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N. northiana soil question

N. northiana likes alkaline soil.

Unfortunately, I can't find a piece of pure limestone 'round these parts to stick it on (I love in a desert for those who don't know). Right now, my northiana is potted in a sphag/perlite mix in a 3.5 or 4inch pot (haven't measured). I bought some horiticultural lime to correct the acidity situation, but how much should I use? The bag obviously 1) doesn't have instructions for nepenthes, and 2) is only for large scales, like 5lbs per 500 sq. ft.
 
I keep wondering who has passed this false and incorrect information around.

DO NOT believe this. N. northiana does NOT need any lime/alkalinity in its soil mix. Plant in a regular Nepenthes mix,maybe a bit more stony/gritty, thats it though. Alkaline can stunt its growth habit.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (nepenthes gracilis @ Sep. 27 2006,8:22)]I keep wondering who has passed this false and incorrect information around.
Peter D'amato, for one.
 
or perhaps the person for whom the plant is named...who painted it multiple times in its natural habitat - pure limestone cliffs...

Also the CP listserv had a conversation about N. northiana and boschiana requiring alkaline soils. In fact, once the grower in question made the northiana soil more alkaline, it started growing a LOT better. I think I deleted that though, so if anyone has it, feel free to post it
 
Believe it or not, it's possible for acidic soil to be on top of alkaline rock.
 
I would plant it in standard nepenthes medium. Add some of those orchid expanded clay things if you want. I wouldn't use anything alkaline.
 
oops! I found the convo, apparently the guy tried the boschiana in a different soil, not the northiana, but:


[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
I saw two _N. boschiana_ in cultivation, growing in normal _Nepenthes_
soils. One plant looked quite happy, the second less so, but not suffering
any disease. I have now put the second plant into a limestone _Nepenthes_
mix (using crushed limestone--to hopefully maintain good granulation--which
is half Ca and half Ma carbonate). I suspect it will like this soil and
grow faster than it had been. I really doubt it will hate this type of
soil, as this species appears to grow directly on limestone in the wild.
Wish me luck with it
smile.gif


_N. campanulata_ appeared slightly diseased to me in normal _Nepenthes_
soil. The leaves would not stay green and they would barely pitcher. They
seemed to be suffering from several nutrient deficiencies. Feeding insects
did help, but not enough and there were almost no pitchers to feed. I added
hydrated lime (the white powdery stuff, pure Ca carbonate) directly into the
top layer of soil in the pots without repotting and worked it into the soil
at the base of the plants and around the roots. The top layer of soil
became dense like concrete (barely any granulation), but the plants love it
and are no longer diseased. This stuff looks identical to the soil _N. c._
is naturally found in (except for the lack of granulation). I know, I saw
photos of it and read C. Lee's description of it in Discover magazine and it
was very easy to make.

I have not tried _N. northiana_ in a limestone mix yet as I am out of
healthy plants to experiment with. Thomas has a couple and will repot them
into the soil I used on the _N. b._ soon. BTW, the _N. n._ appears to be
suffering in the same way as the _N. c._ had been previous to using the
hydrated lime--no pitchers, not getting any larger--nutrient lockout.
 
I've seend both N. northiana and N. campanulata on multiple occasions in a typical acid medium. i think you are stressing too much on the alkalinity of the mix. If you do decide to add some sort of buffer, do so only in extremely small amounts. One N. northiana I've seen (larger specimen) was in a typical peat/perlite/bark, charcoal mix, and N. campanulata I've seen in pure sphagnum, and typical nepenthes mixes. Marriane North (the painter) did not name the plant, I believe Sir Harry Veitch named it after her, and he had nothing to do with its fondness for the limestone cliff-faces for which it has been noted to grow upon, also note there are specimens that do not grow on the typical habitat, some have been noted to grow upon the ground in leaf litter.
 
  • #10
Must agree with Nep G. After years of struggling with N. northiana, we repotted from a peaty mix to a very open gritty mix and saw immediate improvement in the growth. The plants were repotted late April-early May and have more than doubled in size. Ph does not appear to be the problem, but proper drainage is essential. Our mix for northiana is a gritty mix including Corbitt No Float Cypress mulch, Grade 3 Sponge Rock, perlite, pumice, and a small amound of ground up sphagnum moss. Also, give them plenty of room. They send out large root systems. This is because in their native habitat the roots cling to the detritus and moss in the crevices of the limestone, and send down a big main tap root that clings to the rock. Rain is frequent, and water almost flash floods around the plants as it pours down the slopes and crevasses of the Bau limestone hills. The water has very little time to pick up dissolved lime, but will sweep the tannins from the surrounding moss/decayed vegetation. This water is most likely slightly on the acid side, and will soak down into the spongy growing surface. It also dissolves the limestone over time and creates dangerous pot holes that are common to the Bau area (just like the Florida Everglades). For us, northiana is doing best in a very slightly acidic condition, and displays a dislike for extremes of ph.
 
  • #11
Thanks a lot Nep G and Trent, I will keep it in the medium it is in now. Though the plant wasn't very expensive, I don't want to risk anything, as I have wanted a northiana since I first got into CPs
smile.gif
 
  • #12
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Marriane North (the painter) did not name the plant, I believe Sir Harry Veitch named it after her

Just a brief note, it's actually against the rules to name a species after yourself, which is part of what makes it such an honor: you've been considered so important in that field that you get a species named after you by someone else, who could name it after anything or anyone they want, but chose you.

Mokele
 
  • #13
I never said she named the species...she was a painter, I know it was named FOR her, not by her.

Can't you name hybrids after yourself though?
 
  • #14
Just wanted to put in my two cents here on the campanulata that Nep G. mentioned.

Mine is growing very successfully in LFS & orchid mix (about 70/30 mix). However, looks like I need to repot my northiana! I didn't know they needed a big pot - must have overlooked that on in my research on the speices. Oops.
 
  • #15
You can't name a species after yourself? That's stupid. If I ever discovered something you bet I'd call it parsonsii!... after.. my father...named Ted Parsons... who shares my last name
biggrin.gif
 
  • #16
Hi,
While I believe it's considered to be bad manners to name a plant after yourself I don't think it's actually forbidden.
Cheers,
T.
 
  • #17
Whats the difference? Thats what its named, Sir harry named it after Mrs. North. End of story.
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Whats the difference?
Well, one statement's correct and one isn't, for a start.
Also, Marianne North never married, so she was Miss North, not Mrs North, too.
 
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