FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone, it has been ages since I have last posted here. I recently got my roommate to allow me to set up some LED grow lights so I have been slowly collecting some new carnivores.

I recently won a few ebay auctions and will be getting some new Heliamphora. They are set to be delivered later today. Both were advertised as established divisions that had new growth and are being shipped potted. I saw previous posts where the recommendation was to bag the new plants until they start producing new growth, then slowly acclimate to lower humidity. I am unsure if this is general Heliamphora advice or if it applies to those plants fresh out of tissue culture/sent bare-root/newly divided. My question is if I should still undergo this process, given that the plants I will be receiving will be potted already?

Yes, you don't know where they came from, it's also good practice for any new plant as you don't know what buggies come with a potted plant.

Goodkoalie wrote: I saw previous posts where the recommendation was to bag the new plants until they start producing new growth, then slowly acclimate to lower humidity. I am unsure if this is general Heliamphora advice or if it applies to those plants fresh out of tissue culture/sent bare-root/newly divided. My question is if I should still undergo this process, given that the plants I will be receiving will be potted already?

Yes, I would call that a general rule, although if you bought a pickier species I wouldn't recommend trying to acclimate it to room humidity. The minors, heterodoxa, nutans and especially hybrids can be acclimated, but I wouldn't try that with other species.

I don't normally bag potted helis. It's usually not necessary. I usually bag bare-root helis or new divisions, but they acclimate just fine when they're shipped potted. Bagging won't hurt, though. Like SundewWolf said, the rarer helis such as neblinae, parva, ceracea, sarracenioides, folliculata, and collina really appreciate the higher humidity, while more common species and hybrids between them (nutans, heterodoxa, minor) can be acclimated to lower humidity.

SundewWolf wrote:

Goodkoalie wrote: I saw previous posts where the recommendation was to bag the new plants until they start producing new growth, then slowly acclimate to lower humidity. I am unsure if this is general Heliamphora advice or if it applies to those plants fresh out of tissue culture/sent bare-root/newly divided. My question is if I should still undergo this process, given that the plants I will be receiving will be potted already?

Yes, I would call that a general rule, although if you bought a pickier species I wouldn't recommend trying to acclimate it to room humidity. The minors, heterodoxa, nutans and especially hybrids can be acclimated, but I wouldn't try that with other species.

Nepenthes0260 wrote:I don't normally bag potted helis. It's usually not necessary. I usually bag bare-root helis or new divisions, but they acclimate just fine when they're shipped potted. Bagging won't hurt, though. Like SundewWolf said, the rarer helis such as neblinae, parva, ceracea, sarracenioides, folliculata, and collina really appreciate the higher humidity, while more common species and hybrids between them (nutans, heterodoxa, minor) can be acclimated to lower humidity.

Thank you both so much. Both helis came looking absolutely perfect with no broken pitchers. My growing setup is in my closet (no vents and closed most of the day) with four strips of LED lights, in an open fish tank that has other various plants. I have absolutely no clue about the humidity, but I plan to run out in the next few days to get a gauge to measure it. If the humidity is too low, I plan to cover the tank somewhat or keep them in humidity domes. I have a small baby Heliamphora that I got for Christmas that experienced several weeks of bad care (too little light and water and humidity), that lost all leaves except for one, but it has been pushing out a new leaf rather quickly since I have placed it in the tank under my lights.

Today, I got a H. minor and a H. chimentansis. I have both bagged at the moment, to both reduce stress from shipping, as well as until I can determine the humidity levels in my tank.