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Nep ID?

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
For Christmas, I received a really nice nep. Not sure what kind though. From first look, I thought it was an N. alata, so I checked Google Images and it looks very similar. So is it an N. alata?

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Opinions? If it is N. alata, it is a highland species, correct? Does it require any special care that others will not? Temperature range? Anything else I should know?

I'm extremely new to neps. I really like this one because of the fullness of the plant. The pink pitchers are just a bonus. :)
 
Nepenthes × ventrata. Mine grows good on my kitchen windowsill.
 
Nepenthes × ventrata. Mine grows good on my kitchen windowsill.

Great, thanks! I'll stick it in my temporary terrarium for now until the weather warms up enough for me to put it in the new greenhouse. :)

---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 AM ----------

I just watered it and it seems to be planed in just peat. I learned that it was a $16 Home Depot plant, so you can't expect it to be potted super nicely. Would repotting it be okay during this environmental transition stage?
 
Personally, I would leave it in the peat just now and not water too much. Try to keep it moist, rather than wet. It'll already be in enough shock from environment change without going through the shock of repotting. By the look of the plant, it as been growing nicely in it.
 
might as well repot now in my opinion,as the plant will take a couple of months to settle in and to repot later will only set it back further,that being said to me it looks very happy in its present pot and mix,nice plant,thats funny by the time i replied mobile said the same
 
Personally, I would leave it in the peat just now and not water too much. Try to keep it moist, rather than wet. It'll already be in enough shock from environment change without going through the shock of repotting. By the look of the plant, it as been growing nicely in it.

I misted the soil with a spray bottle to where it's moist. No water is coming through the bottom of the pot. Would it be a good idea to fill up the empty pitchers with a tiny bit of RO/DI, or better yet, fertilize them through the pitchers? If I fill them up, will they be able to digest their own bugs? Also, does leaves only produce one pitcher in their lifetime, or do the leaves grow new oitchers every blooming season? ???

Thanks for all the help! :)

---------- Post added at 10:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 AM ----------

might as well repot now in my opinion,as the plant will take a couple of months to settle in and to repot later will only set it back further,that being said to me it looks very happy in its present pot and mix,nice plant,thats funny by the time i replied mobile said the same

Ah, I see. Now I have the choice of repotting or keeping it in the same pot. It does look like it's doing well, so I may just leave it for now. It's funny, I thought a $16 Home Depot plant wouldn't look this nice! :blush:
 
The pitchers won't need filling with water and/or fertiliser. Pitcher fertilising can reduce their life. They will fill themselves with fluids. Nepenthes accept root fertilisation, but for now I would leave it exactly as is and just keep the soil moist.
 
Be careful with that thing, I got one just a few months ago and now it looks like this:

2011-12-15_10-16-19_328.jpg

(There's a N. 'Miranda' behind the plant in question...)

It's got like 5 vines going all over the place. Haha. I don't mind it, though, it looks so... wild. Wild as an natural, not wild as in crazy. XD
 
Be careful with that thing, I got one just a few months ago and now it looks like this:

2011-12-15_10-16-19_328.jpg

(There's a N. 'Miranda' behind the plant in question...)

It's got like 5 vines going all over the place. Haha. I don't mind it, though, it looks so... wild. Wild as an natural, not wild as in crazy. XD

Whoa, that looks awesome! Hopefully mine will grow as quickly as that. :hail:

---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------

The pitchers won't need filling with water and/or fertiliser. Pitcher fertilising can reduce their life. They will fill themselves with fluids. Nepenthes accept root fertilisation, but for now I would leave it exactly as is and just keep the soil moist.

Alright, will do. Is there a standard of how many months should be waited before repotting?
 
  • #10
Alright, will do. Is there a standard of how many months should be waited before repotting?
I'm an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' kinda bloke. Why do you want to repot a plant that is doing so well in it's existing pot?
 
  • #11
Just say NO to repotting!

Alright, will do. Is there a standard of how many months should be waited before repotting?

I agree with the others: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. These plants prefer as little root disturbance as possible, and so you only want to repot when/if 1) the plant has outgrown its current pot, or 2) the media has broken down so badly that it is damaging the roots. There is no magical number that determines the number of months between repottings, you just watch and observe the plant's growth and health. Nepenthes have a very small root system, and it has been demonstrated, in fact, that species in their natural habitat, when they reach the vining stage, sometimes turn into epiphytes, abandoning their earth-bound roots.

