Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 10:20:31 -0500 From: "William M. Gorum, Jr." <wgorum@bellsouth.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2116$foo@default> Subject: Re: N. bicalcarata--feeding Neps.
Hi Bill...
I purchased an N. bicalcarata from Steven Stewart, who is a member of
the list, about a year and a half ago (Thanks, Steven!). My N. bical
is by far my favorite plant I am currently growing. The light green
coloration, I believe is simply because the plant is so young. If I
remember correctly, when my plant was about the same size as yours, the
pitchers were a light green colored, and I remember being quite
disappointed because the fangs were not visible. My disappointment
didn't last long, because my N. bical is the fasted growing Nepenthes I
have. In the year and a half that I've had it, it's gone from a 4 inch
diameter rosette to approximately a 15" rosette and it shows no signs of
slowing down. It produces one new leaf every month or so. Its
currently growing in a 40 gal. "long" aquarium, but it is quickly
outgrowing the tank, so I'm in the process of finding new quarters for
it. The tank is about 18 inches tall and I have four 36 inch bulbs
across the top. Humidity stays around 85 or 90%, and I mist daily.
You didn't say if you feed your plants or not. I am a strong believer
in feeding them. I didn't feed my plants for months when I first got
them because I had been told that they don't need it. At the time, I
was growing all of my plants inside in terrariums. This spring I moved
all of my temperate plants (Dionaea, Sarracenia, Pinguicula,
Darlingtonia, Drosera) outside and I have been amazed by how much the
plants have caught and by how improved their growth rates and coloration
is. They get a couple of hours of full sun in the morning, and the rest
of the day is bright shade. My P. primuliflora and my Drosera binata
seedlings (they're about 2" tall) are constantly covered in gnats, my
Sarras are full of beetles and the VFT's catch anything they can
(spiders, beetles, flies, even honeybees). Inside, since my plants
don't have access to natural food, I decided to try fish food. I had
wonderful results. Right now, I'm feeding a pellet manufactured by
Tetra that is formulated for marine fish, and the food is easy to get at
your local pet store (here in Louisiana, anyway). It has a high protien
content and I feed it to my freshwater African cichlids. The growth
rates of my plants are unbelieveable. I feed them once a month or once
every two months, whenever I think about it. Pitcher feeding your
Nepenthes makes a huge difference, I believe anyway.
Sorry for all the rambling, but I hope it helps.
Thanks,
Will
wgorum@bellsouth.net
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