Question

rajah   Hey guys,

I have 2 Nepenthes Rajah that are growing 8" under 2, T12-40 watt cool white fluorescent bulbs in equal parts sphagnum moss/coconut husk(moist but never sitting in water). I have them in an 8" pot also and am growing them under a clear ziplock bag after reading on cobraplant that this is one species requiring more humidity. I did cut the corners off from the ziplock bag just little ways down for some airflow(humidity doesn't go under 80% though). The temperature in my room is in the low 72-75 never higher but I bring the plant outside at night whenever the temp drops in the 50s to 60s.

The plant is developing some redness in the
leaves and one leaf seems to be dying that's resting on the bedding(I had it brought in from out of the country so might be stress from shipment) but just wanted to make sure i'm not giving it too much light and the environment it's growing in is safe for it and the temps aren't too warm.

Answer
Hi Bobby,

You plant looks fine, and the leaf dying just looks like an older leaf.  Slight reddening is natural color for N. rajah, so that's very normal.  The light from T-12 fluorescents is fairly soft even when plants are close, so that just fine.  Rajah's are often in cool, bright environments in nature in mountainous areas.

You might consider just watering the plant with cool water before you go to bed at night instead of moving it outside.  Moving plants around tends to cause more problems than it solves.  Another option is to pot your plant in a terracotta pot.  The unglazed ceramic has a marked cooling effect on the soil.  You just have to monitor the watering more closely since the pots loose water faster.

After that you'll just need lots of patience.  N. rajah is slow growing for even the most experienced growers.

Good Growing!

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