FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I purchased a heliamphora heterodoxa on December 8th, 2020. It got stuck in a Baltimore distribution facility for about 3 weeks due to the covid and Christmas delays before finally resuming transit last week. Received the plant last night, about a few days short of a month. I honestly thought the plant was a goner. It was shipped bareroot, classified as "small" from a nursery that takes small to the next level, and was stuck in a northern state during winter. I was beyond amazed that the plant was still alive. When I opened it, the first thing I saw was the blackened heads and I anticipated the worst. To my surprise however, there was still green further in and the base looked surprisingly healthy. I didn't disturb it too much. I slightly loosened the "plug," potted it up in a very airy mix and sealed it in a bag under my lights to which I'll open and recycle the air daily. I don't know, for some reason I was extremely happy it was alive (partially because I doubt the guy would've given a refund, I haven't received a response about the condition, though it wasn't really his fault) but really because of the plants fighting spirit. If it does survive, I've decided to call the plant "Rocky" due to its tenacity and will to fight and survive.

It definitely looks salvageable! I received some helis from Wistuba this summer that, due to various covid delays, were stuck in a hot box for three weeks. One was a DOA, and I got a replacement. However, the other 10-12 helis recovered and are growing well! They looked about like yours when I first got them.

Nepenthes0260 wrote:It definitely looks salvageable! I received some helis from Wistuba this summer that, due to various covid delays, were stuck in a hot box for three weeks. One was a DOA, and I got a replacement. However, the other 10-12 helis recovered and are growing well! They looked about like yours when I first got them.

Yeah, I'm pretty hopeful for the plant. So far it has held up and actually looks a little healthier today. I'm hoping to see some new growth in a couple weeks though I'm not sure how the plant will respond. I unfortunately can't give it a highland drop but I purchased the species based off your info about its flexibility. Hopefully its appearance will improve in the next couple of months. Plan to keep it sealed at 100% humidity for a while before I start tweaking any kind of acclimation. It's unfortunate but I'm glad the plant is alive. The adult form was pretty neat looking though I'll need to consider its future due to it being larger than a minor. Thankfully it seems I'll have plenty of time to sit on the idea.

Apollyon wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:52 pm

Nepenthes0260 wrote:It definitely looks salvageable! I received some helis from Wistuba this summer that, due to various covid delays, were stuck in a hot box for three weeks. One was a DOA, and I got a replacement. However, the other 10-12 helis recovered and are growing well! They looked about like yours when I first got them.

Yeah, I'm pretty hopeful for the plant. So far it has held up and actually looks a little healthier today. I'm hoping to see some new growth in a couple weeks though I'm not sure how the plant will respond. I unfortunately can't give it a highland drop but I purchased the species based off your info about its flexibility. Hopefully its appearance will improve in the next couple of months. Plan to keep it sealed at 100% humidity for a while before I start tweaking any kind of acclimation. It's unfortunate but I'm glad the plant is alive. The adult form was pretty neat looking though I'll need to consider its future due to it being larger than a minor. Thankfully it seems I'll have plenty of time to sit on the idea.

100% humidity is definitely a good idea. Heterodoxa is a great species! Is much more tolerant of higher temps (it comes from lower elevation areas) than a lot of other heli species. But it does get quite large. I have a heterodoxa specimen around 1’x1’ that has 100+ pitchers. Luckily the typical het form doesn’t get too tall, usually tops out at 6”.

Nepenthes0260 wrote:
100% humidity is definitely a good idea. Heterodoxa is a great species! Is much more tolerant of higher temps (it comes from lower elevation areas) than a lot of other heli species. But it does get quite large. I have a heterodoxa specimen around 1’x1’ that has 100+ pitchers. Luckily the typical het form doesn’t get too tall, usually tops out at 6”.

Yeah I'm going to have to acclimate this one very slowly I think. For the foreseeable future it's going to hang out in a freezer bag. Its permanent home will be running about 85% but I didn't even want to chance it until the plant shows a few new pitchers. So far it doesn't seem to mind the temperatures. This one actually looked better to me than the minor so I'm looking forward to it. It's also good to know that it doesn't get too tall; that was my primary concern. I can only hope to have a huge one like that in the future lol. Think if I ever find myself in a more tolerable climate, I'll get more highland plants. They have a more exotic quality to them. On the other side of the spectrum I can grow lowlands outside for 9-10 months out of the year lol.

It's been about a year since I received this plant and I thought it was knocking on heaven's door but it came back strong. This is what the plant is looking like at the end of the year. Putting out its first mature pitcher

Crazy! Great growing, congrats!

Thanks a lot man!