Date: Wed, 09 Dec 98 23:38 EST From: Dave <T442119@RUTADMIN.RUTGERS.EDU> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3917$foo@default> Subject: Re: RE: Nepenthes requirements
Dear John,
> I recently discovered a natural fertilizer that my drosera *love*. I
> accidently cut my finger on the glass covering my terrarium and let a few
> drops of blood drip onto some D. capensis leaves.
I tried the same thing after I accidently cut myself. The plant
quickly reacts to the blood, but the bloood is too rich in fat (my
conjecture, about the fat) and all leaves, even those with just a
smidgen of blood, molded after a couple of days.
> if I could just figure out where to get 20 drops of blood per month with out
> mutilating myself :-)
Don't the plants look better with the leaves unfurled? I mean I
sure do like to see my plants eat, but I feel they look more attractive
when they aren't covered with blood or corpses... Not to mention, you'll
look better too. Not so pale, vampire-victim-looking CP grower. Hey!
(thinking of John Carpenter's Vampires) maybe this what caused the first
vampire? ;)
> Each time I feed a pitchure it seems to die (the top half anyway) within a
> few days. I try to wait until I think the pitchure is on it's last legs
> anyhow before I feed them. I don't know if this is the best strategy but it
> seems to keep the plant to a minimum of dead pitchures.
I agree with your observations and this is the best strategy to
keep a well fed plants with minimum numbers of dying pitchers. I
think that unfed plants will keep their pitchers longer even if they
have "caught" some prey while those on well fed plants to tend to
let their top halves die off much more quickly. I still feel the
Nepenthes use their pitchers to help them through dry periods and
if they don't need to eat, they quickly turn the pitchers over to
collecting water, by shriveling the tops. Maybe this gelling of
the fluid in pitchers (recently reported) helps this or has some
other effect not related to eating...
Dave Evans
P.S. before you all flame me, my second paragraph is in jest. No
offense meant toward John! Uh... Either of them.
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