Pineapple's Greenhouse

[Nepenthesis]

VIEL SPHAG! (German joke...)

So here's the new culture I started. It's like a 25" x 15" container, roughly.

And here is the other culture that I started during the summer. I actually just had the dry sphag in the container keeping in there, then some sphag popped up, so then I added a bit scattered out and this is what I have now... (The sides were stripped of dead sphag and just today it was added back so I put live stuff on top, that's why it looks less growy)

COMPARISON 1:

Here's one of the small rectangular cultures from the very beginning of June...

Here's all four as of 20 October, 2012...

COMPARISON 2:

Here's the single large rectangular culture from the very beginning of July...

Here it is now, 20 October, with a sundew growing in it!

COMPARISON 3:

Here are the two square cultures from 7 July, 2012...

Here they are now, 20 October, 2012...

NEW CULTURES AND ALL CULTURES:

Here are the three news ones. The rectangular is from a month ago, the small round one is from last week as well as the large round one.

Here are all of the small cultures together. This picture excludes the older giant culture (which is off to the left) and the giant culture I started today which is on the other side of the greenhouse on the lower shelf.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I took the 50% shade cloth off WITHOUT ACCLIMATING (risky risky ) today on 23 October, 2012. RIPPED IT OFF THAT PUPPY.

 

[Whimgrinder]

Up north in my region, the shadecloth came off about 4 weeks ago. I did NOT have to worry about acclimation to brighter light because the shadecloth was in place only during the brightest, hottest hours of the day for all of September (approx 10:30 AM till 3 PM), so my plants had become quite accustomed to intense sunlight (well, as intense as late September days get here). You should watch carefully to monitor your plants for bleaching/burning. If you get a really hot, bright day, be prepared to pull the shadecloth temporarly during peak light hours, at least for the first ten days or so. I don't know how much sunlight you are getting at this time of the year where you are, so.....

And any more talk about ripping puppies and I will have to call the SPCA, young man!

By the way, here is a photo I took early this morning (before dawn) of one of my hanging baskets (N. jacquelineae), illustrating the phenomenon of Sphagnum pigmentation:

This is the same species of Sphagnum, taken from the same colony and planted into this pot some 7 months ago. Basically it is all the same plant/clone, and yet you can see how some growing points turn red, while their neighbors remain bright green. This should give you some idea why we've been saying that manipulating Sphagnum to grow red is difficult, and may be dependent on factors we don't fully understand. (At least I don't) I see this happen all over my greenhouse, when almost all of my Sphagnum colonies are from one source, obtained fifteen months ago.

 

[Nepenthesis]

Up north in my region, the shadecloth came off about 4 weeks ago. I did NOT have to worry about acclimation to brighter light because the shadecloth was in place only during the brightest, hottest hours of the day for all of September (approx 10:30 AM till 3 PM), so my plants had become quite accustomed to intense sunlight (well, as intense as late September days get here). You should watch carefully to monitor your plants for bleaching/burning. If you get a really hot, bright day, be prepared to pull the shadecloth temporarly during peak light hours, at least for the first ten days or so. I don't know how much sunlight you are getting at this time of the year where you are, so.....

And any more talk about ripping puppies and I will have to call the SPCA, young man!

By the way, here is a photo I took early this morning (before dawn) of one of my hanging baskets (N. jacquelineae), illustrating the phenomenon of Sphagnum pigmentation:

This is the same species of Sphagnum, taken from the same colony and planted into this pot some 7 months ago. Basically it is all the same plant/clone, and yet you can see how some growing points turn red, while their neighbors remain bright green. This should give you some idea why we've been saying that manipulating Sphagnum to grow red is difficult, and may be dependent on factors we don't fully understand. (At least I don't) I see this happen all over my greenhouse, when almost all of my Sphagnum colonies are from one source, obtained fifteen months ago.

Thank you for sharing! I guess if I get a fogger, a humidistat and a thermostat for christmas, I can get the greenhouse into stable, good conditions to grow sphagnum in. I am going to order some red sphagnum for Christmas just to experiment. While it may turn green, it may be an easier species to keep red in the long run, plus, I want to expand my variety of sphagnum species to culture.

 

[Nepenthesis]

NEW VIDEO:

 

[Nepenthesis]

NEW VIDEO: SLENDY CHALLENGE

 

[Nepenthesis]

Mah new hammeh x plateh... (7-8" pitcher)

Whole plant... (10-11" from tip to tip)

Oh, and I got this N. spathulata x ovata because it looked like a robcantleyii... I thought it was at first but after like 10 seconds I realized the leaves were different and I read the tag... XD

It should purple-up like its other pitcher...

