Expert: Christopher Littrell - 7/21/2008

Question
I asked a question about lights for a nepenthes sanguinea and nepenthes miranda to sarracenia northwest about me using 4 40 watt tubes and if i needed to put the plants farther back. They replied that they have a sanguinea thats growing under 40 watt tubes 4 inches from the light. Also they said this plant was very healthy and that the pitchers were colerful and the leaves were red. I was wondering if i should do that with my mirand and sanguinea? Should i wait see if they show any signs of leaf burn, and put them back to 8 inches under the light? Or should i just dont put them both 4 inches from the lights? Already the miranda has red leaves.

Answer
Hello Robert,

I have had plants grow right up against florescent light tubes and they have never experienced leaf burn. I would go along with their advice about Nepenthes under 12000 lumens of florescent light 4-8 inches from the lights. The closer the plant gets, the higher intensity the light will be. I place my Nepenthes as close to the florescent light tubes as I can as well. I have a tiny 3 inch N. truncata 5 inches from florescent light tubes and getting some morning sun from a south window at the same time. It is developing red mottling on its leaves and has solid reddish brown colored pitchers and has experienced no leaf burn. I have a two and a half foot N. sanguinea that is also in a south window and getting 12000 lumens of florescent light from its uppermost leaves and it has not developed as much coloring as it did before. Smaller plants need a smaller, closer light source while larger plants need a more widespread, but still very intense, light source. I will wind up placing the N. sanguinea closer to the florescent lights eventually.

Christopher