Getting larger pitcher's

[Slizarus]

I saw this in the BACPS newsletter and I thought I'd share it.

ASSISTING NEPENTHES TO FORM LARGE PITCHERS
Zach Lim
zdude111@hotmail.com

I, and a few others, have found a way to increase the pitcher
size in Nepenthes (Tropical Pitcher Plants). By adding a layer
of moist long-fibered sphagnum or live sphagnum under a
developing pitcher, the added humidity seems to help the growth
of the pitcher. As the pitcher grows, you may see that it is
increasing in size. As an end result, the pitcher, when opened,
tends to be much larger then the surrounding pitchers without
this "humidity treatment". I have yet to try this on other
"cup" pitchers (mainly Cephalotus f.), so if anyone is
attempting this, please let me know. Thank you.
Copyright 2003 Zach Lim

 

[colinliew]

Under a developing pitcher? What if you grow Neps in hanging baskets?

 

[hamata]

Maybe a ziplock baggy?

-hamata

 

[agustinfranco]

Dear all:

I'd guess Zach is right. In my experience, most developing pitchers grow very fast if they are touching moist sphagnum moss. They don't have to be wrapped in sphagnum, even though, it'd be better this way!!. I'd also guess that the relative humidity around the pitcher is increase thus helping it grow faster

Gus

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

An excellent point in growing Nepenthes. However be wary of the POTENTIAL fungus issues. I haven't had any problems but it is always a possibility. With that in mind my rajah is repsonding extremely fast with the setup I have had it in for 2 weeks this Saturday:

The newest tendril has already lyed down in the sphagnum moss and I think it will form. I am very very excited to see my rajah's pitcher size if it takes. I haven't seen rajah pitchers since March/April so I think considering the size of the plant (above 25cm across (10in.))

 

[colinliew]

But if you wrap growing pitchers in moist sphagnum it won't get much light...surely growing pitchers need light too.

 

[Zongyi_Yang]

i guess thats why my N. ventricosa is sprouting a pitcher thats 2X larger that the other ones, and it still hasn't opened! it grew and the pitcher rested on the spagnum moss of a nerby S. wrigglana.

Zongyi (the pitcher is resting on it, not covered by it, through i do regularly mist the plant.)

 

[colinliew]

Hmm...I'll have to try that soon.

 

[Stefano1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (colinliew @ Sep. 11 2003,9:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hmm...I'll have to try that soon.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
me too

 

[goldtrap2690]

cool , i'll have to try this osmtimes , but what about plants that grow up right and the pitcher are just hanging in mid air ?

 

[agustinfranco]

just try getting the tendril wrapped around a strand or two of sphagnum moss and then put a pocket size ziplock bag around it??. It may work beautifully!!

Gus

 

[colinliew]

Augustin, how long would you recommend leaving the pitcher that way? Up until the pitcher opens?

 

[Cindy]

I've got ziplock bags (the type for medication) on my bicalcurata, albomarginata and alata. They've been with me for months, grewing very well with much larger leaves than before, but no pitchers.

I sprayed a little distilled water into each bag and folded the two corners at the bottom so that the bag will "puff" up a little. Otherwise the tendril will touch the side of the bag, which is wet.

Will update as soon as I see a change.

 

[leucophylla]

I did this some years ago to convince non pitchering nepenthes to pitcher while cultivating on the windowsill. This might be interesting for people with large plants and low humidity. It seemed to work, but it is also difficult to place it on very young and soft leafes. I used tiny zip lock bags with sphagnum or just some (weight! ) drops of water in it. Once the pitcher started growing I removed the bags.

Best, Volker

 

[Slizarus]

this would explain why my N.Spec has so large pitchers for it's size all of it's pitcher lay on live sphagnum moss

 

[neps]

At the risk of sounding argumentative, I'd like to point out that while I don't doubt that resting developing pitchers on sphagnum may result in increased pitcher size, it is highly unlikely that the benefit conferred has anything to do with humidity. First, consider the fact that a plant requires good conditions in its entire growing space to do well, not just locally optimal conditions for one leaf! Secondly, if one considers the diffusion of water vapor though air, the local effect of a wad of damp moss is essentially nonexistent! This is equivalent to the myth that putting a plant over a saucer full of water will supply it with adequate humidity in an otherwise dry environment. It just does not work.

Rather, I think that the reason people are seeing increased pitcher size in this context is simply due to the fact that the developing tendrils have support (they are not hanging). Consequently, larger pitchers may grow from such points without putting undue strain on the plant itself. I've observed this phenomenon many times, with plants growing in many different media. A particular example which comes to mind is that of an N. rafflesiana which was producing an upper pitcher for me about six years ago. As the tendril lengthened, I placed a wooden dowel in its path, around which it subsequently wound. This dowel was anchored to provide support to the pitcher which developed from the tendril, and it grew into the largest N. rafflesiana upper I've ever had -- 40 cm long! It was fantastic, and the dowel provided no extra humidity at all!

The moral of the story: if you want larger pitchers, provide optimal conditions for the entire plant, and support the tendrils as they develop with whatever you have at hand.

 

[agustinfranco]

Dear Neps:

Your points are taken, but   I don't necessarily agree with them. For starters, putting a plant on top of a saucer with water can not be compared with putting something humid around the pitcher. the evaporation of the water will come from the sphagnum wrapped around the pitcher, as opposed coming from the saucer. Water molecules coming from the saucer may touch or not the plant when they turn vapor, while the water evaporating from the sphagnum almost always evaporates around the pitcher.

Furthermore, the tendril wrapped around the dowel may just be a need for the epiphytic types of nepenthes to find support to develop a pitcher. Don't forget that not all nepenthes are epiphytic. On top of that, i happen to have a maxima ventricosa (epyphitic type) that even though 3 tendrils are wrapped around three different plastic rods for support are yet to develop pitchers.

Colinliew:

The time it takes for a pitcher to develop even in optimal conditions will depend on the type of nepenthes you are growing. the consensus is now that if you wrap around a strand of shagnum moss around the pitcher way mimic optimal conditions for pitcher development.

Agustin

 

[neps]

I am quite well aware that not all Nepenthes are ephiphytes.
N. rafflesiana, the subject of my example, is not, to the best of my knowledge, an epiphytic species.

Moreover, I was addressing the issue of merely placing a tendril on moss. Wrapping one in it, or enclosing it in a bag, is another issue.

 

[colinliew]

Well I've got a rafflesiana pitcher, a sanguinea pitcher and a truncata pitcher resting on sphagnum moss, we'll see if anything comes of it.

 

[agustinfranco]

Dear all:

I wanted to ask if any of you have read about photosynthesis in a nepenthes pitcher. I am sure that the pitcher contains chlorophyll which is necessary for photosynthesis, but I am also sure that the unmodified part of the leaf (regular shaped leaf) has more chloroplasts (bodies where the chlorophyll is stored) than the pitcher itself. The function of the pitcher is obviouly to trap insects or anything with protein in it.

If this train of thought is correct then, if the pitcher receives less light thant the rest of the plant, perhaps it would not have much of an effect on the integrity of the same.

Agustin