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N. argentii cultivation

  • #61
It's currently growing the fastest I've seen - maybe it like's having it's picture taken ... :scratch:

I should probably give mine more camera time then. :lol:

Do you feed or fertilize the plant at all?

Only reason I ask is mine is just not growing anywhere near as fast as yours even with increased lighting (which I thought they love?). It's also a AW clone.
 
  • #62
Do you feed or fertilize the plant at all?
Yup. I 'try' to regularly fertilize all of my pitcher plants w/ a weak solution in the pitcher (Neps, Heli's, Cephs & specific Sarrs). The schedule depends on my time & the plant's uptake. Some plants will empty their pitchers each week (or close) and others won't. The ones that like the feedings get fed every week or two (depending on my available time - it might stretch to once every month or two). Once the pitchers get over an inch or two, I usually do not fill them up.

I suspect that is why some N. lowii grow so slowly for some people while mine grows like a weed. Ok - maybe not a fast weed - but constantly growing new leaves & inflating pitchers. If you haven't read it yet, here's a great thread on lowii water uptake. My N. inermis is the main plant that does not like this treatment.

Only reason I ask is mine is just not growing anywhere near as fast as yours even with increased lighting (which I thought they love?). It's also a AW clone.
I recently acquired a BE clone in a trade. It's growing very, very slowly so far (no pitchers).
 
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  • #63
Just as some others have noted N. argentii can be a pain to grow, so any change in growth is often very exciting and demands reflection.

I've noticed that my small plant has made a new leaf at what seems like the speed of light. Previously my plant had been growing at a speed of just above suspended animation, and has now made the jump to slightly below the speed of an average Nepenthes. Worth noting is that this growth spurt occurred right after I repotted the plant into a slightly denser sand and peat based mix, but put into a net pot where it has been allowed to dry out in between waterings. I've now been keeping the plant on the drier side and this leaf appears to be chugging along quite well!

Anyway, who really knows if I'm on to something, but I just had to document it anyway. :-D

DSCN7011.jpg
 
  • #64
Quick update: my AW plant continues to grow like a weed while my BE plant sulks. Here's some pics of the AW (2.5"/6.3cm pot):
Nargentiiplant040312RS.jpg


Two previously published in the new POTM thread ... starting to show some under-lid teeth:
Nargentiifront040312RS.jpg

Nargentii040312RS.jpg

I've seen at least one pic in the photofinder where the teeth push significantly further on the underside of the lid so I'm guessing mine still has some maturing to do.
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N. argentii seems to refuse to pitcher in cultivation if the plant is not allowed to throw its tendrils into the soil first.
Sentences like the above are found in multiple places on the web. However, even a quick review of photofinder pics refutes this assertion. Based on these expert opinions as well as McPherson's observations of in-situ plants, I've encouraged the pitchers on my plant to nestle into the surrounding mosses when possible:
Nargentiimossyfront040312RS.jpg


So, imagine my shock when I turn this pitcher around & discover:
Nargentiimossyback040312RS.jpg

Yup - holes. I also found some in an older blackened pitcher that had been partially buried. I'm not sure how my moss differs from natural habitat moss but staying in contact with it in my conditions doesn't appear to be helping pitchers last. My N. tenuis loves to bury it's pitchers even more than my argentii. However, none of them have ever sprouted any holes even when a pitcher is literally squished into a very tight space. The N. tenuis pitchers stay whole until they finally blacken. Based on all this, I think N. argentii pitchers will now sit on top of the moss ... :headwall:
 
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  • #65
wow that is an incredible argentii! I thought it was a lot bigger than a 2.5" pot when I first saw it. How big was it when you got it?
 
  • #66
Ah Ron your plant is the very envy of my soul. :0o:
 
  • #67
MY BE argentii is finally taking off after dying and coming back as a basal....can't wait for it to look like yours. :)
 
  • #68
Thanks for the nice comments. My main reason for posting was to show the holes. To me, that was a big deal. How the heck does a plant, that is known for supposedly burying pitchers, easily develop holes in those pitchers when they're touching something??!!

