Apollyon wrote:@Matt, That's true. I notice my plants that I've received from you have always exploded in size. It's awesome when the plant was already a decent size to begin with. You definitely go further for people than the types I'm talking about. The idea you come on this forum regularly to offer advice to others whether they bought your plants or not speaks for itself. I've heard others on facebook say great things about you guys. When I find it relevant (when I'm on on facebook) I try to encourage people to check out FTS.
@Apollyon, thanks for the kind feedback! I try to get to this forum frequently enough to answer any questions that need answering and that I can provide a good answer to. I don't get on as much as I did in the first few years after this forum started, as my time is more limited now (FTS takes a lot of time to run!), but I do get on at least once a week to try to be helpful. Thankfully there are a lot of very helpful people here too!
And every bit of word of mouth advertising we can get helps immensely. Leah and I very much appreciate that!!
Apollyon wrote:I agree with @MikeB though, subtropical humid weather kinda sucks. Your climate might be bad for flytraps but it's decent for people. Ours is the opposite lol. You get off a plane in Florida and you will KNOW it the second you take a breath. Wintertime is nice though. We're coasting on a 50 degree "cold front."
Yep, totally agree that subtropical humid weather sucks. I sure don't miss the summers in Missouri and the weather here in Oregon is typically quite nice all year. However, in the last few years, it has been obscenely hot and smoky for quite a number of months over the summer. Yes, there's no humidity but when it is over 100F, it is still uncomfortable. And the plants HATE it. It kills me a bit inside each year as spring, which is very mild and damp here, transitions to the roasting hot and dry summer and I watch my gorgeous flytraps get heat-stressed and start looking like crap. Couple that with the fact that there are no insects to speak of (also great for humans, but not for the plants) and it leads to some sad looking flytraps by the end of summer when everyone else's in more humid and bug-laden climates look amazing. I am looking forward to growing flytraps in Missouri, for sure! But I'm not looking forward to the humid summers for my own sake
Apollyon wrote:You had said something previously that I'm inclined to agree with. If you aren't passionate about it or like it, I wouldn't mess with it. It is a reflection in a sense. I think Sarracenia is a good play because people always want them, they're easier to maintain, and they still net a decent price. I think specialization is great. Nepenthes are alright if you want to go through the trouble of making sure they stay warm/humid enough. I don't feel it's worth the payout but I'd go for plants I know would sell. Bicals probably would, veitchii definitely would. amps probably would. Most of those can be grown in constant room temps. I wouldn't bother though. You'd have to sell plants worth it to offset the costs of heating them in the cooler seasons
Right. Sarracenia was a no-brainer for me to get into because I've always loved them, I've grown them for the same amount of time I have Venus flytraps and grow them well, and they still command a decent price on the market. Space has always been the limitation here and pitcher plants of any kind take up a lot of space, but Sarracenia do OK outdoors year-round here, so I can simply grow them in the yard until we find a place with more space.
Nepenthes I've always enjoyed and did well growing them for the 5-6 years or so I had them. But I needed more space for flytraps, so I pushed them aside, along with my Heliamphora and Cephalotus collection. Heliamphora and Cephalotus went out of my favor largely because they require specialized care conditions and/or a lot of attention to grow well. I'm getting back into them now a bit and think I can set something up, particularly for Cephalotus, that will result in them requiring less attention. Many Nepenthes, on the other hand, are pretty easy to grow in windowsill or second-shelf greenhouse conditions. And those would be the only species I'd be interested in. I have no desire to start another project to make a specialized growth chamber for my plants. Thus, I'd only dabble in the ones that can do well in room temperature conditions.
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