Your plant looks fine it its current pot and I suspect it has been potted into its current media recently, and won't need to be disturbed for another year, maybe more. There's little point in traumatizing the roots while the plant is acclimating to your home ;-)
 
  • #12
I'm an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' kinda bloke. Why do you want to repot a plant that is doing so well in it's existing pot?

I'm have mild OCD, so I would feel better if all of the hanging baskets matched. This ventrata and my ventricosa x talangensis will be potted in 12" hanging baskets and they will be hung in my greenhouse. I can always keep it in this pot temporarily, but at some point it will need to be repotted to please me. :blush:

---------- Post added at 02:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:08 PM ----------

I agree with the others: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. These plants prefer as little root disturbance as possible, and so you only want to repot when/if 1) the plant has outgrown its current pot, or 2) the media has broken down so badly that it is damaging the roots. There is no magical number that determines the number of months between repottings, you just watch and observe the plant's growth and health. Nepenthes have a very small root system, and it has been demonstrated, in fact, that species in their natural habitat, when they reach the vining stage, sometimes turn into epiphytes, abandoning their earth-bound roots.

Your plant looks fine it its current pot and I suspect it has been potted into its current media recently, and won't need to be disturbed for another year, maybe more. There's little point in traumatizing the roots while the plant is acclimating to your home ;-)

Well said. You've convinced me to leave it in its current pot. :blush:
 
  • #13
I'm have mild OCD, so I would feel better if all of the hanging baskets matched. This ventrata and my ventricosa x talangensis will be potted in 12" hanging baskets and they will be hung in my greenhouse. I can always keep it in this pot temporarily, but at some point it will need to be repotted to please me. :blush:

I too like everything to match up, is it possible to just slip this pot inside of a pot to your liking ? If you go to a bigger pot you like, you can slip this one inside of it and fill the air gap with a very well draining media like orchid bark or pumice or any other airy mix.
Dan
 
  • #14
I too like everything to match up, is it possible to just slip this pot inside of a pot to your liking ? If you go to a bigger pot you like, you can slip this one inside of it and fill the air gap with a very well draining media like orchid bark or pumice or any other airy mix.
Dan

Good idea. It will be a few weeks before it's warm enough to put them in the greenhouse, but I'll try that when the time comes for them to be moved. :)
 
  • #15
Congratulations on your acquisition of a nepenthes x ventrata :) this was the first nepenthes that i had ever bought
 
  • #16
Congratulations on your acquisition of a nepenthes x ventrata :) this was the first nepenthes that i had ever bought
As was the case for many growers, I'm sure. This plant is found in many of the large garden centre chains in the UK - usually mislabelled as Nepenthes alata.
 
  • #17
Congratulations on your acquisition of a nepenthes x ventrata :) this was the first nepenthes that i had ever bought

It's a very nice plant. Even though the pitchers may not look amazing, it's still really cool. I even green pitcher neps. I suppose it's just the coolness factor of a carnivorous plant!

As was the case for many growers, I'm sure. This plant is found in many of the large garden centre chains in the UK - usually mislabelled as Nepenthes alata.

Sadly, this one wasn't labeled, hence the reason for this thread. They must have got it from a really good supplier though. This looks 1000 times better than the usual Home Depot plant.
 
  • #18
Sadly, this one wasn't labeled, hence the reason for this thread. They must have got it from a really good supplier though. This looks 1000 times better than the usual Home Depot plant.
I suspect many of them look better before they get into the store. I got mine from the bargains shelf for £2 ($3USD) because they had killed all of the pitchers. I had seen it a few weeks later looking similar to the one in your picture. A bit of TLC and I had it back to regular pitchering and it has now spent a few years on my kitchen windowsill, where it vines like crazy.
 
  • #19
I suspect many of them look better before they get into the store. I got mine from the bargains shelf for £2 ($3USD) because they had killed all of the pitchers. I had seen it a few weeks later looking similar to the one in your picture. A bit of TLC and I had it back to regular pitchering and it has now spent a few years on my kitchen windowsill, where it vines like crazy.

This one was in a "greenhouse" room with barely any light and it had a heater blowing straight on it from the roof. The humidity was very low and so on. It looks great for what it's been through!
 
  • #20
Ventrata is a weed and will grow in a glass if water. Ive seen it. Just dong let them get bone dry and it is happy. Even when mine did in straight peat, if still bounced back. That is a resilient cross. Mine is long long over due for re-pot. Yet it still has 20+ growth points and more pops up when I take cuttings.
 
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