Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 22:54:25 -0500 (EST) From: CMDodd@aol.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4231$foo@default> Subject: N. bicalcarata
"Capestany" wrote:
<< I've been growing Nepenthes for two years now. The next Nep I would like
to
add to my collection is N. bicalcarata. Any tips/suggestions for
cultivation? I have the basics (gracilis, ventricosa, mirabilis, etc...)
and the toughest so far have been the fusca and the spathulata's. How does
N. bicalcarata compare to these? >>
Nepenthes bicalcarata is not difficult but does need at least two things:
heat and space. It is very sensitive to cold, temperatures below 50 degrees
F. can damage or sometimes kill the plant, and I suspect that this was one
of
the reasons that it did not thrive in it's early introduction in England.
Grow it warm, days 85-95 and nights 70 degrees F.
The other problem you may encounter is space, or rather lack thereof. I get
a kick out of people who want to grow this species only to find they have
all
their Nepenthes in a 20 gallon aquarium! N. bicalcarata is best as a
greenhouse plant, it may have leaves in excess of 3 feet making a 6 foot
plus
diameter plant. The inflorescence is over two feet tall and the plants
themselves can easily reach 8-10 feet in a greenhouse. The stems can be
bigger diameter than your thumb!
Given all that, the plant is not otherwise fussy. Any soil that will grow
N. rafflesiana or ampullaria should be fine. It likes fairly high light
level
in cultivation, while in the wild it grows in some very dark places. It does
not like to dry out, so attention to watering is in order. Large
containers
(plastic pots) per size of plant are best, it does not seem to like hanging
baskets all that much. Lastly, high humidity and a steady diet of ants and
roaches. I do not feed the plants, but just happen to live in the bug
capital
of the U.S. The plants dine on their own.
Cliff
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