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Laterite

Hi !!
I'd like to have some information about this iron (Fe) rich compound.
Is there someone that add laterite in Nepenthes substratum?
If yes, what is the correct dosage?

I found a tropical laterite from Sri Lanka could it be useful for some Nepenthes? Wich?

Kind regards

rajah
 
Hi Rajah ,

yes , I do use latterite in my soil mixes for nepenthes. I use it in association with giant tree-fern roots I've found on some islands...

I breaks the root in little 1in long pieces , I fill my pot with that medium , add , the plant , and at least , I give a good "handfull" latterite to the pot....:0

Ok , it sounds barbarous , but that's the way I'm rooting all my Neps...

After 2 years , the soil mix is still there...fern-tree-root is were stable , and a little laterite-add per year is all the "care" I give to my soils...

Hope I helped

Patrice
 
Hi there Rajah,

I too am experimenting with laterite on my, well, one of my N. rajahs! In one pot I have a rajah in LFS & orchid bark, the other two rajahs I'm experimenting with are offshoots from the first one which has been planted (as a cutting, no roots) into two different mixes:
Exp #1: LFS, orchid bark and laterite clay baked into 1-2 mm size granules (I tried silicate laterite from substrate gold brand before and it degrades and forms a hard mass when used in planting mix I'll say avoid this type)
Exp #2: LFS, Orchid bark and Flourite this is a commercial Iron & Magnesium baked clay substrate of 2-5mm in size made for planted fish aquaria (which I have plenty of so getting a scoop of this was no problem)
Someone here told me Ultramafic soils are defined as a mix of Fe & Mg so if either product I'm using has any positive effect I would expect the Flourite to, but so far these two plants have only just now settled in, rooted and started putting out new leaves after a couple months.
 
Sounds Like your doing well with it then eh Swords? what is the leaf span tip to tip ?
just curious.

Peace
biggrin.gif
 
Yes the rajah is doing well, it was 3" when I got it in June or July but it's a bit weird that the plant is only 8" across and still making 1 1/2" immature pitchers but it's making lots of offshoots around it's base, people have said it tends to do this.
I removed those two and another two are ready to come off whenever I decide when to repot the "mother" plant from it's 6" pot. Kind of nice to have a plant like rajah self propagate! For a highlander N. rajah is a pretty fast grower but not as fast as N. hamata who seems to be the fastest highlander I have even over the Judith Finn hybrid.
 
your saying your rajah is already puting out more off shoots???
 
Yep, 4 offshoots if I remove these next two that'll be 5 plants for the price of one (which I got a good price on anyway) that's a bargin!
biggrin.gif
 
kool, maybe i should finally repot my rajah. since it is still in the same pot it was shipped to me in. had it since sept.
 
Hi !!
Thank you for your replies.
-(Swords) Very interesting also Flourite.

Does Laterite and Flourite contain others microelements that could be dangerous for Nepenthes if overdosed ?

Next spring I will repot my N.truncata, can I use Laterite for it?

Kind regards

rajah
 
  • #10
I don't think you need to worry about laterite clay or Flourite but anything that may add an alkaline element (such as powdered lime) may be bad for Neps. I don't know because I've not tried it and have no immediate plans to.

I do know if you use too much fertilizer (of the N-P-K type) you can burn the roots and possibly kill it. I use orchid fertilizer called GrowMore which is Urea Free and is supposed to be a "gentler" form of Nitrogen. I cut the formula down by 1/4 and fertilize every two weeks or so by flushing the pot with fertilizer water and then a few days later flush the pot again with pure R/O water and usually do another watering (sometimes two) with R/O water before I fertilize again. There are some people which use regular Osmocote fertilizer but I haven't used it myself so you'd have to check out the posts below for info on that.
 
  • #11
Hi !!
I only give to my Nepenthes Superthrive once a month (in a solution of six-seven drops for a litre of distilled water). Can Laterite and Superthrive be incompatible ?

rajah
 
  • #12
i'll add to the top about that. right now i'm playing around w/ a stuff called Multi Cote 18-6-12 it a time released plant food. feeds up to 9 months. right now i have it in 3 mature plants and 1 seedling. the 3 are N.velvet,judith,gracilis and 1 is truncata. the velvet and gracilis i have notices a diff in size of the pitchers and growth rate a little bit faster and the pitchers are bigger. judith and truncata there seem to be no diff. in the growth of the plant at all. i have only been using this stuff for about 2 months now and really it is to early to even say anything. since i have 9 months w/ the 8 pellets sitting on top of the potting mix to feed the plants.
from reading up on a diff topic that Borneo played around w/ the stuff he used a stronger dossage to feed the plants. i figured i would start out with a weeker formula and not risk the lives of the plants. so for right now i can say that i don't see no harm in the plants growth at all right now but, if you do deside to try this at home and i will tell you the same thing i was told please be careful.
 
