Quote:
Originally Posted by Ifurita
but N. rajah in say Florida, now that's possible, if not already done.
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I think you underestimate Florida's summer temperatures. Days are consistently around 32-33C with nights around 29-30C.
Completely unsuitable for a lot of highlanders much less an ultra-highlander like N. rajah.
In my experience, intermediate and a handful of forgiving highlanders can be grown in these conditions if you can provide a few things:
-airy media. like casey says, if you go for an airy mix like LFS + perlite you can keep the roots cool. I had grown ventricosa, sanguinea and fusca - sarawak with this media and had good results for many years. As soon as I switched to a peat based soil they went into decline. Peat traps too much heat.
-open shade. I have the benefit of having a large royal poinciana which blocks a large amount of heat while keeping everything under it bright and cool.
-seasonal temperature variances. This last one is the key to keeping forgiving highlanders long term. Back when I grew the plants mentioned above, they would refuse to pitcher during the summer but as soon as temperatures switched to a more highland/intermediate (days around 24C, nights around 18C) the plants perked back up and continued growing like normal.
And of course regular fertilizing with organic fertilizer at 1/2 to 1/4 strength is a huge help. (I use neptunes harvest fish/seaweed blend @ 1 1/2 tsp per gallon twice a month with good results)