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Ideal medium for nepenthes.

  • #21
I'm sorry they had to find out that way about coconut husk mediums. That is stressed to leach out the salts for orchids. People love coco husk for orchids. Just have to soak soak and soak some more. I am still researching. BobZ is maintaining the ICPS society page where I hot that mix from and I just shot him an email fit more info and if he has used it. I really want to use an inorganic mix. Even leaning towards it with my orchids. I know it does well with orchids with occasional repots due to root development. Orchid roots are so big and choke off the are and can take root stripping and live. Bros have the fragile root systems and so it has me scared to loose roots is all.

Grrrr just overworking myself I know. But I want to be a great grower and have specimen plants.

---------- Post added at 06:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 PM ----------

Thankyou so much everyone for all the info and it can keep conning. I take it all in and process it then determine the route I sm going to go.
 
  • #22
JB, the ideal Nepenthes mix probably differs a little with each grower's conditions, and the materials available to them.

The following link has some good information and is one that i still refer back to.

Nepenthes media composition link

dvg
 
  • #23
IMG_2427.jpg

IMG_2424.jpg

pictures are Jonathan's off of proboards. You can see he has some inorganic clay balls sporadically in his mix, I've seen others use more but his mix looks like an excellent highland mix.
 
  • #24
this is good stuff.
I think the random size and shapes would be nice for the mix. Although not as porous or lightweight as the Hydroton.
http://www.higromite.com/
 
  • #25
I've had good luck with a mixture of: LFS, fine orchid bark, charcoal, pumice, Hydroton and live LFS. I've noticed more vigorous root growth when I've included the live LFS in the mix.
 
  • #26
I'm using a mix of 1 part each: fine orchid bark, charcoal, perlite, finely shedded dried LFS and Sunleaves brand "Rocks". This is a new growing medium made of fired shale that has expanded and holds water, the bag I have is the small pieces about 1/4 - 1/2" in size. The plants roots and bases themselves are bundled in a handful of live sphagnum moss and then potted so they can start off in the live moss and stretch their roots down as they see fit.

Anyway the mix is just a modified form of what the local greenhouse sells as "orchid seedling mix #1" (fine bark, perlite and charcoal). I have had this intuition that Neps seem to grow faster / put on their most growth about 2-3 days after a soil flush, so for my new Nepenthes collection I've decided to use a mix that will allow me to flush their pots twice or more a week without fear of them staying sopping wet. I also pot the HL plants in Net pots exclusively so they dry out faster (though ambient humidity in their chamber is 90% and foggy half of the time). We will see how my theory plays out as as my plants grow on, so far they seem to responding well.
 
  • #27
The ideal mix is a light airy inorganix mix that is relatively nutrient free and has medium water retention properties, and among all these things is cheap as well and can be easily found.
 
  • #28
Ok. So D what might that be??? Lol
 
  • #29
I'm using a mix of 1 part each: fine orchid bark, charcoal, perlite, finely shedded dried LFS and Sunleaves brand "Rocks". This is a new growing medium made of fired shale that has expanded and holds water, the bag I have is the small pieces about 1/4 - 1/2" in size. The plants roots and bases themselves are bundled in a handful of live sphagnum moss and then potted so they can start off in the live moss and stretch their roots down as they see fit.

Anyway the mix is just a modified form of what the local greenhouse sells as "orchid seedling mix #1" (fine bark, perlite and charcoal). I have had this intuition that Neps seem to grow faster / put on their most growth about 2-3 days after a soil flush, so for my new Nepenthes collection I've decided to use a mix that will allow me to flush their pots twice or more a week without fear of them staying sopping wet. I also pot the HL plants in Net pots exclusively so they dry out faster (though ambient humidity in their chamber is 90% and foggy half of the time). We will see how my theory plays out as as my plants grow on, so far they seem to responding well.

Interesting. I was just contemplating switching over to using netted pots for increased root aeration instead of the solid cheap plastic ones I am currently using...

JB I use a mix of LFS, some of which shredded by hand and orchid bark.Simple and all seem happy.
 
