Outdoor growing
Mar 22, 2008 3:56:52 GMT -10
Post by nepsaroundthehouse on Mar 22, 2008 3:56:52 GMT -10
Nepenthes do grow outdoors in their native habitats. That's obvious. However, the majority of Nepenthes grown outside of their native environments are grown indoors in greenhouses, terrariums, grow chambers, etc. for many reasons. Environments are recreated artificially or naturally to simulate Nepenthes needs. So why grow outdoors instead of indoors?
The benefits of growing outdoors is that it's less of an initial up front investment. Some people don't have space for a greenhouse or money for lighting and a sprinkler system. Or maybe you just want to grow a few Nepenthes but don't have the space indoors to set up a terrarium or grow chamber. Nepenthes are vines for the most part and can outgrow smaller chambers or limit the amount of space for a collection. Outdoor growing allows for larger plants. Another benefit is that my plants catch their own bugs. That's kind of fun to see what exactly falls into those pitchers from time to time. Also they become very thick and "bullet proof" as I like to say. Exposure to the elements makes the vines thick and hard.
Growing outdoors has risks that indoor growers don't face. Your Nepenthes are at the mercy of the weather. In my temperate climate my plants have been subjected to 60 mile per hour gusts of hot desert winds at 90F, a freak hailstorm that sent ice pellets through the leaves, a record freeze that had temperatures into the upper 20's F for a weekend among other things. Some growers have issues with pests getting after their plants. Because my Nepenthes have to adjust to these variables, they often have torn leaves and other blemishes that make them less than picture perfect. So growing outdoors isn't easy.
To grow outdoors, you have to have a climate somewhat similar to the Nepenthes' natural environments. I find temperature is a big factor. I can't grow lowlanders outdoors in my area. Nights constantly in the low 50's and even upper 40's stress lowlanders out too much. My highlanders and intermediates have adapted to temperature swings from the low 40's upper 30's F in winter, to occasional upper 80's and low 90's during the day. They do slow down a lot in winter, and some die, but that's the risk I have to take. Some growers weather their Nepenthes outdoors during the warmer months and then move them indoors during the really cold months. Moving them outdoors during the day and indoors at night is not a good idea. Nepenthes need to acclimate to a certain spot and moving them around stresses them out.
Nepenthes need light. Exposure to direct sun is tolerated and even enjoyed by Nepenthes but acclimation is the key to avoiding problems. Once I know my Nepenthes haven't suffered from transplant shock, (see my acclimation thread), I'll move them outdoors into a partial shade area. Some do go into direct sun depending on how hardened off the plant is. It's common to have leaf bleaching on the lower leaves. They turn yellow or brown and eventually die. Pitchers dry up and die as well. This is normal for me. Then the resulting new growth has a waxy coating on the leaf and the growth tip perks up and is ready to take off. I've had some Nepenthes have all their leaves brown up except for the growth tip and appear almost dead only to adjust to the new light levels and explode with new growth. When the plants get bigger, I'll move them in full sun on a deck or hanging basket. Smaller Nepenthes should be protected from full sun because they are more delicate. Morning sun or later afternoon sun is less intense than midday sun and is one way to avoid major damage to new Nepenthes. I will also grow smaller Nepenthes as windowsill plants until they look strong enough to move outdoors.
Finally, the more a Nepenthes has been "hardened off" the more likely it will survive for me. "Hardened off" for me means that if the plant was from tc or ex-vitro it has been grown in soil for some time. The longer, the bigger the better! If I purchase the plant from a retail nursery or on-line vendor "hardened off" means that they have been acclimating their plants for some time in their greenhouse before sending them to me. When Nepenthes are brought into the country in quantity, they can be stressed even though they appear healthy. Roots break off and the like from shipping. Then if I get them immediately and pot them up into my "less than ideal" conditions, I get wilting and transplant shock. The leaves will droop and the pitchers will dry up. And this is when I have them indoors not outdoors too. However, if the Nepenthes have had a few months to acclimate to a grower's greenhouse I find less, if any, transplant shock and a better success rate. I find that most Nepenthes I get from others are softer than how I grow them outdoors in my climate and will have some leaf damage until they acclimate to my conditions. Cuttings generally have come from larger more mature Nepenthes and appear to be more hardened off than smaller plants. As long as there is a root base, I can grow them outdoors without much shock at all.
