Heliamphora exappendiculata

[sockhom]

Hello !


It may not be the most spectacular species around but I kinda like it. I received it as a small juvenile plant by summer 2007.
During the winter of 2007, it developped its first adult pitcher:



And now it looks like this:

February 2009:



A very nice plant indeed.



François.

[daniel]

Hi François,

great looking plant.
Mine is not growing so fast.

Best regards,

Dani

[jeff]

magnifique

mine also like DANIEL not growing fast.

very interesant the pitcher with their nectar glands red on the yellow green colour .

jeff

[Brian Barnes]

Hi Francois,

Absolutely gorgeous! As for mine, I'm finding it hard to keep my humidity above 40% these days because of Winter indoors and fan-forced heat and the edges of the older pitchers are really beginning to show it.
It seems even misting frequently only helps for an hour or so at most, but i'm very leary of keeping them so wet. Do you have this same problem such as I do? Have you ever tried one of the terrarium foggers for reptiles, maybe on a timer?

Happy Growing,

Brian.

[jeff]

BRIAN

your heliam are not in terra , just inside your home ?

[Brian Barnes]

Hi Jeff,

Yes, they are in a large terrarium. However, the humidity indoors here in Florida can drop down as low as 15-20 %, which makes my terrariums in the 30-40% range at times. Not good....

The hybrids handle it the best, but the others despise it. But alas, I have a remedy for it!

Happy Growing,

Brian.

[jeff]

your terra have not lid ?

for mine I have, to keep a good hygrometry 80-90 % all the year , for the aeration I lift just this one with a wedge ( 5mm).
I have all my pot inside allways the year in 2-3 cm of rain water, in this condition one problem
the peat ( my substrat) rotted , she go over anaeroby to aeroby , I change this one all the 3-4 year .

I use no sphaigne .

allways the pitcher fill with rain water ( adult and juvenil).

jeff

[stevestewart]

Jeff,

The rainwater in Florida contains nutrients (possibly from pollen and pollution) that will cause algae and Cyanobacteria to grow rapidly in plants that do not utilize these nutrients. In the wild living Sphagnum is found growing with other plants that do use nutrients. Purified water (RO) works well and will not cause living Sphagnum to break down rapidly.
What substrate do you like best to grow your Heliamphora in?

Take care,
Steve

[jeff]

STEVE

I am OK with you ( for pollen it seems me to have read that the ping can assimilate them )
I rest on the blond peat substrat with a vermiculite 50/50, even if it should be changed every 3 years.

I grow all my heliam or my ping more close possible of the “in situ” conditions.

some constatations on the tepui
-we have also some pollution on the tepui with the ITCZ , rain ph : 3.8 to 6.5 according to the saison
-no shagnum peat ,up there , but brown peat ( carex-vegetals leaves -moss- twig-etc)
-' rain river ' with a SiO2 concentration but also CA-Mg-Li-Na-K
- we have some alveole with substrat accumulation with 30cm to 2 m not the same condition if they are heliam on it.

their root system , it seems to me, high there, is not very developed ,just a rhizome with full rootlet .

I make actually some test with blond peat and chestnut leaves( ph4-5)

what do you think about it, your opinion interest me ?

jeff

[stevestewart]

Jeff,

I am ok with you also.

I like to read about, and get to know other growers that use different methods for growing plants.
I feel that if a plant hybrid or species is being grown in vitro or in situ alone, it will be vulnerable to many unforeseen disasters, that may cause it's extinction. The more diverse the conditions any plant is healthy in, artificial or natural, the better chances are for it's survival.
When any grower can increase the numbers of any given non invasive plant enough to distribute them to other growers, it is a good thing.
It is my nature to find the parameters of plant species or hybrid, positive and negative, so I can feel more at ease with the aspect for it's survival.
Thank you for the insight of the conditions on the tepui!
How is the test with the chestnut leaves going?

Take care,
Steven Stewart

[jeff]

I agree.

some people use just sphagnum + perlite to grow this specie ( for me a hydroponic method , it is not a real substrat , no oligo element inside ) with this method , long root very brittle .

it is difficult for me to go over this method to mine ;D.

for the moment no result, I am given 2 years to draw something with blond peat + chesnut leaves , just chesnut leaves , perhaps also an others test with carex (very present on the tepui.)

jeff