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Clay Pots

carnivoure12

Hear the Call of Nepenthes
Hey everyone, i bought 2 Unglazed, typical orange clay pots for 2 of my 6 incoming nepenthes.

Now, I was wondering if these clay pots are safe for nepenthes? does anyone else here grow any neps in these pots?

Is there any risk of minerals being released from the clay if I use distilled water?

Thanks in advanced!
 
Eeeh, I wouldn't use it just to be safe, but I'm sure people have it success with it. I haven't tried it, but even with distilled water, it still contains a minute amount of minerals, and over a period of time, it'll probably build up.
 
i use them and they are ok. long term? maybe. i havent used them that long. but i dont see much mineral build up on them. cool root loving neps and darlingtonia would be best with unglazed pots. neps like lowii and the more hardcore highlanders might benefit from evaporation and such.

Alex
 
Some growers like them for the evaporative qualities. If you ask me, though, net pots are far better for letting the roots breath - they're also cheaper and come in square shapes.
I don't think using your pots will hurt, though. Neps aren't as sensitive to mineral deposits as most CPs, and if you use CP-safe water there shouldn't be any dangerous levels of buildup. The concern from ceramic pots comes from reusing pots that have been used to grow houseplants with fertilizer and soil.
~Joe
 
Terra cotta is safe. Even if it were to leach minerals out, one water flush would fix it. I've been growing a monster nep in one for nearly two years.
 
I have not tried terra cotta pots, but I use glazed ceramics inside and out. My nepenthes seem pretty happy in them. I notice the pots really cool down when I get the temperature low. I do use distilled H20 as well if that makes a difference? Damn plumber needs to come and hook up the RO unit I have.....
 
Terracotta is perfectly safe for Nepenthes, and I have used it for years for many of my older plants. Keep in mind that, before the advent of plastics, clay was about the only thing available -- and we certainly aren't the first generation to be successfully growing these plants. Terracotta is often preferable for its porous and evaporative qualities for such genera as Darlingtonia, Heliamphora, and Cephalotus . . .
 
I use terracotta as well and though I've not been growing my neps for long, they don't seem to mind. Because I'm watering with RO, I have observed no mineral buildup whatsoever. Also, I know I'm in the minority when I say this: I like the moss-covered look - which you simply can't get with plastic - plus it looks better than the green or brown plastic containers that I've amassed over the years. I resorted to go with clay because living in San Jose, I need all the cooling I can get.
 
I'm guessing new and unused terracotta pots would be useful for growing Neps that grow on inselbergs, such as N. clipeata and N. pervillei. These Neps are used to drying out frequently and don't do well in persistently wet soggy mediums. I've just potted up my new pervillei in a terracotta pot, in an effort to simulate it's inselberg environment.
 
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