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what should i be fertilizing with
- Thread starter An1matr0n1k
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- fertilizing foliar ping soil
Adam
Sarracenia Collector
pappydew
I hate bugs. Carnivorous plants get me.
I use betta fish food for my CP's when they're not getting a lot of bugs or if I want to see a growth spurt. With the dews and pings you can crush it up into a powder and sprinkle it onto the digestive goo. Just make sure they're dewed up real nice first or it can burn the leaves.
As far as I figure it the only CP's that really benefit at all from foliar fertilizers are the neps, and I'd prefer to just feed them. It's more fun anyway.
As far as I figure it the only CP's that really benefit at all from foliar fertilizers are the neps, and I'd prefer to just feed them. It's more fun anyway.
Exo
Tastes like chicken!
A controversial subject but...
Fertilizing CPs is usually something not recommended for beginners to do. Over-fertilizing will lead to grief. It takes a few years of growing experience to learn the growth habits and the effects of weather and cultivation changes has on those habits. A less experienced grower may not catch the signs of over fertilization before it is too late.
However, Lois fertilizes practically all her greenhouse plants of nearly all genera with a dilute solution of Miracid (as I recall) using a garden sprayer/fogger. I don't recall the strength she said she uses - 10%-25% would be a wild guess. Yes, nearly all genera - Drosera, Cephelotus, Pinguicula, Sarracenia, Nepenthes, and Dionaea - even some Utricularia. Most advise spray only the plants and avoiding as much as possible getting spray/fertilizer on the media.
Osmocote pellets have been successfully used with Sarracenia seedlings (in the medium). The same and fish food pellets or flakes are often feed into pitchers or ground up and sprinkled on sticky traps. A few people use ground up dried insects.
Dilute solutions of Miracid, Alaskan Fish Emulsion, Max Sea and Neptune's Harvest are the brands I've seen discussed as being used successfully with pitcher plants.
Many feel that foliar feeding on the exterior of pitchers to be useless, since the modified organs to absorb nutrients are concentrated in the interior of the pitchers. Perhaps Lois has some observations on this.
Fertilizing CPs is usually something not recommended for beginners to do. Over-fertilizing will lead to grief. It takes a few years of growing experience to learn the growth habits and the effects of weather and cultivation changes has on those habits. A less experienced grower may not catch the signs of over fertilization before it is too late.
However, Lois fertilizes practically all her greenhouse plants of nearly all genera with a dilute solution of Miracid (as I recall) using a garden sprayer/fogger. I don't recall the strength she said she uses - 10%-25% would be a wild guess. Yes, nearly all genera - Drosera, Cephelotus, Pinguicula, Sarracenia, Nepenthes, and Dionaea - even some Utricularia. Most advise spray only the plants and avoiding as much as possible getting spray/fertilizer on the media.
Osmocote pellets have been successfully used with Sarracenia seedlings (in the medium). The same and fish food pellets or flakes are often feed into pitchers or ground up and sprinkled on sticky traps. A few people use ground up dried insects.
Dilute solutions of Miracid, Alaskan Fish Emulsion, Max Sea and Neptune's Harvest are the brands I've seen discussed as being used successfully with pitcher plants.
Many feel that foliar feeding on the exterior of pitchers to be useless, since the modified organs to absorb nutrients are concentrated in the interior of the pitchers. Perhaps Lois has some observations on this.
Clue
clippity-clip-clip
tommyr
Gardening freak!
I take a little tropical fish food (flakes, I have a few fish) and crush them up in my palm into fine powder. I then sprinkle a TINY amount over my Sundews and pings. It DOES seem to stimulate growth and never harms the plants.
I'll mention that these plants are inside and get the occasional fungus gnat as well but not many.
I'll mention that these plants are inside and get the occasional fungus gnat as well but not many.
tommyr
Gardening freak!
With neps I give a light spraying with 1/4 strength orchid food every 2 weeks in the spring to summer to promote pitchering if needed.
