Decided to boost the heat in my greenhouse shelf terrarium by adding a seedling heat mat underneath the humidity trays. The cooler December weather has really slowed down my lowland Nepenthes! A few of my plants were also unhappy about the higher light intensity after adding the Carnivero Florawave light, so I wanted to remove the LED shoplight and make it the Florwave the sole light source, which would make the terrarium even colder. 

I am using an iPower 20" x 20: seedling heat mat connected to an iPower thermostat set to 85F. I taped the thermostat probe to the center of the back wall.

I duct-taped two 10" x 20" seedling trays together so that no water would escape down the middle, then filled them with about an inch deep of black lava rock to increase the surface area for the warmed water to evaporate from. Hopefully this boosts the relative humidity in the terrarium! I then overlaid the trays with egg crate light diffuser to provide a level surface for my plants. I decided to do away with the multiple shelves and just have a single level to maximize space in the terrarium (a constant problem!)

 Temperature and humidity measured by my SensorPush look spot on! Loving the increase in daytime temperature. I plugged the heat mat into my timer so that it only turns on during the daytime, that way we still get modest night time drops. The humidity is interesting - seems to be more stable, although I am curious why night time humidity does not stay close to 100% like it did prior to adding the heat mat.

It's been about two weeks since adding the heat mat and removing the LED shoplight. The plants are LOVING it! My lowlanders have definitely appreciated the boost in warmth and are rewarding me with noticeably faster growth. The heat mat seems to turn on for about 4-5 hours before shutting off. 

I knew I wanted to enclose the lower shelf with reflective insulation to bounce back the light and contain the heat. I also wanted everything to be adjustable. Here are the details on each part of the build:

Light
Luckily my shelves are 4 feet long, which is the length of most shop lights. I got some 4000K LED shop lights SUPER CHEAP from Costco (buy one get one free sale!) and my plants grew well under them, but I recently upgraded to Carnivero's Florawave SV40 lights (test unit discount!). Now I have one 4000K LED shop light and one Florawave SV40 light over each growing space and I am extremely happy with the results! (See the difference in my review video below). PPFD averages 170 but I can use the multiple levels to adjust individual lighting needs. The light fixtures are resting on simple hangers I made from extra wooden dowels and leftover pieces of chain from other projects. The chain is looped on the upper shelf's wire rack and I can raise and lower the lights by adjusting the length of the chain and easily reposition the lights by sliding them around on the dowels.

Shelving
I used egg crate light diffuser and zip ties to build my shelves. The light diffuser was pretty easy to cut using mini wire-cutters - just be careful to point it away from your eyes because small bits of plastic pop off at surprising speed! I plan to lower the shelf by cutting off the ends of the legs as my plants get larger. The maxima x jacquelineae is almost ready to move out to my 40 gallon terrarium, but the other plants have another 6 months to a year at this height, at which point I will upgrade to a grow tent.

Humidity
I just have regular seedling propagation trays underneath the shelves to catch draining water. They are filled with black volcanic rock (easily found in the landscaping section of any garden store), which increases the surface area for the water to evaporate from and thus boosts humidity. I also have several trays (repurposed food takeout containers) of live sphagnum moss growing underneath the shelves, where it is absolutely thriving!

Fan
I have a small computer fan in the back that circulates the air inside the growing area. So far it doesn't appear to have any issues with high humidity and I greatly appreciate that it is almost silent. I have the fan set to low at all times and it is angled to promote a circular path of air movement. Some particularly nectar-rich pitchers still get some black mold despite the air movement, but it is harmless and easy to wipe off with a wet paper towel for close-ups :) Since I increased the air circulation, I definitely noticed a decrease in mold and a big increase in growth rate!

Average Growing Conditions - Warm Intermediate
Light: 6700 - 13000 Lux (~170 PPFD)
Humidity: ~90% night and 67% day
Temperature: ~68F night and 85F day (still have some seasonal variation)

I've been really curious about using orchid keiki paste to activate dormant nodes on Nepenthes. The paste is mainly used on orchids to create a "keiki", or baby orchid, on a dormant node on a spent flower stalk. I've read about other Nepenthes growers using it to stimulate basal shoots on Nepenthes, the most well documented instance on an old FlyTrapCare forum post. Another old forum post shows great efficacy on Heliamphora tatei. After searching FaceBook for keiki paste on Nepenthes, I found several individuals that reported success when gently cutting away the woody stem and coating the exposed green tissue with keiki paste. Emboldened, I decided to try it out myself!

