Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 14:59:02 EST From: CALIFCARN <CALIFCARN@aol.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg972$foo@default> Subject: Re: About N. villosa and others
Greetings folks, Peter here on the Left Coast. The weather's been beautiful
so we're hard at work and I haven't checked in for over a week. They say more
rain is coming next week ....
Paul B. inquired about some "rare" Nepenthes and their care, such as
Nepenthes villosa. Here at California Carnivores we grow N. villosa with all
of our other highlanders. The temperature averages about 45 to 50 F at night,
year round, however before the heat goes on in late October, the greenhouse
may drop to 40 or so. (It is not unheard of here in Sonoma County to have
outdoor temps in summer to drop as low as 39, and go up to 99 in the same
day!) We have a swamp cooler of course, which we start using when
temperatures outside start hitting the 80s.
I have found Nepenthes such as N. villosa and rajah simple to grow in
these greenhouse conditions. My soil mix is usually equal parts of the
following: long fibered sphagnum, peat, vermiculite, perlite, lava rock and
fine orchid bark. This gives a nice, open mix that stays wet but is airy.
The plants are watered just about every day. I fertilize once a month in
winter, every other week in warmer weather. I usually use Epiphyte's Delight,
or sometimes an orchid 30-10-10. We use wooden boxes or large plastic pots for
most of our Nepenthes, although some are in large glazed ceramics. Humidity
fluctuates, usually highest at night, but it can drop to below 40%
occasionally during the day, but briefly. The plants also catch tons of ants
and crickets and bugs our customers feed them.
One thing I have begun to notice is that when you want your plant to
grow larger more quickly, give it a wider root surface space. When I
transplanted our larger N. lowii this past winter, it was in a six inch pot
and the plant had a rosette about eight inches across. I noticed the roots
were all in the upper two inches of the soil, none lower. I moved it to a
wooden box about 12 inches across. Now, three months later, and after a dose
of Superthrive (which I usually use primarily for transplanting), the plant is
suddenly approaching 15 inches across, and pitchers grew from 3 inches to six
inches. I suspect we'll see a climbing stem (finally) this summer. Not all
Nepenthes keep their roots near the surface of the soil, but many do, and to
grow larger faster, give them wider root space so the roots can spread out.
Some of our plants send their roots out of their pots through the holes in the
bottom and spread along the greenhouse bench sometimes 12 or more inches.
Th-th-th-th-th-that's all, folks! Peter
P. S. Greetings and welcome to Bob Hanrahan. For those of you who
are not familiar with Bob, he is responsible for distributing probably more
rare carnivores than anyone else had, in the United States, back in the l970s.
I still grow most of the plants I originally purchased from his legendary WIP
(World Insectivorous Plants) Nursery. When I finally met Bob face to face at
the World Convention in Atlanta last year, he also turned out to be one of the
friendliest and warm people I've ever met, althought I must admit most Cpers
are that way. Hey Bob, how's that fabulous Sarracenia hybrid doing? The one
from your Alabama property? Is it in TC yet?
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