Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 16:51:04 -0500 From: Brewer Charles E PHDN <brewerce@nswcphdn.navy.mil> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3772$foo@default> Subject: RE: Fertilize or not to fertilize
Responding to the issue of fertilizing CPs, yes and no is the answer to
this question. There is a technique associated with fertilizing most CPs and
the key word here is most, not all CPs respond well to fertilizing. Sarr's,
VFTs and Cephs are good candidate for fertilizing where Droseras and some
Neph's are not. If the fertilizer is mild and the plants is actively growing
you may be successful, then again, you may not. A lot depends on the age of
the plants and how healthy they are. If the plants are to small, your more
likely to kill them. If the plants are to large, fertilizers really doesn't
impact them.
Before we go to war on this issue of using fertilizers, we need to ask
ourselves a few questions, what fertilizer are we using, how often do we
plan to fertilize our plants, what plants are we fertilizing, what strength
fertilizer are we going to use and how are we going to apply the fertilizer.
The biggest question we need to ask ourselves is, what are we really trying
to accomplish by using fertilizer and are we willing to take this risk. If
you have all the answers to these questions, then go right ahead.
The last thing I would recommend to any CP grower is to fertilize their
plants. This is surely left up too the more experienced grower, with lots of
extra plants and at his /her risk.
My thirty plus years of growing CPs has taught me one thing and that is to
be very careful when using fertilizers. Even the most experienced growers
still have problems fertilizing CPs. I consider my self a very experienced
grower when it comes to growing healthy large Cephs, VFTs and Pitcher
plants. My secret is not in using fertilizers, but rather the types of bugs
I feed my plants, how often I feed them, what soil I use, what pots I use
and what condition I grow them in. Hope this helps.
Charles Brewer
Va. Beach, Va.
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