Question
I am in Portland, Oregon so the sun is relatively rare.
I was wondering what might be more beneficial, growing my nepenthes under artificial light or by my south-facing bay window? I currently have them under artificial light right now and they seem to be doing great.
There's also the option of doing both but I don't want to annoy the neighbors with the light.

I have :

Maxima
Maxima x Aristolochioides
Ventricosa
Ventricosa x Aristolochioides
Thorelii x Aristolochioides
(Spectabilis x Ventricosa) x Aristolochioides
Pectinata (?)
Gymnamphora
Truncata

Not sure which species might not do too well in full Portland sun either (which decimated my Plumeria Obtusa...somehow....probably the sun's angle.)

Thank you very much!

Answer
Hi Nanthawat,

I would vote for using the combination if you can work out the timer so it doesn't bother neighbors.  I've gotten excellent results using the combination of ambient window light with artificial light.  However, if you're happy with the growth your getting with just artificial light, that's fine.

If you go for the window, you can often turn off the artificial light once our dry season comes since you'll have plenty of sun.  I wouldn't worry too much about plants burning since the change of the season will be pretty gradual.  If in June you see some problems, move the Maxima and maxima hybrids toward the front, since they love sun, and some of the other behind them.

That's curious about your Plumeria obtusa.  I would bet it had to do with sudden changes, or the way it was getting sun.  I see plenty of that species here in Hawaii, and they are definitely full sun plants.  We put our Mexican plumeria outside every summer in Oregon, and we get a little initial leaf burn, but once it gets through that, it produces normal foliage.  It's the same issue that everyone who's every bought a Venus Flytrap in a death cube faced reinforcing the myth that flytraps don't like full sun.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com