out of curiosity. Do you mist yours or not? I’ve read a lot of places that say that can raise humidity, but someone on another site made a compelling argument that misting was just agitating the plant and the short rise in humidity just to keep falling and going back and forth would stress the plant. As of the past 2-3 weeks I’d say I’ve been misting sometimes but not super often because I’m not sure either way.

I know lower humidity levels like the extreme low in my house can at least slow growth which is ok as long as it’s healthy. So I think humidifier might be the only way to go unless misting is good.

Either way thank you so much for taking away a lot of my concerns for this particular problem. :D
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By Gary
Posts:  562
Joined:  Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:23 pm
#454146
I tried misting but it didn't seem to make much difference, but I still spray the tips of the tendrils. It took a little while to find out what watering frequency was good for them and a three day cycle seems to be what they like. I was overwatering at first and got blotchy red spots on the leaves. I also learned that too much direct sunlight caused red spots, so they're indoor plants for now.
I do take them in the bathroom when I shower and leave them in there for about an hour afterwards. The humidity gets up to about 80% when the shower is on.
They're growing in 100% LFSM but will probably need to be repotted next year as they're growing really fast.
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By Jade
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Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454151
Hmm. I thought that the coloration on the tendrils was pink and that was good, but maybe it’s red. I do need to look at it a bit closer I guess. By your Ventrata schedule (and I understand mine may be slightly different) I think I may have overwatered it. It was never wet except when I misted and that’s obviously just slight surface wetness where the water hit that went away fairly quickly under my lights, but the media is always damp.

I’m leaving it in the container and media it came in because I think it’s too small for me to tempt fate and repot. And since I have new growth, I’m assuming I’m doing something right but maybe slightly wrong on the water situation. Thank you so much for sharing what you do with yours it’s extremely helpful.
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By optique
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Posts:  2075
Joined:  Fri May 24, 2019 11:15 pm
#454157
Change will cause old pitchers to die back. The energy is better spent elsewhere. They just don't like change.

Why i was outside 10m ago.
ImageImage
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By Jade
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Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454159
:shock:

Ok so what are those called? Or are they the same thing with top and bottom pitchers? And if so what is that called? I assume that means pitchers that grow on top vs on the bottom, but I have quickly found out that assuming one thing with CPs just makes an expletive out of me lol. But I absolutely love those I need to put it on my list of things to look at for the future.

I really want to get a little bigger nep because right now I feel like everysingletinylittle thing I do is bad, and I am not sure if it’s because the plant is new, growing such ittybitty plants is new, or both. I’m pretty sure that even slightly bigger than what I have is gonna be a save for awhile type of buy. I further figure that I could probably save for years and maybe still not afford that one (or those two?) you have. :lol:

So okay it’s my changing the humidity by trying to figure out whether it should be an outdoor or indoor plant, and I really wanted it to be indoors. Thank you for the advice, that helps a ton.

By the way are you a mister or no mister that’s bad for them person?
By Gary
Posts:  562
Joined:  Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:23 pm
#454176
I repotted my two ventratas a few days after I got them. They were in really tiny pots, completely dried out, and I never figured out just what media they were growing in. Of course, they pretty much stalled for a couple of weeks and the first pitchers were weird, more round and bulbous and without lids, than the typical elongated shape. The current pitchers look normal.
By Jade
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Posts:  403
Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454180
Wow are they all that forgiving? It seems kinda to be a thing with a lot of the plants I’ve come across. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
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By Panman
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Joined:  Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:41 pm
#454209
No, many nepenthes require very specific conditions. Hybrids carry with them a bit of durability, so that makes them a good choice. Ventratas are almost indestructible. I have frozen, fried, drowned, dehydrated, and sunburned my ventrata, but it always comes back, sometimes from salvaging what is left of the vine.
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By Jade
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Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454221
Panman wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 1:12 pm No, many nepenthes require very specific conditions. Hybrids carry with them a bit of durability, so that makes them a good choice. Ventratas are almost indestructible. I have frozen, fried, drowned, dehydrated, and sunburned my ventrata, but it always comes back, sometimes from salvaging what is left of the vine.
Any suggestions about where to get a plant larger than mine for something like Ventrata? I found good prices on a place called Plantvine, but I’ve never heard of it. I have places that I like for most CPs, but a lot of them rarely carry stuff like Nepenthes and Heliamphora for some reason. I’d like to see if I can keep one healthy that’s already better established than mine and Ventrata looks really pretty.