My procedure of all of the following experiments was basically the same - sterilize a sharp razor blade with rubbing alcohol and dry with clean paper towel, then carefully shave off the woody exterior off the stem until some green tissue was exposed. Then I carefully applied a pea-sized ball of keiki paste using a Q-tip, being very careful not to get any on my skin. In general I tried to cut above where I thought a dormant node might be (juncture of leaf joint).

All plants were initially treated on November 14 2020 and were observed closely for 2 years - October 2022!

This stem cutting hasn't done anything for months! I believe it has rooted since it resists a gentle tug, but there has been no activation in either node. I think it would be really awesome if I could use keiki paste to reliably activate the lowest node on stem cuttings! I added a small ball of paste to the lowest node and crossed my fingers!

I struggled with my Nepenthes maxima x jacquelineae for over a year on the windowsill before finally moving it to my terrarium, where it exploded in growth! It struggled for such a long time that it has this ugly bare stem coiled on the surface of the media. It would be really nice to have a basal down there! It is also in danger of quickly outgrowing my terrarium at the rate it is going. Hopefully some of that vigor will be transferred to a basal shoot!

My robcantleyi is basically leaning out of control to one side! I'm hoping a basal shoot will balance it back out. I also struggled with this plant for a while before I could figure it out, so there is a lot of ugly bare stem.

RESULTS - My robcantleyi continues to lean out of its pot at a crazy angle, with no basal production. I eventually suspended this pot so it could grow at an angle. The stem has since completely healed since the application of the keiki paste. 

I just recently removed the top half of the climbing stem on my Nepenthes maxima. The apical growth point was starting etiolate from lack of light up near the ceiling, so I made the difficult decision to cut it off (even though I do hope that it flowers again soon!) The applies keiki paste to the main stem in hopes of a new basal to replace the recently cut climbing stem. This particular plant also has a mature second growing point, but I really love the look of multiple growing points on the same plant (double the pitchers!) as long as the plant is vigorous enough to support multiple growth points. This climbing stem basically grew 6 feet in a couple of months, so I don't think this plant is lacking for anything hahaha.

RESULTS - Nepenthes maxima has since produced many basals, but none of them at the original cut site. Whether or not basal production was encouraged by keiki paste or just a result of vigorous growth is impossible to determine.

This one I am very curious about! Almost all of the pictures I have seen of N. x Dyeriana pitchers have been of the iconic uppers - very large in size, reduced wings, and tendril exiting out the back. Just recently I saw some pictures of N. x Dyeriana lowers! They have much larger wings and the tendril exits to the side. I am very curious to see if this basal ends up with lowers or uppers because I deliberately chose a node at ground level. We will see!

RESULTS - Dyeriana did NOT activate a lower node until MUCH later (over two years after application of the keiki paste) and is likely a result of topping the main growth point and not because of the applied hormones. The original cut site was completely healed over after application and before basal production. However, the lower basal does appear to be producing lower pitchers!

Now this is an interesting one! I received my Nepenthes x tiveyi "Red Queen" as a rooted cutting back in June 2020. At the base of it was this tiny basal. I thought perhaps the tiny basal would start growing again once the plant acclimated... but no! It has remained exactly the same for nearly 5 months! I hope that the keiki paste jumpstarts the basal to grow again. I have no idea what will happen here!

This sanguinea is growing very vigorously, but it also has a case of the leans! It would be really nice to have a second growing point on the opposite side to balance it out. This sanguinea also holds on to its pitchers for a very long time - it would be great to have double the pitchers on this plant!

WELL... at least the results here are succinct. NONE of these experiments resulted in an activated node. Although many plants did eventually produce basals, all original cut sites were completely healed over by the time the basals grew and were likely the result of removing the main growth point and/or vigorous growth instead of the keiki paste.  I did not observe any negative implications from the keiki paste, but I also did not observe any benefits. I did not have a handy Phaelonopsis orchid bloom stalk to use a my positive control, so it is possible the keiki paste itself was inactive. At least for my growing practices, keiki paste has not beneficial or negative consequences, so I will not be using it again.

If you would like to see how the plants are doing, I have been posting updates to my Instagram, @Nepenthes_Diary every couple of days or so! Happy growing!

