FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I keep my Nepenthes in net pots. The temp in the grow tent is 80F and the RH is averaging 95-98 percent. They are planted in LFSM and bark and perlite, and seem to love this conditions. The only negative is that the LFSM will start to dry out after about 5 days. I need to be away for 10 days and was wondering which of the options below would seem like a better idea:

• wrap the pots in plastic wrap (except the bottom) to allow for less evaporation through the sides
• place the pots in a tray with some level of water, to replenish the evaporating water and hopefully get me the extra days
• any other choices besides having someone come over and water them?

thanks for your comments

I just left on a 2 week trip and had everything on autopilot. I put the RO buddie on a faucet timer, with the output connected to a drip line that would drip on the plants for 2 hours a day. My neps in net pots did just fine like that. Many of my VFT and drosera seedlings died though.

I guess I could have a 5 gallon bucket with RO water and a small aquarium pump set up with some drip lines. I just don’t feel good about it.

Is your trip very soon? you could let it run for a few days while you are still home, to see how things go. I actually hired the neighbor kid to stop by and give them more water if needed, but he never did. Teenagers are such flakes these days...

PS. While you're here, can you look at these Palacea I got from you? All of them are doing great, but the one on the top seems to have dried out and sprouted hair while I was gone. Should I pull it out?

I was thinking about a smart valve with a soaker hose for myself, in your case a sump pump on a smart plug with a soaker hose or some type of drip line


(edit)
ops i was thinking your plants would be out doors, NM

On my trip I drilled a hole in a bottle about a cm from the bottom, filled it up, and put it in a tray of water. The water would drip out until the water level met the hole. I've only used this on VFTs, though.

albertoburrito wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 6:19 pm On my trip I drilled a hole in a bottle about a cm from the bottom, filled it up, and put it in a tray of water. The water would drip out until the water level met the hole. I've only used this on VFTs, though.

Did you have the top on the bottle ? I assume so…

I don’t have the pots sitting in trays.

elaineo wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:37 pm
PS. While you're here, can you look at these Palacea I got from you? All of them are doing great, but the one on the top seems to have dried out and sprouted hair while I was gone. Should I pull it out?
IMG_1659.jpg

I have had some do that (by the way, yours look amazing). I’ve left them in, but they never came back. I don’t know why some pygmy do that. I’m not as infatuated with them as I was earlier, and may actually start to shy away from pygmy, except on my pumice rock.

I’m going to give this a try: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074 ... UTF8&psc=1

I probably could have made one on my own and hooked it up to home assistant, but i don’t want to waste time.

Depending on the size of your grow area, one of those automated terrarium misters might also work:

https://www.amazon.com/REPTI-ZOO-Adjust ... B08DKFXPHG

Supercazzola wrote:

albertoburrito wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 6:19 pm On my trip I drilled a hole in a bottle about a cm from the bottom, filled it up, and put it in a tray of water. The water would drip out until the water level met the hole. I've only used this on VFTs, though.

Did you have the top on the bottle ? I assume so…

I don’t have the pots sitting in trays.

FAB9C9EC-ADF7-4025-9158-412278D1495A.jpeg

Yea, otherwise the water would be gone in an hour in the az heat.

Maybe you could use the wicking method.

I have a large tray of water (actually a plastic drawer from an old refrigerator) on the bottom shelf of the enclosure where I keep my two adult neps (lowlanders). I water the plants once every week or two until the water comes out the bottom of the pots. They are NOT in mesh pots though, which would dry out faster.

They seem to live "in the leaves" and derive moisture from the air as well as from the roots.

Z_Y wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:56 pm Depending on the size of your grow area, one of those automated terrarium misters might also work:

https://www.amazon.com/REPTI-ZOO-Adjust ... B08DKFXPHG

I had a cool mist humidifier in there, but even with the humidity at 100%, the grow media still dries out.

A cool mist as in an ultrasonic type? I find those don't really wet any surfaces, the one I linked is more of a sprinkler+pump system.