Question
QUESTION: So it's well int spring time here in northern New Zealand, I just bought a fairly small (4") Heliamphora Tequila and am wondering if it is best grown indoors with the Nepenthes or best outdoors with the Sarracenias. I've been growing Nepenthes indoors very sucessfully and they are flowering. I have been growing Sarracenias and Venus fly traps successfully outdoors and they are also flowering. My question is, which environment is best for my Heliamphora, and what care should I take in either environment? I didn't think a picture was necessary.

ANSWER: Heliamphora prefers very stable growing conditions.  For this reason, they're better off indoors than outdoors, at least in most regions.  In fact, this is the only plant that we recommend growing in open terrariums.  Very few people are lucky enough to live in areas where the environment is stable and mild throughout the day.  

For more information on growing this plant, read our care sheet on our main website.  This will get you in the right direction.
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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QUESTION: I will try to grow it indoors then. In the lounge there are windows literally in three directions apox NE, NW, and SW. The nepenthes that is flowering is in a position that recieves light fromm all angles but it is not as bright as being directly on the NW window which is large enough we place vases on it, I can grow the Heli' here. I will try to put together a humidity tray for it, and we usually close the curtains at night which would mean it gets nice cold nights without the effects of our heaters. We rarely open windows so the only airflow it would be getting is what it could recieve in a large room with people moving around. Is a terrarium truly necessary? Can I just treat it like a houseplant, as I do for my Nepenthes? How do you feel about my indoor conditions?

ANSWER: Since your plant is young, I recommend growing it in an open terrarium.  Young plants tend to be less resilient to humidity fluctuations than adult plants.  With that said, your plant won't die from not being in a terrarium as long as you water your plant and provide sufficient lighting.  From your description, I don't see any red flags.  However, I haven't experienced your climate first hand, so I can't provide my intuitive senses.  With highly fluctuating humidity, the pitchers will be shorter with malformed nectar spoons.  If you see this in the first set of pitchers, then you'll know that you may need to consider using a terrarium.

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QUESTION: I've never seen terrariums in stores. If I can convince mum to lend me one of her wide vases could I just place it over the plant? Or do I need to have an open top?
Also, if I cannot acquire a terrarium of any kind, would it be okay to treat it like a houseplant and give it a humidity tray? you speak of humidity fluctuations but I thought humidity would be constant with a tray.I just want to be sure. I can keep it watered. I just found your answer somewhat inconclusive.

Answer
Yes, the answer may seem inconclusive.  Again, that's because I don't know your specific microclimate.  A humidity tray may help, depending on the ambient humidity in your home.  For some people, a humidity tray is sufficient.  For others, such as myself, it's not at all sufficient.  

Growing plants is an art rather than a science.  It really is impossible to give a definitive yes that your plant will indeed flourish in your specific conditions.  Heliamphora is one of the more temperamental plants around, carnivorous or otherwise.  You have to watch your plant and see how it responds to its environment.  If you don't like the way it's growing, then you'll need to adjust the growing conditions to accommodate its needs.  That's why I said that if you see malformed nectar spoons on your plant, then the humidity is fluctuating too much.  This can occur even with a humidity tray.  Yes, you can grow your plant outside of a terrarium.  Some people are able to do that without any issues.  I don't see any red flags in your description, so it's worth giving it a try to see how your plant actually responds to the conditions.  

If you don't want to go through this trouble of watching how your plant responds with just the humidity tray alone, then you need to consider an open terrarium.  An open terrarium means that there is no lid on top to allow for appropriate air circulation.

Covering your plant with a clear vase is not an open terrarium.  It's a closed terrarium, which can set you up for fungus and mold issues.  A closed terrarium is also inappropriate for Heliamphora Tequila, which will eventually grow into a relatively large plant and outgrow a closed terrarium.

We demonstrate also how to grow Heliamphora in Volume 3 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series.  This could be a worthwhile investment to help you grow this somewhat temperamental species.
http://www.cobraplant.com/dvd