Question
Hey guys. I understand that you sell the heliamphora hybrid heterodoxa x minor on your site. Your site info says that they require 45-60 degree nights. Both parents of this hybrid have been known to grow in slightly more lowland conditions. In the winter i can provide 55 degree nights, but the rest of the year it will never get cooler than 68 at night. Can i still successfully grow this plant in a terrarium without much of a nightime temp drop? I have a H. minor i have been putting under my bed each night so the a/c in my room can cool the plant down to about 62 degrees. But i plan to get the H. heterodoxa x minor hybrid soon. Thanks.

Answer

Heliamphora minor   Yes, colonies of the parent species can be found at the foothills of the Tepuis.  However, they also grow on the top of the Tepuis.  There is a grower in Hawaii who have successfully grown Heliamphora.  Unlike true highlanders that whither when the nights are warm, Heliamphora will tolerate it.  However, they never got very big.  So while they don't need the nighttime drop in temperature, they will grow faster and larger when they experience cool nights.  (I suspect that the water seepage at the foot of the Tepuis is cool enough to temper the plants' metabolic rate.)

I take it that your Heliamphora minor is a juvenile plant to fit under your bed.  As a word of caution, it will stay that size for about 2-3 years before you see an adult pitcher.  We have a batch of juvenile H. nutans that we've been nurturing for 2 years, and we've yet to see an adult pitcher!  The same is true for some of our H. minor.  

The attached photos of H. minor was taken in 2010.  Something for you to look forward to in the years ahead.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin