Now that my first Nepenthes (alata) is making pitchers and seems to be
moderately happy, I'm thinking about trying one or two more.
A couple of questions, though:
1. Do Nepenthes obtain all necessary trace elements from prey, or are some
minerals taken up by the roots? I've had great success growing a number of
orchids in pure coarse perlite or 50% perlite/ 50% coarse charcoal. The
perlite holds a huge amount of water but is very open and airy. Orchid roots
seem to love it, and I was wondering if Nepenthes might like it too. The
advantage of perlite is that it doesn't decompose and rot roots. The
disadvantage is that it doesn't decompose and release nutrients. Could I grow
Neps in such media? Prhaps if I gave the plant very dilute trace element
supplements?
2. Are there any Nepenthes species that remain compact enough to reside in an
old aquarium that is 24 inches long, 12 wide and 16 high?
cheers,
Nick
Nicholas Plummer
nplummer@umich.edu