In doing searches for info on this plant, it seems that no one has really unlocked the idiosyncrasies that regularly produce strong plants & good growth. There are a number of strong assertions about what must be done - but these are often as wrong as they are right. The 'Nepenthes University' states for media "Long Fiber Sphagnum (This is almost a mandatory mix due to its growth habit)". The plant in the pics is in a peat-based mix while the newer BE plant is languishing in a LFS mix. Dex comments in a post above: "Worth noting is that this growth spurt occurred right after I repotted the plant into a slightly denser sand and peat based mix, but put into a net pot where it has been allowed to dry out in between waterings." My plant 'seems' to like being wet without drying out much ...
I thought it was a lot bigger than a 2.5" pot when I first saw it.
One of the things I thought when I was looking through photofinder pics is that it's easy to forget just how small this plant really is. McPherson states that lower pitchers max out around 4cm (little bit over 1.5") - so these plants are truly lilliputian. The newest pitcher in the post above is a bit larger than 4cm (with raised lid). Does that mean it's close to full size? :scratch:
How big was it when you got it?
I don't remember but you can still see the shorter leaves in the 1st pic...
 
  • #69
Very interesting RL7836. When I started into nepenthes I used the Nepenthes University is my main guide. He wants everything in LFS only. I still have some plants potted like this from last year when I first got into the hobby and am looking forward to repotting because I don't think they are doing as well as they could. CP Photofinder has lots of nice pics of this plant with pitcher dangling in the air. How big (or small) does the plant itself get in diameter (inches) once full sized?
 
  • #70
How big (or small) does the plant itself get in diameter (inches) once full sized?
From McPherson: "... as one of the smallest of all Nepenthes, the rosettes of mature plants rarely exceeding 25cm in diameter" (which is a hair less than 10 inches).
 
  • #71
:lol: Gosh these plants are so confounding indeed. There appears to be no magic formula whatsoever yet...

When I first received mine it excelled in just LFS. But that changed over time. Perhaps it was that the moss grew stale and lacked some kind of nutrients after a while. I wont know for sure though because I also moved it around hoping it would prefer some other location. Now I've yet to repot it back into LFS especially after seeing Ron's plant.

In regards to the holes in your plants, I think it is funny that there has always been that belief that they need to bury their tendrils into the moss in order for them to grow. In all in situ pictures I've ever seen there is almost no moss of any kind around, and the tendrils aren't buried at all. Keep in mind this plant usually only keeps one or two pitchers at any given time in the wild.

Perhaps the entire notion of growing N. argentii anywhere other than on top of a razor sharp limestone mountain that receives gale force winds and monsoon like conditions is just new and uncharted territory for the genes of these plants. ???
 
  • #72
Fantastic plants guys. Has anyone had success growing them in a limestone based mix? Perhaps that bit of alkalinity is required for these plants.
 
  • #73
Largest pitcher in my care:

DSCN7565.jpg
 
  • #74
Perhaps the entire notion of growing N. argentii anywhere other than on top of a razor sharp limestone mountain that receives gale force winds and monsoon like conditions is just new and uncharted territory for the genes of these plants. ???

"I'm not having any near-death experiences, I'm not happy!"
 
  • #75
You're doing really well with it dex! I'm liking this species more and more.
 
  • #77
Maybe i should put mine directly in front of the fan then.....and let the ever evil morgan in their to add to it's fear of eminent demise.
 
  • #78
Congrats on the pitcher Dex - it's coming along nicely. My larger AW plant continues to put out pitchers at about the same rate & size as in the pic above. It has also been keeping them for a while until just recently when the temps came up a few degrees in the basement and it aborted two within a week. :censor:

My much smaller plant from BE just put out it's 1st pitcher for me a week or two ago. Although I suspect that it is not representative, this one is taller & narrower than the tubbier versions on the other. Quite sad when the penny for scale is the most prominent feature in the pic ... now let's see if it inflates another ...
NargentiiBE062912RS.jpg
 
  • #79
Fresh loose mossy mix that is moist but not wet. They hate dense wet mix. They are very slow to settle in and do well and very quick to decline rapidly if mix goes counter to their liking.
 
  • #80
Well if they become avaliable again without my resorting to importing I definitly want more. I had two and lost one over the winter. Boss man Andy, are you listening to my request for your shop. Bet you'd need a waiting list. Please put me first.
 
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