Date: Thu, 20 Nov 97 17:48 EST From: dave evans <T442119@RUTADMIN.RUTGERS.EDU> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4454$foo@default> Subject: Re: Re: Nep. soil
Hello Perry,
> Andreas recently said that N. northiana does well in a peaty mix.
So do a number of highland Neps. I have all my Nepenthes growing in the
mix below. Happy plants include: N.inermis, N.lowii, N.sanguinea, N.
gracillima, N.rafflesiana, N.northiana, N.ampullaria, N. edwardsiana,
N. cv 'Dwarf Peacock', and more.
Unhappy or not robust include: N.albomarginata, V.ventricosa (no I
can't get this "weed" to pitcher!!!) and a weak N.madagascarensis.
If any of you have these in good shape, please explain how your care
of them differs from the plants in the above paragraph? Thanks. :)
If you don't treat them differently and they are still happy, what soil
are you using?
I have a feeling these species might prefer more silca, maybe 50%
of the total volume... Think I'm headed in the right direction?
> Some people have had good results using a mix containing coarse granite
> gravel for the tough-to-grow highlanders.
Which ones are tough to grow? So far I've had trouble only with
lowlanders or intermediates.
> So, here's a general call to nepenthes growers. Please post the
> recipe for your potting mix if it's _different_ from sphagnum
> and perlite.
One part of each: peatmoss, silca (sand, perlite, diatoms) and pine
bark. The bark is chopped very small by hand and keeps the mix from
compacting. As time goes on, the mix degrades and looses peat. If the
soil is still good, but is now missing so much peat that it dries out
quickly as to threaten the plants if I'm gone for a couple days, I take
a fork and work peatmoss into the soil around the root ball, instead
of repotting.
Dave Evans
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