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Nepenthes seeds help?

R

Rareraven

So I bought some nepenthes seeds off ebay and now I'm not sure what soil I should use in order to sow the seeds. The seeds are ampullaria, and having read like ten other sowing methods. I'm thinking of just using peat and perlit mix and putting the pot in plastic bags and placing them under my 5t grow lights.

If anyone can help me that would be great.
 
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php/109667-Nepenthes-Seed-Growing-Guides

Very good information here from experienced growers. I personally have had more success with starting seed on a finely chopped Sphagnum based mix, but others prefer peat/sand. For me, the peat/sand mix is too wet and rots the seeds, probably since my grain of sand is on the smaller side. I'm no expert though, I've only done this a few times. I'm sure a Nepenthes guru here can help you out.

Chances are though, if those seeds are off eBay and purchased outside of the country, they aren't even viable in the first place. Never buy seed from sellers in SE Asia, they're always wild collected (often unsustainably) and left to sit for who knows how long. Their "freshly harvested" claims are false. The best place to get seed is from a trustworthy hobbyist in your country.
 
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I too sow on sphag, i use live sphag and cut off the tops and put them in a container and toss some seeds ontop.

Again I'm not an expert either...
I've known ppl who've purchased from eBay sellers for nep seeds and its been almost a year an no seeds were ever sent and the seller still posts selling seeds and he gets away with still being on their cause he makes the delivery date beyond the 30 day refund buyer protection and to write a review of the product. Shifty people..
 
I dont have much live sphag, and the amount that I have seems to be growing slowly. I'm not sure what to do to make it grow more. the live sphag is outside with my other plants. so any advice for the live sphag to increase its growth would surely help.

I bought the seeds from someone in canada. Got good reviewes from the seller.
 
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The Nepenthes seed merchant in Canada (if it's the guy I know about - how many can there be?!) is buying seed from Asia and reselling it, so it's likely the seeds have changed hands several times and are waaaay past their "best before" date. eBay is a poor venue to procure Nepenthes species seeds :-(
 
The guy has his own green house. Hes the owner of M-A-Zing Carnivores. I dont trust amazon's seeds since they dont tell you if they are fresh or not.
 
Rareraven said:
The guy has his own green house. Hes the owner of M-A-Zing Carnivores. I dont trust amazon's seeds since they dont tell you if they are fresh or not.
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That's the guy. He's stolen photos off my blog several times and was very unpleasant the when asked to remove them from his sales listings. Then he repeats the theft days/weeks later.
 
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That seller is well known for selling old, second hand wild collected seeds. Just because he has a greenhouse does not mean that he produces his own seed.
 
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oh no! :0o: and I fell for him... I bought a packet of his seeds just to see if I could grow nepenthes from seeds since no one in my state seems to have them.
 
  • #10
Rareraven said:
oh no! :0o: and I fell for him... I bought a packet of his seeds just to see if I could grow nepenthes from seeds since no one in my state seems to have them.
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Just because he has a reputation (not a good one) doesn't mean you have ZERO chance of germinating some of those seeds. Go for it and see. What have you got to lose?
Though they won't be species seeds, the next time I have seed pods ripe and available (very soon, I expect), I will send you some seeds for free, just to gain some experience growing from seed. PM me with your name and mailing info - if you're interested. I always have surplus. :)
For every clown who is trying to scam people for a few bucks selling old, non-viable seed, there is someone on the forums who is more than happy to share what they can, often for free. The kind and generous more than make up for the jerks.

PS: Do not use live Sphagnum for sowing Nepenthes seeds. You will find the Sphagnum quickly outgrows the seedlings and they will vanish in the mire in no time. Plain dried Sphagnum, finely chopped is quite sufficient. Place the moss in a pot, water it thoroughly, sow the Nepenthes seeds on top and set the pot in a ZipLoc bag. Place the bag in bright-but-indirect light (NOT on a windowsill in sunlight!) Make yourself a tall latte, settle in to a comfy chair and prepare to wait up to 6 months (or as much as a year), and that's all there is to it!
 