Also just out of curiosity are you running some kind of torture chamber for plants lol? That’s quite a lot of things to do to one plant. :lol:
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By Panman
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Joined:  Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:41 pm
#454226
Jade wrote:Any suggestions about where to get a plant larger than mine for something like Ventrata?
I don't have a source I can point you to. Ventrata are very common and are often sold at nurseries and such. I got mine at a craft fair.
Jade wrote:Also just out of curiosity are you running some kind of torture chamber for plants lol? That’s quite a lot of things to do to one plant. :lol:
Well, this did happen over a period of a few years. Each time I learned something new. Once I stopped trying to kill that plant is when I expanded into other Nepenthes. I still only grow mostly hybrids because they are less fussy.
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By Jade
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Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454237
Thanks. Yeah I’ve been trying to find a local nursery, but I don’t think they have any CPs. I will continue to search for a local one. Carnivero has beautiful plants but holy guacamole they’re expensive.

Well it’s good to know you’re torturing more than one plant now at least. Aim high ;)

Oh it’s like the purebred vs mutt thing in dogs. And just like them I think the hybrids are *usually* prettier or cooler looking anyhow.
Last edited by Jade on Sun Jul 28, 2024 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By optique
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Joined:  Fri May 24, 2019 11:15 pm
#454265
@Jade, If you are looking for a less expensive hardy but colorfull plant check out "N. St Gaya" you can pick up tiny ones for $10. I got this one 3 years ago it was the size of a quarter.

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By Jade
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Posts:  403
Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454269
optique wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 1:09 pm @Jade, If you are looking for a less expensive hardy but colorfull plant check out "N. St Gaya" you can pick up tiny ones for $10. I got this one 3 years ago it was the size of a quarter.
I saw some of those on eBay, and I’m definitely interested in getting one, but I’m hoping to get one that’s bigger? Like I understand all adults are going to run probably at least $100 or more, and that’s a conservative estimate, but I was hoping for one that was maybe young, like past extremely tiny and a bit past baby sized (or more if possible, but I’m not holding my breath) in maybe like $40-$50 range?

I haven’t ever had a Nepenthes until now or a plant this small until now either. I’d like to be able to get one for indoors that can survive my house’s low humidity and I can care for without feeling like I’m going to break it. I feel like I’m screwing up, and it’s hard to tell because it’s so small whether or not it’s the size or the type that I may be messing up with.

I’m not looking for anything that would be the stuff I really loved when I was scrolling through (or whatever that plant (plants?) were in your other pic (although I’m still trying to figure out what those are called to look into saving for one), and even the Gaya would probably be worth too much to get that kind of size.

It’s just that I have only grown something from a division once (which is a Sarr that I’m hoping is starting to grow right again after being shipped here, but the Sarr was extremely easy care), and now I’m trying to grow a seedling Nepenthe for my first time, and seedlings are fragile as it is.

I want to maybe next month or a few months if I need to save up buy a whole Nepenthe plant that has been established for awhile so I get used to the care of specifically the plant as opposed to the new plant and the size. I’d be able to learn (with less worry I’ll kill it right away) the basic care routine and how to notice problems and adjust. I really want my wee one to survive so getting the older plant would make me feel more confident in caring for it.

I didn’t realize I would feel so worried or I would have tried to find a young adult (I’m not sure if I’m using that right) first. This would be easier if I didn’t get so stupidly attached to every plant lol.

Anyhow I think that Plantvine site had some that were not babies for a decent price, but I have never heard of them so I figured I’d look at the usual places I shop and make sure they didn’t have what I was looking for. I have to wait til next month at least (if I can afford to just buy one and not need to save), and/or a nepenthes person might know budget older nepenthes sites. So far everything I’ve seen makes me assume that they’re all a decent chunk of money because they take so long to grow I guess?

Thank you very much for the suggestion. I will try to focus on seeing if I can snag a bit bigger version of the Gaya in addition to just trying to look up any type. :D
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