Dumb watering question...

[jbradt]

Hey all,

This feels like a dumb question, but I'm going to ask it any way just for my own peace of mind. Will a plant that's growing more quickly than another comparably sized plant need watering more often?

I have a ventricosa and a sanguinea in the same sized pots, sitting right next to eachother in the same terrarium. The ventricosa is growing much more quickly, and also seems to need water more frequently than the sanguinea. Is this normal?

 

[naich]

well the larger the plant and the larger the root mass the more water it will need to sustain itself. also some species like rajah or hamata are slow growing, although sangs are vigerous almost nothing beats a happy venricosa. Also the soil type is a very large factor. a peat and lfs based mixture will need watering alot less then a bark perlite mix. i doubt the plant is sucking up more water then its nieghbor. So i would take into consideration the soil mixtures, heat, and size of the pot. If the soil is drying up, water it of corce.

 

[justjack]

There are many Nepenthes that will drink more water than their neighbors. Sometimes on a plant by plant basis, not necessarily depending on species. Plants can go through phases as well, demanding more. It's kinda simple in the end, if it's drying quicker then water it more.

 

[jbradt]

Sounds like good advice. LOL. They're both growing well and looking great, so it's not as though I'm worried, I was just wondering since they're in the same size pots with essentially the same soil mix...

 

[seedjar]

Different plants use different amounts of water because of variations in metabolic rate, leaf morphology, etc. A larger plant will typically gather more light than neighbors and thus need more water to keep up with the needs of photosynthesis. Different species have different sized stomata through which the leaves breathe and that has an effect on evaporative water loss. There are lots of other factors that play into it too - pH preferences, nutrient availability, etc., etc...
~Joe

 

[srduggins]

If a plant is drying out quickly, it might be time for a bigger pot.

 

[The Griffin]

Bingo.
I have some neps in a 55 down in the basement.
The mix they are in(I was just going nuts with all the stuff I had handy) is equal parts:

lfs
course perlite
charcoal
lava pebbles
cypress
pine bark mulch
cedar mulch
fine orchid bark
coco husk chips

Sounds very free draining, right? It is.
These were EP rooted cuttings I had got, and I potted them in 1 gallon nursery pots.
I was short room so stuck them in a 55, put a 48" shoplight on top with no cover and...well, actually have no timer on the light.

The point:

They go over a week w/o water before pitchers show any wilting, etc.

Cheers,

Joe

If a plant is drying out quickly, it might be time for a bigger pot.