Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 10:36:09 -0600 (CST) From: Paul Burkhardt <burkhard@aries.scs.uiuc.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4473$foo@default> Subject: Re: Nep. soil
Hi Perry, Dave, and list,
> 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.
>
> Perry Malouf
I have two mixes that I've been using with relative success.
1. 2:2:1 peatmoss, silica sand, charcoal (or fir bark)
2. 4:4:2:1 fir bark, charcoal, peatmoss, silica sand
The second mix is much airier due to the increase in fir bark and
charcoal. The charcoal is a substitute for perlite. I would like to obtain
pumice (not refined into perlite) or clay beads to substitute for the fir
bark and charcoal.
>From Dave Evans:
> Unhappy or not robust include: N.albomarginata, V.ventricosa (no I
> can't get this "weed" to pitcher!!!)
I used to have trouble with N. ventricosa not pitchering until Perry gave
me a few pointers. I increased the heat, light, and humidity to the level
that N. ampullaria likes and it worked. The N. ventricosa is in the first
mix that I described above. I'm also having trouble with N. albomarginata
pitchering.
> > 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.
Wow, what's your secret, Dave? :) All of my highlanders grow quite slowly
compared to the lowlanders, and would die if I didn't give them sustained
cool nights (50 F). I tried growing them in my lowland terrarium for two
months and they began to wilt and die (I lost an N. rajah this way) but as
soon as I moved them to another terrarium and 'iced' them down at night,
they responded positively. My fastest growing highlander is N. rajah and
my slowest N. inermis.
> I've heard of other people using charcoal also. What does charcoal
> do for a potting mix? Does it neutralize, or absorb metabolic byproducts
> as it does for fish tanks?
>
> Perry Malouf
Horticultural charcoal, which is what I use, probably plays only a small
role in absorbing compounds. I use it mainly for aeration.
Paul Burkhardt
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