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An incredibly beautiful and hardy "houseplant" hybrid created by Borneo Exotics
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Such cute tubby pitchers! I love how the mouth takes after ampullaria parent. September 2020
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Very compact grower with lanceolate leaves also reminiscent of ampullaria. September 2020
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Nepenthes "Lady Luck" (or "Bloody Mary" if you are in the UK) was selected as a "houseplant friendly" clone in the Borneo Exotics Bio-Dome Program. These particular cultivars are extremely hardy and beautiful. Combined with the Bio-Dome apparatus, the growing system was designed to gradually acclimate these Nepenthes to the adverse conditions of the average home or office, in an attempt to make Nepenthes easier to grow for the general population.
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From the Borneo Extoics Bio-Dome Program: "A Bio-Dome is a new innovative and very simple growing system that enables anyone to grow Nepenthes plants at home, in the office, greenhouse or garden, with minimal care and maintenance. The system waters the plant using capillary action to wick water up from a reservoir below the plant. The dome maintains the high humidity around the plant which it needs to grow when it is still young and tender. It is carefully designed so that as the plant grows, new leaves will seek out the hole in the dome and eventually develop outside the dome, provided the external environment is not too hostile."
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An integrated watering system and humidity dome helps tender young Nepenthes adapt to regular home and office environments
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Overall I thought that this was a very clever program! One of the most difficult aspects of cultivation for new Nepenthes growers to master is boosting humidity. It is very frustrating to the novice grower to receive a Nepenthes covered in beautiful pitchers, only for them to shrivel up and neverbe replaced. The Bio-Dome creates a high humidity micro-climate for the young Nepenthes to grow in. Over time the new leaves become acclimated to the lower humidity atmosphere outside the Bio-Dome and help the plant produce pitchers. I think it's a great way to help new Nepenthes growers have success with their first pitcher plants! Hopefully they get bitten by the Nepenthes bug and then move on to the pickier species and hybrids after their initial accomplishment.
The cultivars selected for the Bio-Dome program are not just for the novice grower though. Since they are so hardy, they are very rewarding to grow! I received my Nepenthes Lady Luck from Carnivero in August 2020. Incredibly, my Lady Luck didn't lose a SINGLE pitcher during its acclimation process, despite being shipped bare root, potted up, and placed in a south facing windowsill! These plants really are tough as nails! It has since leaf jumped and produced several beautiful pitchers. A lovely hybrid between ampullaria-red and ventricosa, this plant attained the best attributes from both parents. The compact leaves are a lovely olive and have a pleasing shape from the ampullaria parent. The pitchers are squat little red eggs and have a beautiful broad ridged peristome. At this young age the plant is already covered in pitchers! I would love to pick up other select clones from the Bio-Dome program in the future, especially"Bill Bailey" and "Gaya"!
Update December 2020
Disaster! Fungal attack??
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So what I thought was leaf burn from a string of particularly sunny days ended up being some kind of fungal attack! Although I haven't been able to identify the specific fungus that is attacking the plant, I think it will benefit from a treatment with a systemic fungicide with the active ingredient Tebuconazole. Perhaps the plant was weakened by the high light, which made it susceptible to fungal attack, despite being on the windowsill and receiving adequate ventilation. Crossing fingers it gets controlled quickly and doesn't spread!
Current Growing Conditions: South-Facing Living Room Window
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)
Water: Moist but not wet - prefers to stay wetter than normal Nepenthes because of the ampullaria parent
Potting Mix: 50% long fibered sphagnum and 50% perlite
Fertilizer: MaxSea (1/4 tsp/gallon) every other week into pitchers
Additional Notes: Tough as nails and beautiful to boot! Pitchers well and holds on to them!
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)
Water: Moist but not wet - prefers to stay wetter than normal Nepenthes because of the ampullaria parent
Potting Mix: 50% long fibered sphagnum and 50% perlite
Fertilizer: MaxSea (1/4 tsp/gallon) every other week into pitchers
Additional Notes: Tough as nails and beautiful to boot! Pitchers well and holds on to them!