Outdoor growing isn't like, "What can be easier than putting your Nepenthes outdoors and with a little water you get awesome pitchers like I see from the photos in the forums!?" And not all Nepenthes will adapt to outdoor growing and will die. But with a little research and experimentation, I've found that Nepenthes aren't as fragile as I thought. I don't think of them as "Those plants under the plastic lid that can't be removed or they'll perish" like I did before.
J
The benefits of growing outdoors is that it's less of an initial up front investment. Some people don't have space for a greenhouse or money for lighting and a sprinkler system. Or maybe you just want to grow a few Nepenthes but don't have the space indoors to set up a terrarium or grow chamber. Nepenthes are vines for the most part and can outgrow smaller chambers or limit the amount of space for a collection. Outdoor growing allows for larger plants. Another benefit is that my plants catch their own bugs. That's kind of fun to see what exactly falls into those pitchers from time to time. Also they become very thick and "bullet proof" as I like to say. Exposure to the elements makes the vines thick and hard.
Growing outdoors has risks that indoor growers don't face. Your Nepenthes are at the mercy of the weather. In my temperate climate my plants have been subjected to 60 mile per hour gusts of hot desert winds at 90F, a freak hailstorm that sent ice pellets through the leaves, a record freeze that had temperatures into the upper 20's F for a weekend among other things. Some growers have issues with pests getting after their plants. Because my Nepenthes have to adjust to these variables, they often have torn leaves and other blemishes that make them less than picture perfect. So growing outdoors isn't easy.
To grow outdoors, you have to have a climate somewhat similar to the Nepenthes' natural environments. I find temperature is a big factor. I can't grow lowlanders outdoors in my area. Nights constantly in the low 50's and even upper 40's stress lowlanders out too much. My highlanders and intermediates have adapted to temperature swings from the low 40's upper 30's F in winter, to occasional upper 80's and low 90's during the day. They do slow down a lot in winter, and some die, but that's the risk I have to take. Some growers weather their Nepenthes outdoors during the warmer months and then move them indoors during the really cold months. Moving them outdoors during the day and indoors at night is not a good idea. Nepenthes need to acclimate to a certain spot and moving them around stresses them out.
Nepenthes need light. Exposure to direct sun is tolerated and even enjoyed by Nepenthes but acclimation is the key to avoiding problems. Once I know my Nepenthes haven't suffered from transplant shock, (see my acclimation thread), I'll move them outdoors into a partial shade area. Some do go into direct sun depending on how hardened off the plant is. It's common to have leaf bleaching on the lower leaves. They turn yellow or brown and eventually die. Pitchers dry up and die as well. This is normal for me. Then the resulting new growth has a waxy coating on the leaf and the growth tip perks up and is ready to take off. I've had some Nepenthes have all their leaves brown up except for the growth tip and appear almost dead only to adjust to the new light levels and explode with new growth. When the plants get bigger, I'll move them in full sun on a deck or hanging basket. Smaller Nepenthes should be protected from full sun because they are more delicate. Morning sun or later afternoon sun is less intense than midday sun and is one way to avoid major damage to new Nepenthes. I will also grow smaller Nepenthes as windowsill plants until they look strong enough to move outdoors.
Finally, the more a Nepenthes has been "hardened off" the more likely it will survive for me. "Hardened off" for me means that if the plant was from tc or ex-vitro it has been grown in soil for some time. The longer, the bigger the better! If I purchase the plant from a retail nursery or on-line vendor "hardened off" means that they have been acclimating their plants for some time in their greenhouse before sending them to me. When Nepenthes are brought into the country in quantity, they can be stressed even though they appear healthy. Roots break off and the like from shipping. Then if I get them immediately and pot them up into my "less than ideal" conditions, I get wilting and transplant shock. The leaves will droop and the pitchers will dry up. And this is when I have them indoors not outdoors too. However, if the Nepenthes have had a few months to acclimate to a grower's greenhouse I find less, if any, transplant shock and a better success rate. I find that most Nepenthes I get from others are softer than how I grow them outdoors in my climate and will have some leaf damage until they acclimate to my conditions. Cuttings generally have come from larger more mature Nepenthes and appear to be more hardened off than smaller plants. As long as there is a root base, I can grow them outdoors without much shock at all.
Outdoor growing isn't like, "What can be easier than putting your Nepenthes outdoors and with a little water you get awesome pitchers like I see from the photos in the forums!?" And not all Nepenthes will adapt to outdoor growing and will die. But with a little research and experimentation, I've found that Nepenthes aren't as fragile as I thought. I don't think of them as "Those plants under the plastic lid that can't be removed or they'll perish" like I did before.
J