Rapid Bag Acclimation Procedure
After unboxing and inspecting the plant for shipping damage and pests, pot the plant up and water the media well. Fill the pitchers with water and completely seal the plants in ZipLock bags for 1-2 weeks. After I start to observe growth in the new plant, I slowly start to adjust the plant to my regular growing conditions by opening the bag up more and more every day - maybe only open halfway the first day, then opened completely but still in the bag for several days, and finally removing the bag after about a week. Bam! The new Nepenthes may still lose a pitcher or two from shipping damage, but most will hold on to their existing pitchers and start developing new ones right away 2-3 weeks of gentle acclimation. Most new plants treated this way start leaf jumping right away! I'm so happy to have found this technique and will be using it on every new tropical pitcher plant that I acquire!

Took a break the other day to maintain some of my leggy Stapeliads and prop them in a reused carry-out container! Going to try rooting in 50% potting soil and 50% perlite. This mix is very light, airy, and fast-draining, but still holds some moisture and nutrients, so it should be perfect for getting these to strike. I used bent paper clips to hold some of the wobbly cuttings in place. Can't wait to share these with my friends!

I love it when Nepenthes start climbing! My maxima is almost touching the curtain rod in the living room and I'm finally going to see upper pitchers for the first time since I moved to this apartment. It used to climb all over the ceiling at my old place but I had to cut it all back when we moved... it proceeded to throw a tantrum and not fully recover until this year haha. 

Nepenthes orbiculata seedling is starting to show some interesting characteristics in its newest pitchers! I love the shape of the mouth, the very large, almost cupped wings blushed with red, and the interesting red venation on a cream background. I am very curious to see how it matures! 

I also received my first unrooted basal in the mail! I have high hopes for this little lowii x campanulata. Crossing fingers it roots quickly!

I have been uploading more Nepenthes-related content on my YouTube Inglorious Bettas. I generally upload one or two videos a week. Subscribe and comment if you want to see more Nepenthes videos! I also post daily updates to my Instagram, @Nepenthes_Diary! Happy growing!

I so love taking pictures! I added a few new photos to the following profiles:

• Nepenthes ampullaria 'Lime Twist", BE-3390
• Nepenthes clipeata, Wistuba Clone U
• Nepenthes densiflora x robcantleyi, BE-3573
• Nepenthes orbiculata
• Nepenthes Titanic Tyrant (truncata x truncata)
• Nepenthes spathulata x campanulata, BE-3796
• Nepenthes spathulata x jacquelineae, BE-3883
• Nepenthes x briggsiana 'Hortus Botanicus' (lowii x ventricosa)​​

I'm starting to get better at macro photography as well. I love how fuzzy the baby pitchers look under the macro lens! It looks like they have crazy hairdos!

Finally finished adding all of my current Nepenthes to the Species/Hybrids Cultivation page! Phew! I had a ton of fun researching all of the different plants I have and gathering up all my photos. Expect lots of updates in each profile as each plant grows!

Although most of my plants are young, I do occasionally have cuttings available for trade. I made a Wish List and if you would like to propose a trade, don't be afraid to send me an email via the contact form on that page!

I have also been uploading more Nepenthes-related content on my YouTube Inglorious Bettas. I generally upload one or two videos a week. Subscribe and comment if you want to see more Nepenthes videos! I also post daily updates to my instagram, @Nepenthes_Diary!

I've been having SO much fun researching the background of my different Nepenthes and learning about their history from primary sources! The following Species/Hybrids are the most recently completed:

• Nepenthes ampullaria 'Lime Twist", BE-3390
• Nepenthes densfilora x robcantleyi, BE-3573
• Nepenthes maxima ('Dark'?)
• Nepenthes maxima x aristolochioides, BE-3578​
• Nepenthes maxima x jacquelineae, BE-3615
• Nepenthes sanguinea 'Orange'
• Nepenthes Titanic Tyrant (truncata x truncata)
• Nepenthes x briggsiana 'Hortus Botanicus' (lowii x ventricosa)
• Nepenthes x tiveyi 'Red Queen' (maxima x veitchii)

I will continue completing more of the Species/Hybrid Cultivation Notes over time!
I will be posting some unboxing videos to my YouTube @Inglorious Bettas soon!
Check out my Instagram @Nepenthes_Diary for daily updates :)