Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 14:18:38 +0000 From: Borneo Exotics <borneo@sri.lanka.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3575$foo@default> Subject: Re: Nepenthes Soil
We've tried quite a lot of different mixes, including pure sphagnum. As
Dave says, it does tend to rot and would need replacing often, especially
in the heat of the tropics. The growth rate for almost all species we
tried was not spectacularly different in many different mixes, although at
that time I hadn't tried N. muluensis. For simplicity we use pure coconut
fiber (called coco peat in some countries I think) for all species,
including highland and those that naturally grow in laterite. It works
just fine, breaks down slowly and is incredibly cheap here at $40 per large
truck load! One word of warning though, we've found it important to wash
coconut fiber thoroughly before use, until the water running out of it is
clear otherwise it may burn the roots of some species. Another reason for
doing this is that many coconut plantations are located adjacent to the sea
and the fiber is often processed right on the beach. Most Nepenthes don't
like salt at all. We also boil it first, soak it for a month and wash it
again. By the time we use it there probably isn't much difference between
it and the inorganic medias that people have been writing about recently
(e.g. Heiko Rischer's interesting article in the June CPN).
Other more complex mixes we have tried also work well, but it seems that
one of the most important factors is getting the right amount of air in the
mix. Part of the trick with coconut fiber is not to compress it too much
or too little when potting. When pressed firmly with a finger the media
should not be so soft that the finger easily sinks in, but merely leaves an
indentation. If water rises to the surface around the finger then it is
probably too compressed and your plant will be slowly drowning. However,
different species do have different preferences. The swamp dwellers such
as N. ampullaria and N. mirabilis like it compresssed and wet and actually
grow better that way. At least they do for us.
As coconut fiber degrades, it doesn't seem to produce toxic substances.
With our larger stock plants we simply put some fresh fiber in the the top
of the pot about once per year and press it down on top of the old fiber.
No need to actually repot the plant and disturb the roots at all and they
thrive as a result. You can tell when it's time to do this as the old
fiber has oxidized and turns black. When fresh it is a rich chocolate brown.
As in many things, the environmental conditions can actually play a major
part in the optimal media for a particular grower. For example, if the
humidity is quite low, a wetter more compressed media will probably work
better. That's half the fun isn't it? There's no simple solution that
will work for everybody. We have quite a respectable N. rafflesiana grown
from a seed that drifted away from the tray I was sowing in and germinated
stuck to the side of a clay pot. I left it there and it is still there two
years later. A bit smaller than it's bretheren, but growing nonetheless.
If anyone is interested, our web site will be updated with articles on this
and other subjects and lots of photos of plants grown in coconut fiber. If
you register with the web bot on the opening page, you will be informed
when the update is loaded.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Rob Cantley
Borneo Exotics
<http://www.borneoexotics.com>
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