  • #30
Honestly, I use 1:1 peat : perlite. But I also repot all of my plants every single year. Its like their annual maintenance. I like to keep good hygiene, and it's easier to do while they are unpotted. Rinse off the roots, clip all the dead stuff, give the roots a spray of systemic pesticide for good measure and in they go to fresh media. It takes me a couple days (which I spread over a few weekends,) but it allows me to take good inventory, make sure nobody is neglected, take cuttings, remove basals, etc. I do it in the spring when I repot and divide all my outside plants, which get the same mix. Sometimes I'll put some LFS or orchid bark in the bottom of a Nepenthes pot to promote drainage, but not always.
 
  • #31
Well I put a mix together. Seems to drain fast and hold moisture. Thinking of using it on some orchids too.

I used what I could easily find.

1 part each

Better grow orchid mix
Medium tree fern fiber
Lava rocks
Cedar mulch
LFS

Then on the very bottom used a layer of cheap drainage rock. I like the weight it gives to the pots. Especially for the top heavy plants. I will post pics after I get back from the orchid nursery.
 
  • #32
Watch out for earthworms if you plan to put the pots on the ground outside. The first set of nepenthes I got more than 25 years ago were potted in a mix of osmuda and tree fern fibers, and before I moved to PA they had been growing for an entire summer in pots on the "ground" in Florida. They did great until the baby earthworms that had gotten into the pots grew up and chewed the mix into a dense sticky mush. The mix should have lasted much longer than it did, and I wasn't expecting what happened. After I got to Pennsylvania I lost a few plants before I discovered it and repotted. The plants were actually on a low pavement on my porch, where I thought they would be safe. The nearest I can figure is that the earthworms got in during a minor flood from a particularly vicious downpour we had that summer.
 
  • #33
A very good basic mix is course perlite and cocohusk chips. The Sri Lankan chips are salt safe, but I would soak several times with water changes to be safe. You can actually find brands used for reptiles at PetCo and PetSmart that come from Sri Lanka.
When soaked, the coco chips will actually expel water like a sponge when squeezed. They are almost like an intermediate component between bark and sphagnum.
Since a lot of people are recomending live sphagnum, have you thought about locating a native source that is used to your temperatures?

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #34
Well I the only place I can keep Live Sphagnum was int he bog. Any place else and it will not grow for me. IDK what it is. Sphag would over flowith in the bog. Cleaned out a full walmart bag one summer. I wish i could find those coco chips like you were talking about sponge like. Have gotten some plants in the stuff but I think it is ordered. The mix I made with the list above looks great to me. Smells good too. Hopefully keep critters away.

NepGuy Funny you should mention earthworms. I found those jokers in the bogs I just got done cleaning out. I took all the plants out and cleaned them devided them and have to sort them tomorrow, but I found 4 worms in there. IDK how in the heck they got up there! The bogs are 4 feet off the ground!!! A solution for pesky earthworms is 7 liquid! I sprayed my yard one day at my old trailer. Must have been 8 years ago now. The next day the most horrible stench filled the yard. Upon inspection I notices a ton of earthworms came to the surface and died! It was because of the 7 liquid I sprayed in the yard. I have yet to have it harm a plant when I needed to use. provided I flushed after. Killed a colony of ants trying to make nest in an orchid pot. LOL

---------- Post added at 01:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 AM ----------

And here are the ingredients I decided to go with.

0615111502.jpg


Ceder, LFS, Medium Tree fern, Orchid mix, Lava rocks

Made a great moisture retaining, free draining mix.

0615111509.jpg


Now lets hope the truncata makes a rebound.

0615111447.jpg


The root system wasn't looking too great after taken out of the heavy peat mix.

0615111448.jpg


I am hoping it sticks around long enough to come around, but I am already on the lookout for a replacement. Some of the new fancy ones are looking nice.
 
  • #35
Your mix looks very much like ours here in south Florida--good drainage yet retaining moisture. That should work fine for most Neps.
 
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