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Watering too often...

CorneliusSchrute

A leuco by any other name would still be as glutto
I have a few Nepenethes around my house (ventricosa, alata, other typicals) and I feel like I have to water them too much due to drying out. Whether it is because I am spoiled on the ease of my proportionally larger and less time consuming Sarracenia collection or something else, I find watering Neps twice a week to be sort of annoying. As of now, most of my Neps are in pure LFSM, that was alive when I potted the plants but is now dead due to my inattentiveness and subsequent drying.

So my question: what could I repot these plants in so that they require less frequent watering? I am thinking about experimenting with a 2:1 perlite:peat combo.

I know a terrarium would make things easier, but I lack the space for such a construct.
 
Peat is a poor substrate choice for Nepenthes. Maybe you should consider getting rid of them if you find their care to be "annoying" or too much to handle.
 
A denser soil mix with more sand and peat will require less frequent watering and may work for some Nepenthes. But you have to be careful because many species may decline in that substrate and not enjoy it at all. You're better off just remembering to water your plants.
 
I do enjoy the plants, and don't intentionally negelct them. It is just a symptom of a busy life what with chasing my child around, cleaning, cooking. You know, life stuff. I have considered trading them off when the weather allows for shipment. I will let you folks know first if I go that route.

To be honest, I just hate to be the one that causes their decline and was wondering if there was a shortcut to allow me to keep better care of them.

What about the peat do they dislike, I wonder? Is it the lack of oxygen? I thought I had read that at least a few Neps rooted in a somewhat peaty substrate in situ.

Thanks to both for your knowledgable responses! As always, you are a big help.
 
Just keep them in water trays and it should be easier to maintain. I realize you don't have space for a terrarium, but this would cut down your watering regime significantly, possibly to where it's only a monthly affair.
 
Trays and peaty soil mixes both have the same potential problem for Nepenthes which is that if they are kept too wet for too long they can succumb to root rot and die. I successfully grew N. bicalcarata in a very dense sandy mix with no problems at all. However even I was surprised by how well it did and thought I would encounter root rot issues at some point (though I didn't). It is true that many Nepenthes in the wild actually live in very peaty or sandy soils.
 
Peat will stay far too wet for the liking of most species. It also doesn't allow enough air flow in the substrate and will lead to anaerobic conditions. I recently acquired a Nepenthes that was grown in a mix of peat, perlite and lecca and there were literally no roots on the plant. There are seldom shortcuts you can take without adversely affecting the plants. Their cultivation is all about you as the grower conforming your conditions to their liking, not trying to force the plants to accept sub standard conditions that are easier for you to deal with. It is probably a better option that you just stick to plants that you are more willing and able to care for properly.
 
Interesting and quick responses again, folks. Thanks!

I had considered the water tray option, but heard it had ill-effects as Dex suggests. Still might try it though. I had some bagged and rooted cuttings I could play with.

I think of an additonally question. I have never had my Nep pots dry completely. Instead, I usually let the top bit of sphag dry before watering. Will this take a toll eventually? It seems to really have had no ill-effects yet. I just worry about it.
 
Here is the one I am worst about letting dry out. A ventricosa, I think. I have watered it as described for three or four months at least.



 
  • #10
Keeping 1/4'' to 1/2'' of water in a tray will not cause rot if done properly. Just allow it to dry out for a couple of days before you add it again, and only pour water through the tops of the pots every month or so, not every time you add water to the tray. This method is useful because it allows the plant to absorb what it needs, without becoming involuntarily saturated. There are many, many growers who use this method exclusively and grow very robust, healthy plants. You will want to add some aggregate to your mix if you decide to do this, but it should ultimately save you some time between waterings.

Also, there is a huge difference in peat grade and quality. The stuff you find here is a "soil conditioner," and is usually too fine to be useful. You want fibrous peat. If you do decide to add a bit of peat, you will want to mix it thoroughly with coarse sand to ensure it doesn't become too compressed on its own, then you can add other aggregate ingredients, like perlite, pumice, orchid bark, or whatever. Again, there are many growers who only use this and their plants appear to be healthy.

Personally, I think Nepenthes do best in sphagnum, but I have used other mixes that work well for respective species: kanuma clay and laterite for rajah, pure sphagnum for Sumatran species or small seedlings, peat/sand and limestone for campanulata, pure coco husk for mira - these mixes depend on what plants you're growing and where you're growing them. Plants in a terrarium will need a different media than plants on a windowsill, and rajah will need a different media than mirabilis. Cater to the species, not the genus, and keep environmental factors in mind.
 