 

[dyzio]

Nice looking and colored pitchers

 

[Fish n Plants]

Nice Neps! I'm not sure if this has been already answered, but what is all that Sphagnum for?

 

[Nepenthesis]

Nice Neps! I'm not sure if this has been already answered, but what is all that Sphagnum for?

I don't know actually... I just like having a lot of it.

I like it as much as Nepenthes... It's pretty. I'm trying to acquire a few different species and colors so that I can farm a bunch of it, different species. I don't know what I would do with it, maybe sell it or use it in trades. I JUST LIKE IT.

 

[Fish n Plants]

Ah I see, that's very relatable

 

[richjam1986]

Regarding culturing live sphagnum: It is also one of the most important and best soil addatives for CP's, so if you can grow it yourself in significant quantities you don't have to buy it, or as much of it (and the stuff can be quite expensive). Live sphagnum also has many properties that make it desirable over dried sphagnum, including antifungal properties, which make it irreplacable for rooting cuttings in, etc. There are a few species of CP's that I have only been able to grow successfully long term in live sphagnum, and in no other way (eg Pinguicula primuliflora), and many other species benefit greatly from growing in it. Speaking for myself personally, I wouldn't consider NOT propagating live sphagnum. Now... I just need to figure out where to grow more of it

 

[richjam1986]

I don't know actually... I just like having a lot of it.

I like it as much as Nepenthes... It's pretty. I'm trying to acquire a few different species and colors so that I can farm a bunch of it, different species. I don't know what I would do with it, maybe sell it or use it in trades. I JUST LIKE IT.

Use it to grow more plants in of course!!
Selling, trading, and collecting are also good options though I also love the look of it (Who in their right mind wouldn't?)

 

[Wire Man]

Use it to grow more plants in of course!!
Selling, trading, and collecting are also good options though I also love the look of it (Who in their right mind wouldn't?)

The only downside to live Sphag is that voles like to hide in it. That's how we almost lost the entire stock of okees this Spring.

 

[asid61]

Voles? Like those mouse thingies?

 

[Nepenthesis]

Voles? Like those mouse thingies?

Voles. Dun dun duuuun.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I received some sphag that is red, orange and green today for a trade, along with a N. hamata x platychila which is a different clone from the one I have, can tell by the leaf color.

Closeup of average colors...

Main culture of the new sphag species...

Mini culture...

"Crumbs" cultures...

All of the new cultures together, in the back of the greenhouse on the top rack so they can get tons of light...

The pure green sphag (it is even pure green in all of the cultures at the nursery I got it from, hundreds of cultures that were for sale and tons of their own as well) I have, the original species I owned, the only one you have seen up until now... It is begging to change colors with the seasons! Parts are turning brownish-red, some parts are yellow, some parts are green, some parts are brown.

The nep...

And I ordered three Madagascar Lace aquarium plants from Drs. Foster & Smith and they got here on Halloween. They're currently putting out new leaves AND ONE IS PURPLE!

Purpy...

Green ones...

All three...

 

[Nepenthesis]

Robcantleyii got here today! It does look a bit ratty because it was growing in Florida and the summer temps kinda knocked it out I suppose. Growth tip is in great shape and new leaf looks alright, so hopefully it will perk up in my very highland conditions over winter.

Happy growth tip...

Would it get pissed if I poured coffee on it right after it arrived or should I wait?

N. 'Gothica' got here yesterday...

Along with N. 'Jungle Bells'...

Today I received a N. 'Splendiana' from eBay, $7... Thought I'd try my luck with it even with my HL conditions.

 

[lance]

Nice! Looks like the N. Robcantleyi has some catching up to do. I used to coffee feed my Nepenthes immediately after arrival, but it didn't seem to affect the growth at all. I think it has something to do with the adaptation of the plant. The earliest time I'd recommend coffee feeding them would be after the second pitcher in your care has opened.

 

[Nepenthesis]

Nice! Looks like the N. Robcantleyi has some catching up to do. I used to coffee feed my Nepenthes immediately after arrival, but it didn't seem to affect the growth at all. I think it has something to do with the adaptation of the plant. The earliest time I'd recommend coffee feeding them would be after the second pitcher in your care has opened.

Ha, that may be a while! Hopefully not, though. I guess it would be at least three months.