Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2000 19:13:51 -0700 From: Rick Walker <walker@cutter.labs.agilent.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2048$foo@default> Subject: NEW 'BRIGHT' FUTURE FOR KINABALU Nepenthes DAWNS?
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Sent: Thursday, 6 July 2000 9:30
High-yur-all
Just read in Digest 2235 that Robert Cantley's group Borneo
Exotics (formerly ISRA Exotics?) has been experimenting with
fertilizing Nepenthes.
Just like to mention that the local Adelaide group of the ACPS is
at the moment trialling both my Serpentine Fertilizer and Foliar
Feed. These were developed over a 6 year period using the trial
lines Dionaea, Cephalotus, Drosera
binata/capensis/aliciae/spathulata, Utricularia
dichotoma/bisquamata/laterifolia and Pinguicula X SETHOS. Which is
the reason I have no 'collection' anymore >(*U^)<
So far the results look promising ie the Scientific Method still
seems to be holding out, as it should >(*U^)< and so I'm feeling a
bit like Barnes Wallis at the moment and, am about ready to sell
someone a 'Pink Elephant'; which is a reference to the film "The
DamBusters" if you haven't seen the movie, and don't get my drift.
Anyway I'd just like to say that work on a range of post-anywhere
concentrates is nearing completion and should be ready by about
Spring 'Our(Aussie) -Time'; so if any of you want to register your
interest (some of you already have) I'll lock you into the initial
send-out of information.
We finally decided on a concentrate rather than Dry-Pax since we
thought you would like a product that was reasonably "Ready-to-Go"
so-to-speak, (wouldn't have to mess-around with dissolving powders
'over-night' which is time-consuming an 'messy') and this approach
should avoid any nasty 'summonses down to the Quarantine Station at
your local Airport to explain the composition of suspicious
white-powders turning-up from foreign lands! >(*U^)< Of course if
you said it was fertilizer they'd probably get you to prove it and
you'd die a few days later from Heavy Metal Toxicity. ((:
Price-wise will be around the Dollar-(Aust.)-a-Litre mark to
anywhere in the world (AirMail ... something I insist on!) - so
that those having to go to the onerous task of taking out an
International Money Order or Bank Draft will be rewarded by getting
the product a little cheaper than those within the local market who
only have to turn-up (rock-up) at a local meeting to get the stuff
quickly and easily and in a 'bottle-ready' version made-up and
literally, ready-to-go. It also makes mailing a little easier
since I can buy padded-bags in bulk and postage by the ream.
The rest of you who get it through the post will just have to pour
the contents into a 9-10 Litre bucket of acidified water
(instructions included). Considering you mustn't use more than
80mls (usual aliquot/dosage is 1-3 4ml aliquot per seedling-hole)
per 6 inch pot per season, a 10 Litre trial-pack ought to last the
average user a substantial amount of time ie it's 'economically'
User-Friendly.
You may even be able to buy it in 'bulk' for a Society in general
and then dole-it-out at your local meetings for a slight profit
towards the cost of your Library and SeedBank etc.? (ie $3 Dollars
for 2 litres? - $1 Dollar profit to the local Chapter / Group or
person wishing to make a killing >(*U^)<
Larger 25-50 and 100 Litre packs will be available for the
Connoisseur-come-Nursery/Emporium (I'm thinking
TriffidPark/BorneoExotics kind'a' thing here) at a reasonable
discount (ie less than a Dollar-a-Litre).
Unfortunately we are unable to offer a smaller trial-pack that ten
Litres because Australia Post (their Motto: "We Deliver"), in their
infinite wisedom, have decided this year to repeal/revoke the 50
gram weight bracket for padded bags and so anything sent in a
padded bag now goes at the 250g weight even if it only weighs 25
grams!?! You figure it out - I guess it's just a sign of the
times - erosion of what used to be one of the best postal systems
in the world!
OK, so how does it work. Basically it appears to encourage Fungi
(particularly the Blue and Blue-Green Penicilliums ssp.) to
proliferate in the soil and some of these seem to form a
'Mycorrhizal' relationship with the roots of your "Serpentine
Responsive" plants ie Dionaea, Cephalotus, Binata Complex etc..
The relationship appears to be along the lines of the 'Ericoidal'
(Heathl(oo)nd - hence the requirement for cooler temperatures) type
described by DJ Read et al where the fungus takes Nitrogen from the
surrounding Humal-Layer and gives it to the plant in return for
photosynthate from the plant (Hence the requirement for higher
light regimes). This situation of course begs the question "Why
then, is this group of CPs Carnivorous?" Though we may discover in
the future that it is more apt to consider this group of CPs as
part-time carnivores; only taking nutriment from captured prey when
growing in soil that does not support the establishment of this
type of relationship, it does warrant further investigation?
However it works, it does appear possible to grow a mature
Cephalotus from a cutting in a single 8 month season providing the
potting mix contains a high 'organic' content and that the
temperature lies roughly within the 22-28oC ie 'SubAlpine' range,
for most of this season. In the future we may consider these
plants as 'SubAlpine' "Cacti" ie plants requiring the light regime
of a desert and temperature fluctuations more reminiscent of
temperate regions of the world.
Trials have commenced on the Foliar Feeding of a range of Tuberous
Drosera ('Tuber-Expansion'). Can't say much at the moment but we
have noticed that growing seedlings in 'mini' "Foam-Box" type of
greenhouses (temperatures in the 20s oC) do support extremely rapid
seedling growth/establishment (and! Pygmy Drosera growth) even
without the aid of a foliar feed. This sort of technology (the ol'
"Peter Paul's" 'set-'n'-forget' in-a plastic-bag technique?) may
provide maturity within only two seasons and if done on the
BroadAcre scale may make it unnecessary to ever harvest from the
wild again.
Anyway hope you had a good read and look forward to your comments,
DAVION
|G4, G5, E5, B4, Ab4!|
|E4, E5, B4, G4, Eb4!|
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