Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 11:56:12 -0400 From: Tom Massey <massey@hal.fmhi.usf.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2942$foo@default> Subject: RE: Nepenthes in water trays
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Saturday, September 05, 1998 7:28 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Concerning Nepenthes sitting in trays of shallow water.
While it is true that this could be death for most Nepenthes, .....
Cliff
All, right, I guess I will own-up to being the degenerate,
helpless-Nepenthes-torturer everybody is whispering about. Yes, I grow
many of my Neps in standing water. -- Ahh what sweet release that
admission is! I should phone Bill Clinton and let him know how good it
feels.
First, the facts: I have a small to fair number of the lowland species, a
few highlands, and the typical motley of hybrids. The hybrids, that will
grow anywhere-anyway, have absolutely no concern for water. I use RO water
for everything, which may help, but the hybrids grow roots out the drain
holes and into the tray so thick that I have to cut the pots away on the
rare occasion when I actually repot.
Among the species, plants that have grown in shallow water for many years
include amp. raffles. mirabilis (3 clones), gracillis, distillatoria (or
whatever it really is) ventricosa, viellardii, thorelii, truncata,
khasiana, hirsuta, alata, sanguinea, bical. macrovulgaris, and maybe a few
more I am forgeting.
The amount of water varies. For some plants the tray will dry out by the
end of the day and I add more water when I notice. For others the tray is
virtually never empty. Always RO water, and I never fertilize. Oh, yeah,
(here comes another terrible admission) most of the Neps are growing in
live sphagnum (and nothing else).
Why? Well, basically, I don't have a greenhouse, I don't have a misting
system, and several times a year I am away from home for anywhere from 2
days to 10 days at a time. The plants may be outside in the Florida sun,
inside under lights, or in terrariums under lights. In any case, it is
easier to set up a tray system with a gravity feed water supply than it is
to set up any other system. And you only have to entrust a friend (or
family member) to do the watering one time too many to decide that your
friendships, your marriage, and your plants are too important to trust to
that route.
So the up-shot? No way I would argue with the long time growers who say
other ways are better --too much experience on that side. But this
approach works for me and produces healthy plants that grow at a good
steady rate, pitcher well, and commonly produce basal offshoots.
Quite frankly, I would be a little afraid to try to change now to some
other watering approach.
Altho, I do have a bunch of cuttings from my waterlogged stock that I
thought I might try in the water-once-every-few-days mode that everyone
seems to say is best. I'll let you know how it comes out.
Tom in Fl.
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