Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 6/5/2011

Question
Hello!
I have a collection of 6 nepenthes and 1 heliamphora, most are highland one or two are intermediate. I have to move out of state for work over the summer and I'm trying to minimize the amount of trauma for my plants. I will be able to roughly replicate the light and humidity but I'm going to have a real hard time keeping them below 90 degrees. Do you have any suggestions for keeping my plants cool indoors? The air conditioning can only keep the room at about 90 degrees during the hottest part of the day so ideally I would like to bring the temperature of my plants down by another 10 degrees. Thank you for any help! I'm at my wits end for keeping my plants healthy.

Answer
I'm not clear if you are taking your plants with you or if you having someone else care for them while you're away.  In any case, if your AC unit isn't able to keep the room temperature below 90°, you may need to invest in a brand new unit with enough wattage to do the job.  I have an AC unit in my living room that keeps the air at 75°F during days when it's 100°F outside.  

Another option is a swamp cooler, which often lowers the temperature by 20°.  However they work best when humidity is low.  (This usually isn't at all a problem in the Portland area.)  You will need to fill the water reservoir daily, so this may or may not be an option if you plan to leave your plants behind.  You could probably find swamp coolers at Home Depot and Lowe's, or you can purchase a unit online.  If you're the handy type, you can build one yourself.  There are many videos on Youtube that show you the process.

Another option still is to entrust your plants with a friend or family member.  You will simply have to accept whatever results happen when you return, for better or worse.

Without knowing any more about the situation, I can only come up with these options, which is a good place to start.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin