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Moderator: Matt

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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#37507
95slvrZ28 wrote:Maybe you can use your magical powers to make it so I don't need a terrarium :lol:
Steve_D is actually trying his hand at growing Heliamphora without a terrarium and it's going well so far. I had my H. nutans growing under lights without a terrarium for about a month and it did fine. Though I'm not that experienced with them, I'd bet you can grow them without a terrarium if you're careful about how hot you let them get and you don't let them get dried out too much by wind.
By Aging_Bourbon
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Posts:  2799
Joined:  Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:14 pm
#37516
Matt wrote:Steve_D is actually trying his hand at growing Heliamphora without a terrarium and it's going well so far.
Details Matt, Details! I wanna grow a Heli but as you know I'm pretty much afraid too. What kinda do you think I should start with?
By ZackNJ
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Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#37517
Matt,

I ordered the Maxsea 16-16-16. I should be getting it in the mail hopefully by Sat or Monday. You said that you knew someone that tried it on their Heli's. Did they use 1/4 strength with the Maxsea as well?

I forgot to mention that the H. Pulchella that I fertilized is not in a terrarium. I have it in a square clear plastic container with a lid on top. It is doing really well.

I also ordered a Lowland Heliamphora from wistuba.com. It is the only Lowland Heli that I have ever heard of. Its in my terrarium but it really does not have to be in there.
By 95slvrZ28
Posts:  1825
Joined:  Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:00 pm
#37581
Matt wrote:
95slvrZ28 wrote:Maybe you can use your magical powers to make it so I don't need a terrarium :lol:
Steve_D is actually trying his hand at growing Heliamphora without a terrarium and it's going well so far. I had my H. nutans growing under lights without a terrarium for about a month and it did fine. Though I'm not that experienced with them, I'd bet you can grow them without a terrarium if you're careful about how hot you let them get and you don't let them get dried out too much by wind.
Well, since they would be indoor plants I don't have to worry about the wind. What temps do they like (listen to me...I can barely keep VFTs alive, LOL)
By Lawndude84
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Posts:  319
Joined:  Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:13 pm
#37594
Nice plant Matt, I haven't delved into Heli's yet but maybe in the springtime I'll give it a shot. Need to get another tank first, the one I have is already full ><.
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By Matt
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#37601
allenc666 wrote:
Matt wrote:Steve_D is actually trying his hand at growing Heliamphora without a terrarium and it's going well so far.
Details Matt, Details! I wanna grow a Heli but as you know I'm pretty much afraid too. What kinda do you think I should start with?
Both Steve and I got an H. nutans to start with. I think that they're relatively easy to grow, though I haven't had it long enough to say for sure. When I got it, it was already potted. I immediately unpotted it and put it in a larger, deeper pot. Then I stuck it under fluorescent lights in my grow rack where the high temperature was up into the mid 80s°F during the day and down into the upper 50°F at night. Relative humidity was between 35% and 50%. The plant didn't do too much the first week after the repot. A couple of the older pitchers turned brown, but that's about it. Within a week I could see new growth though. Then after about three weeks, it put out a very large pitcher. I foliar fertilized it once (very lightly) with Better Gro Orchid Plus 20-14-13 sometime around the second week. Then after four weeks under the lights, it started putting out a lot of new growth.

Two weeks ago now I moved it the terrarium and the growth has been about the same. Steve doesn't have his under lights (his is in the greenhouse experiencing natural daylight), so it's not growing as fast as mine, but he says that it is growing and looks very healthy. I wouldn't hesitate to get one if you'd like to try growing one Allen. I wouldn't recommend it to a new grower, but if you have experience with Nepenthes, Cephalotus, Darlingtonia and other temperamental plants, so far the Heliamphora doesn't seem that much harder, if at all.
95slvrZ28 wrote:Well, since they would be indoor plants I don't have to worry about the wind. What temps do they like (listen to me...I can barely keep VFTs alive, LOL)
I think this might be the most important part of keeping them healthy, more so than the humidity. Everything I've read indicates that they thrive from a drop in temperature at night time. Luckily where I live now, even during the heat of the summer when the days are up over 100°F, the nights still get down into the low 60s°F or upper 50s°F. If you can't provide cooler nights down into the 60s°F, the plant will likely struggle. Again, I haven't grown them long enough to know this for a fact, but that's what I've read. I've also read that they won't form pitchers if the humidity is below 70%, which I've found out isn't true, so maybe the temperature drop isn't as important as some people say. Once I grow these guys a couple of years, I'll have a better idea of their limitations.

I have three species in tissue culture now, H. nutans, H. minor and H. neblinae. Once I start multiplying them and I have some plants to experiment with, I'll try growing them under different conditions to see how tolerant they are. I know that H. minor is supposed to be one of the easier ones to grow, as is any hybrid of it (like my H. minor X heterodoxa).
By 95slvrZ28
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Joined:  Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:00 pm
#37690
Interesting. Well, lucky for me (as you know) CO usually gets pretty cool at night, even during the summer. I would say it rarely stays above 75F even on the hottest days. I'll let you experiment with some tissue cultures for a little, but if you ever want to "sacrafice" an H. Minor to CO let me know ;)
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By Matt
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#37692
95slvrZ28 wrote:if you ever want to "sacrafice" an H. Minor to CO let me know ;)
I'll do that! Yes, Boulder gets pretty cool, even in the summer. If you have air conditioning (we didn't when we lived there), you can probably cool it off inside quicker. I'm having flashbacks of lying in bed and sweating until midnight... :(
By kittyklaws
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Joined:  Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:13 am
#37772
ha, I'm sure everyone would want a piece of Matt's helis now! :lol:
By 95slvrZ28
Posts:  1825
Joined:  Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:00 pm
#37781
Matt wrote:
95slvrZ28 wrote:if you ever want to "sacrafice" an H. Minor to CO let me know ;)
I'll do that! Yes, Boulder gets pretty cool, even in the summer. If you have air conditioning (we didn't when we lived there), you can probably cool it off inside quicker. I'm having flashbacks of lying in bed and sweating until midnight... :(
We don't have AC, but our house usually stays cool due to the massive amounts of trees surrounding most of it. Although I just realized it's often because we have the windows open, which would generate a dry breeze. haha, hmm...oh well, guess that's what experiments are for right?
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By Matt
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#37814
95slvrZ28 wrote:I just realized it's often because we have the windows open, which would generate a dry breeze. haha, hmm...oh well, guess that's what experiments are for right?
Hah, yep, for sure. It would be great to find out the limitations of Heliamphora, especially in terms of humidity. Their life on the tepuis is subject to very changeable weather, so they may be hardier than people give them credit for (at least certain species). Finding the point at which they suffer from lack of humidity would be interesting.

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