Re: Feeding pitcher plants

Oliver T Massey CFS (massey@hal.fmhi.usf.edu)
Fri, 17 Jun 1994 10:24:10 -0400

> > Call me perverse, but I am always pleased to see my N. mirabilis and
S.catesbei
> > full of the shells of garden snails. Always enjoy a well motivated plant!
> >
> Garden Snails? Are they being caught or are you dumping them in? It
> seems that they would be perfectly happy to eat a Nepenthes.
>
> bb

Nope, no dumping, strictly self caught. These snails have a flat spiral
shell that are typically about the circumference of a pencil eraser. A
few years back I had a wading pool bog and the plants sometimes suffered
a little damage from snails. (For that and other reasons I don't use
that now.) Now the most snails are caught by the N. mirabilis. I have
it sitting about waist high outside and the longest vines have grown
over and down to the ground. The pitchers hang into the ferns and grass
along the fence where they attract snails and ants. I haven't
identified any damage under these circumstances (at least so far).