FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have a few Nepenthes that seemed really happy and were growing new leaves and pitchers. Then one slowed down a lot and the other 2 seem to have completely stopped growing. I personally haven’t changed anything so the only thing I can think of is that maybe it was just way more humid during that time. The 2 that have stalled are in windowsills and I tried adding tiny humidifiers but it doesn’t seem to change the humidity according to my humidistats. I want to try putting humidity domes over those 2 but I’m wondering that’s actually a good idea or is that just gonna make me have to harden them off again later?

I’m mostly asking about the effects of the humidity dome but in case it matters;

N. (Spectabilis x platychila) seemed to have slowed down (maybe I’m just being impatient)

Daytime - 67 F. 60-70%
Nighttime - 60 F. 70-80

Windowsill plants
N(hirsuta x Robcantleyi) really small.
N. [(lowii x veichii) x boschiana]

Same temperatures but the humidity lately has been about 50% no matter what I do.

Your daytime temps are a bit colder than a lot of your hybrids would probably prefer.
They probably think they're going through a cold spout, so they've stopped growing when they need to conserve energy for staying warm.

You can always go here to get a reference of day-night temps for your plants:
https://tomscarnivores.com/resources/ne ... ive-guide/

A heat mat may help a little if they're not in hanging baskets, but don't get it super warm. Most of what I looked at briefly for you would like a minimum of a reasonable room temperature range for daytime, 73-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's probably not bad to let the temps stay at the lower end of the range, as a sort of attempt at mimicking cooler temps of seasonal changes.

Hybrids do let you have wiggle room with temperatures as well, especially if it's a lowlander mixed with a highlander or a mixture of a few. But that wiggle room is only few degrees, not several or tens of degrees. Keep in mind that generally all nepenthes want some varying level of humidity bump during nights.

I keep my Spectabilis (spectabilis x robcantleyi ) at 82 degrees daytime and 62 at night. They’ve grown quite a bit since I bought them in September.

Thank you. Trying to control all of this is a bit harder than I thought. I got a space heater and a cool mist humidifier for a room to keep them in. I leave the humidifier on full blast at all times. And when the humidity dips outside I have a hard time getting over 55. I ordered a second humidifier that does cool and warm mist. I didn’t think about a warm mist also helping with the temperature. Do you guys have any better luck with cool mist vs warm mist? Especially for trying to aim it. It seems the cool mist wants to go everywhere except toward the plants.

Also Google says I’m going to cause mold all over this room. Are there things I can do to prevent that?

EvanL2218 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2023 4:26 pm Thank you. Trying to control all of this is a bit harder than I thought. I got a space heater and a cool mist humidifier for a room to keep them in. I leave the humidifier on full blast at all times. And when the humidity dips outside I have a hard time getting over 55. I ordered a second humidifier that does cool and warm mist. I didn’t think about a warm mist also helping with the temperature. Do you guys have any better luck with cool mist vs warm mist? Especially for trying to aim it. It seems the cool mist wants to go everywhere except toward the plants.

So these 2 plants are in windowsills? So long as your humidifier is near your plants, it should be fine.

Keep in mind that increasing airflow will lower the humidity, but you also don't want no airflow. In a home, you have to actively be trying to have 0 airflow because 0 airflow is one big factor that leads to mold. Mold not only messes with plants, but it does a number on humans as well, so homes aren't built with the idea of creating a stagnant environment.

Most people here use cool mist humidifiers, as warm mist is, well, steam. "Cool" mist doesn't mean "cold" mist, it's just not steam, so it shouldn't really mess with temps around the plants.

EvanL2218 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2023 4:27 pm Also Google says I’m going to cause mold all over this room. Are there things I can do to prevent that?

A google search can land you with anything. So long as your not humidifying inside a closet, sticking the humidifier in an air vent, swap out air filters when you should be, and you make sure to clean your house, mold shouldn't really be an issue.

2 of them are in windowsills. I tried getting some tiny humidifiers to just aim at the plants but not the whole room but either those just don’t work or it helps the plants but doesn’t move a hydrometer. The other one is hanging in a room that I can control the environment better. But same thing, it doesn’t really show an increase on a hydrometer. I I was hoping to be able to aim it all into one little section but it doesn’t really seem possible. I figure I’ll just move the other 2 into this room and just make it miserable in the whole room. I’m learning that my upper limits are still lower than Nepenthes lower limits . We get along pretty well at night though.