A tragic example of a true highland plant grown too warm for too long :( *Note* There is a possibility that this plant was mislabeled as jacquelineae when in fact it is jamban. We may never know because my plant is doing so poorly :(
It started out so promising! January 2017
Nepenthes jacquelineae is truly one of the most unique and awe-inspiring Nepenthes species out there. I SO wanted this species to do well for me! When I first got this plant in 2016, I was only just starting to realize that different species required different temperature requirements. In my naivete, I thought my south-facing windowsill was cool enough for "highland" species because we live right on the ocean in perpetually foggy San Francisco. It wasn't until I got a SensorPush and started to really pay attention to my different growing conditions that I realized my windowsill is actually considered "intermediate"! Highland plants need to get VERY cool at night, down to the mid-fifties (Fahrenheit)!
Before the metabolic stress stacked up... June 2017
The results of prolonged metabolic heat stress. October 2020
I learned the hard way that highland Nepenthes really can't survive in intermediate conditions over a prolonged period of time. They start out hopeful and producing some great leaves and pitchers, but over time the entire plant just goes downhill. Despite trying different locations on the windowsill and even in the terrarium at one point, the lack of cool night time temperatures contributed to severe metabolic decline. As the stress built up, the leaves become smaller, and the plant became susceptible to opportunistic parasites that it could normally easily fight off (in this case, soil mites left angry red splotches all over the leaves on multiple occasions).
I have heard of different clones of jacquelineae and jamban that have succeeded on windowsills, but this particular seed grown individual from Predatory Plants is not one of them. It is particularly unfortunately because it is a gorgeous deep red grex and I hope to find an appropriate highland home for it! Now I double-check my new species/hybrids using Tom's interactive Nepenthes calculator and my SensorPush readings to figure out if my new acquisitions will be successful in the long haul. The closer you can replicate the conditions these plants experience in the wild, the less stress they will have and the better they will grow! A hard lesson but well learned!
Current TERRIBLE Growing Conditions! (do NOT recommend!) South-Facing Living Room Windowsill Light: ~260 - 460 PPFD or 16530 - 20110 Lux (depends on the weather outside) Humidity: ~80% night and 55% day Temperature: ~68F night and 90F day (depends on weather outside) - Highland requires nightly drops into the 50's for long term success! Water: Moist but not wet Potting Mix: 50% long fibered sphagnum and 50% perlite Fertilizer: MaxSea (1/4 tsp/gallon) every other week into pitchers Additional Notes: Don't grow highland plants in intermediate conditions! Plants will look great for the first year, but over time the warm temperatures will induce severe metabolic stress and the plants will go downhill.