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  • #11
Whimgrinder said:
Just because he has a reputation (not a good one) doesn't mean you have ZERO chance of germinating some of those seeds. Go for it and see. What have you got to lose?
Though they won't be species seeds, the next time I have seed pods ripe and available (very soon, I expect), I will send you some seeds for free, just to gain some experience growing from seed. PM me with your name and mailing info - if you're interested. I always have surplus. :)
For every clown who is trying to scam people for a few bucks selling old, non-viable seed, there is someone on the forums who is more than happy to share what they can, often for free. The kind and generous more than make up for the jerks.

PS: Do not use live Sphagnum for sowing Nepenthes seeds. You will find the Sphagnum quickly outgrows the seedlings and they will vanish in the mire in no time. Plain dried Sphagnum, finely chopped is quite sufficient. Place the moss in a pot, water it thoroughly, sow the Nepenthes seeds on top and set the pot in a ZipLoc bag. Place the bag in bright-but-indirect light (NOT on a windowsill in sunlight!) Make yourself a tall latte, settle in to a comfy chair and prepare to wait up to 6 months (or as much as a year), and that's all there is to it!
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Any tips for just growing live sphagum moss? I have a small pot of it but its not growing fast like other. do I move it to a plastic container or what do I do to make it grow more.
 
  • #12
Sphagnum is not a very fast grower, but it is fairly easy to grow. I grow my Sphagnum on dead LFS in short, undrained trays, with the water level below the live stuff. Give it good light and high humidity, and try to make sure that the tips don't burn. You can slice the heads off and replant them to propagate it. Once you get a few containers of it going, you'll have a surplus in no time. :)
 
  • #13
I use milled LFS with a little sand, peat, and perlite thrown in for good measure. Has always seemed to work for me.
 
  • #14
mine seem to have black or brown tips and heads... I have it growing outside... would growing it in a baggie help for humidity?
 
  • #15
Rareraven said:
mine seem to have black or brown tips and heads... I have it growing outside... would growing it in a baggie help for humidity?
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Don't use a baggie outside unless you want cooked moss. The black tips mean that the moss in dying from low humidity/heat at the tips. Growing in a controlled environment like a terrarium or greenhouse is the best option. The Sphagnum you see growing in bogs is kept healthy through the humid microclimate and steady supply of fresh, cool water. Cultivated moss in a small container outside is afforded no such luxury.
 
  • #16
SerMuncherIV said:
Don't use a baggie outside unless you want cooked moss. The black tips mean that the moss in dying from low humidity/heat at the tips. Growing in a controlled environment like a terrarium or greenhouse is the best option. The Sphagnum you see growing in bogs is kept healthy through the humid microclimate and steady supply of fresh, cool water. Cultivated moss in a small container outside is afforded no such luxury.
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No like have the moss in a baggie under T5 grow lights. That is what I ment.
 
  • #17
Sphagnum appreciates some air circulation, and the condensation on the plastic blocks out a lot of the light. Do you have some sort of enclosure to go with your lights? Even a small fish tank with those T5s would be a good place to grow it in provided you take measures to avoid having it overheat. I'm going to say that trying to grow Sphagnum (or anything, for that matter) in a bag long-term will not give you happy results.
 
  • #18
Shoot, I was going to but the pot with the seeds in a baggie since I'm going to school in a few days... I dont have a fish tank... well I do but it has fish in it.
 
  • #19
Rareraven said:
Shoot, I was going to but the pot with the seeds in a baggie since I'm going to school in a few days...
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That should be fine actually, it's only an issue long-term, although the whole bag nonsense is unnecessary with a good terrarium (hint hint). Just keep that thing OUT of direct sunlight, and open it up sometimes to refresh the air (beware of mold, though). Putting the bag with seeds under your T5s would be nice.

Rareraven said:
I dont have a fish tank... well I do but it has fish in it.
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:lol:
 
  • #20
I think I'll be going home like every two weeks... so I hope its an okay system... like while I'm home I'll open the baggie to let in fresh air.
 
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