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has anyone tried

like they do with violets or has anyone used capillary watering

(Edited by Jeremiah at 10
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1 pm on May 13, 2002)
 
"Savage Garden" labels them unacceptable.

--Steve
 
Steveo,

While "Savage Garden" is a great book for beginners or quick dirty information it isn't the final say in things
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D'Amato says a lot of things that can be disputed. As an example, he lists N. villosa as easy and if you were to ask anyone else they'd probably tell you it is one of the hardest (Tony? Martin?)

As for capillary watering, I have not heard of it being used for Neps but I have heard of a grower who uses capillary mats for his Cephalotus so there might be some merit to this idea. I think it was set up where both ends of the mat were in water trays at opposite ends of a terrarium and he added water whenever the trays dried out.

Maybe give it a try on something disposable, say a capensis, and pass your results on to us.

Pyro
 
thank pyro what would you say is beter then the "Savae Garden" about Nepenthes I also have "Carnivorous Plants of the would" by James and Patricia Pietropaolo and "Carnivorous Plants" by Adrian SlacK do you know were to get the cloth for a capillary watering
 
Interesting question. Could it work? Yes I think so... maybe not for all Nepenthes.

Couple things I see.
1. The potting mix would need to wick moisture well. So would need to be fairly fine and of a peat or sphag type base
2. There is a risk of mineral buildup even with high quality water. So the plants should be flushed periodically.

I will refrain from saying too much on the savage gardens view of N. villosa. There are a couple ways to look at things. How hard is it to provide what the plant needs to thrive. AND How much of a bugger is a plant to grow even under ideal conditions?

N. villosa is easy to grow when conditions are correct catagory. How hard it is for someone then depends on how hard it is to supply the moisture and temperature range the plant prefers. This might be easy for some or very difficult for others.
Tony
 
I am groiwng a S.Purpurea subsp. Venosa in a water wick pot with great results! I don't see why not a Nep wouldn't do well, as the Purpurea likes wetter conditions but simply is fine. I also think that N.Villosa is an easy Nepenthes. It is as hard as Rajah from some growers have said. I am goign to get it after I have more space.
 
Jeremiah,

For a better book than 'Savage Garden' there really isn't one. It is, like I said, the best general guide to CPs. For detailed cultivation information your best bet is other growers and here is the best place to contact them
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Isn't "Carnivorous Plants of the world" written by the nursery Peter Pauls? They have a horrible record for plant quality and are rumored to collect plants from the wild.
 
Thanks for chiming in on that Statik...

I was going to buy that book, my bro-in-law has it, but when I found out who it is from, no way. I won't give a dime of my hard earned money to the place.

IMHO, Peter Pauls is a nursery that would be better off not existing. And their practices may make that happen sooner rather than later.
 
  • #10
A note on the "Carnivorous Plants of the World" book, I remembered that it doesn't have any photographs or (maybe a few in B&W), but a bunch of general biology diagrams (that is representing the ideal average plant, which no one has).
Some of the information is also outdated.
 
  • #11
I use wicks for most of my neps. they sit on capillary matting which stays damp, and \I push a few bits of sphagnum up thru the bottom of each pot.
 
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