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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find out.
I couldn't resist. Nothing is like a pitcher plant. I read these come in highland form- best for California and intermediate..iffy. The label just said N.alata. I think I really went with a difficult to grow plant this time. I had grown N.ventricosa in a greenhouse easy enough...I tried one outdoors..it survived one winter and I think it just died off in spring. Sometimes you buy something and people will say - "That looks like what you already have." This does NOT look like anything I have. I have improved my over wintering growing since then. But enough? We will see.
I hope I didn't buy magic beans...again.
Last edited by Stan on Thu Apr 26, 2018 2:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Sat Jun 11, 2016 9:28 pm |
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Andy Smith
Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:41 pm Posts: 78 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset, UK
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Hi Stan. Lovely plant that, but I'm afraid it isn't the true N. alata. Your plant is often sold labelled as such, but should be more correctly labelled N. x ventrata. This is a natural hybrid between N. alata and N. ventricosa, both from Luzon in the Philippines. To confound matters further, the plant that hybridises with N. ventricosa to produce what you have, has now been split away from the true N. alata, and is now called N. graciliflora, so the epithet 'ventrata' is also wrong.
Whatever it should be called, it is one of the toughest Nepenthes there is and is a good contender for your garden. Both parents are intermediate to highland in provenance.
All the best
Andy
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Sun Jun 12, 2016 2:01 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Thanks Andy. Best news yet. Funny thing is...I told the nursery guy that I know the owner of the nursery usually sells what at least has a chance outdoors in the bay area. He had these hanging outside rather then in with the houseplants. Like the Laelia. I think Andy its going to be summer in the back yard jungle for humidity....winter on the porch- low winter sun warms it up 10f more then the rest of the property.
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Sun Jun 12, 2016 4:57 pm |
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Tom Velardi
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:20 pm Posts: 4337 Location: Kyushu, Southern Japan (33.607N latitude)
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Nice plant Stan. My only concern would be low humidity, but you've done well with Hupertzia, so who knows? Lovely pitchers.
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Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:34 am |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Thanks Tom. I have read of some that are pure highland. You should be able to grow those indoors in coldest weather or outdoors almost all year.-making a beautiful exotic mix with your Orchids.
This,is "It was there and looked great". I bit. But,Its not going to face winter hands off. If I have to bring it in due to a deep freeze,I will.
I have it now hanging dead center front under the arbor. Looks fantastic.
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Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:19 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Here's my today update. They CAN be grown in summer in the bay area. They DO grow pitchers too. I was worried they wouldn't. The challenge now is..winter. Now,if we get some deep cold moving in..I will bring them in for the duration of that- then back outdoors. If that's cheating..better then a dead plant. I never fertilized these plants. With cats getting fat on cat food..the Pitcher's caught their own on the fly. I also was good to never let them go very dry. Winter might be good to keep on the dry side..but in the warmth of summer..always keep the media moist. Thanks!
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Thu Nov 03, 2016 12:26 am |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
A three week later update. Very little on growing pitcher plants outdoors in California. I never did find a real article with photos on doing it. The embryo pitcher on Nov. 3rd is now almost there. Also,cooler days had reddened the stem. This is all new territory- especially in the bay area.
Red stress.
What was an embyo on the 3rd
More all California-bay area grown pitchers. Old ones are the original greenhouse grown. Not so bad since they have been on since the June purchase. What blooms last that long?
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Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:36 am |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Looking good!
I managed to grow and flower an N. 'Gentle' outside in the UK over summer many years ago, but most dont do well outside over here.
The reddish stem is a sign its getting some good light and nothing to worry about.
There used to be a website called 'nepenthesaroundthehouse' produced by a california grower who kept many species outside for most of the year.
Nepenthes dont like to get frozen, they can survive it but its not pretty...
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 7:39 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Thanks Mark. It is getting more sun on the front porch- morning low sun. All summer it was in the backyard..sun then was too hot and drying on the pitchers so I had it under the BACK porch-lol. I doubt it will ever be a plant it and forget it plant. Maybe the front porch is best if I decide to stop the seasonal migrations.
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:08 pm |
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Alexander
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:55 pm Posts: 3344 Location: Leidschendam, The Netherlands. (52 N latitude)
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Highland Nepenthes are the best option I guess. But usely slow growers.
Alexander
_________________ Living to close to the arctic circle!
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Mon Nov 28, 2016 3:13 am |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
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Tue Nov 29, 2016 5:45 am |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Mirandas are quite warm growing, and stress badly in colder temperatures. The most cold tolerant neps are ultra-highlanders, raja etc, but these as someone said are both slow to grow and extremely challenging in many cases.
Good compromises are things like maxima, burkei, ventricosa etc, but they really do best with minimum temperatures above 10C.
Highland temperatures are typically 15-25C+, a few degrees cooler for ultra-highlanders.
_________________ Mark
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Tue Nov 29, 2016 11:14 am |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Actually, based on this winters experience, i would reccomend a sanguinea. Mine overwintered at min 4C with no problems at all, whereas many other highlanders started to stress badly and had to be moved to warmer conditions. Maxima nearly died for example. The sanguinea showed no signs of stress at all.
_________________ Mark
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Sun Apr 02, 2017 8:35 am |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Mine Mark did very well..but I did bring it indoors during two very cold,near freezing spells. So,I cant say its 100% hardy. It is though very tolerant of lows in the low 40's night after night. By not bringing it in all winter I have saved it from having to acclimate back to the outdoors at least.
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Sun Apr 02, 2017 6:22 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Nepenthes alata outdoors in the bay area? We will find o
Nice one Stan, I wish i could overwinter a few outside here but theres no chance of that. Maybe down in the warmest parts of cornwall it might just be possible, with the right hybrid.
Im guesing your day temperatures are reasonable in winter?
_________________ Mark
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Sun Apr 02, 2017 6:59 pm |
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