  • #11
Quality info, Mato! I think i will experiment aling the guidelines you set up in your response.

Any specific info or recommendtions for N. ventricosa, alata, Miranda, or Wrigleyana? All are in sphagnum now.
 
  • #12
If those are the mass produced clones, they should be fine with nearly anything. Judging by the size of your pots, you will need aggregate in the mix to avoid compaction. Just mix the sphagnum with some sort of aggregate (perlite is often the go-to) and keep an eye on the plants. Don't pack the substrate - just place it in the pot over the roots and water it to fill any gaps. Check the roots in a few months to see if the watering method is working in relation to the media. If not, loosen it up or add more sphagnum, whichever you think it calls for.
 
  • #13
Roger that! They are the widely available, mass produced varietals. As such, I will follow your sugsstions above. I probably won't repot until the days get a bit longer, but I will post the results after I do.

Thanks again, to all!
 
  • #14
I can second mato's suggestions. I have used a 60-70% LFS mix for a Nep I hated watering inside, and used the tray method to bottom-water only. It would stay wet for quite a while. After the water in the tray was soaked up, I'd have an additional 3-5 days before I'd need to fill it again. LFS as a wicking agent works beautifully, and provided you don't pack the pot densely there will still be a decent amount of air space in the root zone.

Also--I know I advocate this a lot but Turface or Aquatic Plant Soil is excellent for Neps. It's water absorbent and does not compact. So unlike Perlite, Turface will add just a little bit more water retention to your mix if it's going dry too fast. And perhaps the best trait of all: it doesn't rot or break down or decay! It will keep your media puffy for years.

If you're planning to toy around with media ingredients, getting your hands on some Turface would probably be really helpful.

http://www.turface.com/distributors/state/
 
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  • #15
I never have issues with watering. I pot in either pure Sphagnum or Sphagnum with some perlite. I usually use live Sphagnum as a top dressing which keeps a lot of moisture in. I put trays under the pots to save water and keep moisture in too. I water whenever the live Sphagnum on top starts to get drier than it should be.

They can be much wetter than people think as long as there is good air circulation and light.
 
  • #16
I agree that it is somewhat of a hassle to keep watering it. Although my alata has survived about a decade with some periods of no watering, it doesn't make pitchers and just seems to be limping along. Is the container in the photo you posted drained?
 
  • #17
I agree that it is somewhat of a hassle to keep watering it. Although my alata has survived about a decade with some periods of no watering, it doesn't make pitchers and just seems to be limping along. Is the container in the photo you posted drained?
Have you repotted it recently or tried fertilizing? If it doesn't have pitchers you'll be unable to feed it insects, so I'd try some liquid feed. Provided you already have decent light, temperatures, and humidity, that is.
 
  • #18
Also--I know I advocate this a lot but Turface or Aquatic Plant Soil is excellent for Neps. It's water absorbent and does not compact. So unlike Perlite, Turface will add just a little bit more water retention to your mix if it's going dry too fast. And perhaps the best trait of all: it doesn't rot or break down or decay! It will keep your media puffy for years.

If you're planning to toy around with media ingredients, getting your hands on some Turface would probably be really helpful.http://www.turface.com/distributors/state/



Although I still have a few large plants that are growing in media containing aquatic plant soil, I really can't recommend it for Nepenthes. For over a year, I had roughly 70 plants in a mix containing APS (turface) and the root growth was pretty abysmal. It doesn't hurt the plants - and I never experienced any rot while using it - but they were definitely stunted. I'm not sure what it is about the stuff, but Nepenthes roots have somewhat of an aversion towards it. After I switched to a media without turface, growth was much better and the root systems became much, much more extensive.

Turface works fine with Heliamphora and Sarracenia, but from what I've seen, it shouldn't be used much with Nepenthes (particularly small plants).

However, as the old internet adage goes, "Your mileage may vary."
 
  • #19
Nice plant!

Inside my terrariums, i grow my neps in 25% peat and 75% bark or orchid mix. I water once a week or so.

The one i grow outside the terra is in 75% peat and 25% bark, because like you said, i dont want to water twice or more a week at 60% RH.

A good thing when you water a peaty media is to shake well the bottle of water and then add water to the soil mix. This will add oxygen to the water, and more oxygen will run at the roots.

Hope this help!
 
  • #20
Lots of good ideas! I am pysched by this.

The container is drained. Every two to three days I put the pot in a bowl and add water until the surface of the moss is just submerged. After a few minutes of soaking I remove the pot, let it drain, and then rehang the little guy.

I think I will try the tray until I repot, then I will play with the ingredients in the mix.
 
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