  • #13
That's quite a large dosage of Superthive considering the directions are 1 drop per 4 liters. Are your plants pitchering and growing ok? Some people have said their plants quit pitchering when given large amounts of Superthrive.

I don't think there would be any conflict between Superthrive and laterite clay as ST is chemically produced plant hormones and laterite clay is simply an organic iron silicate.

Iron and other nutrients are required by all plants in varying quanities, some more than others, neps very little in comparison to a fast growing houseplant. I believe growth hormones such as Superthrive should not be looked as replacements for real nutrients but as enhancers to an already well balanced diet for your plants. Kind of like Ice cream after the steak!
smile.gif

Don't forget to feed the plants some juicy bugs too!
wink.gif
 
  • #14
Thanks Swords for your advices.

You give 1 drop per 4 liters, how many times a months ?

A friend gave me superthrive in some Eppendorf and I don't have directions
My Nepenthes pitcher from spring to autumn, in winter only sporadically for the reduction of photoperiod.
I also give bugs, ants and wasps.

Regards

rajah
 
  • #15
superthrive quantities- 1/4 ts (1ml.) per gallon (4L) for activity or stress. one drop per small cupful. three ounces per 100 gal.

well that is whats writen on the back of the bottle i got

edit:
very soft plants, or constant, daily or maintenance use: one or a few drops per gallon, one ounce per 500 gal. (30 mil. per 2,000 liters)

bare-root soaking
soak roots 15 or 30 min, 1 1/2 tsb. per 5 gal. for roses and tender plants. others: one ounce (2 tbs.)per 5 gal.
 
  • #16
Thanks GEORGE-CP,

What about the frequency ?
 
  • #17
usally i just give it a watering w/ the stuff 2 times a month but, latly since it is colder out i have been only watering w/ the stuff once a month and let the water sit in the tray for 2-3 days before i dump it out of the tray.

with newer plants i get out of the mail i usally spray it on the leaves also to help w/ stress and let it sit in the tray for a week before i dump the tray out.

hope this helps
 
  • #18
Doesn't increasing the iron increase pathogen levels, or do the plants require high iron to survive?
 
  • #19
I thought I would add a point here..... These plants are equipped with specialzed leaves for digesting prey and making use of them for nutrients which are extremly low in their soils. Superthrive is fine as long as you don't overdo it. Fertilziing should best be avioded unless your expierenced and know what you're doing. My advice is feed the plant.
 
  • #20
Darcie, I haven't heard about plants being more susseptable to viruses and such by feeding Iron. Can you give me a link to some info on this online somewhere?

All green plant matter requires nutrients & trace elements to best perform the activities of photosynthesis. Green algae uses the same minerals an orchid does just in differing quanities.  Light is required for triggering plants to put energy towards photosynthesis but nutrients are what fuel the activities of photosynthesis (growth, flowering, etc).

Rainwater is not nearly as pure as distilled or R/O water that we water our neps and orchids with. Rainwater will always give the plant minute amounts of trace elements as well as whatever minerals dissolve into it before it reaches the plants roots.  Due to the frequency of rain in Nep habiat they do not have minerals for long as they are washed away almost daily but that water IS running down limestone cliffs and over ultramafic soils (Iron & magnesium enriched) before it reaches them. So that is why I personally am experimenting with laterite and flourite, to see if there is a benefit in comparison to just using my plain old highland plant mix by delivering an abundance of iron and or iron & magnesium.

I should add I haven't done any soild additives like laterite or Flourite to lowland plants only highland plants, the lowlanders do get my bi weekly fertilizer though.

Nep G remember trace minerals and macro elements like Nitrogen Phospherous and K=potassium are different. Flies and Crickets will give our plants the NPK but to give more things like magnesium, boron, copper, iron, zinc, etc. you will have to give them that in some other form as bugs will not harbor as many of these thinsg which are achieved through rains and rain washing over mineral deposits. Aquarium trace element fertilizers are a  good place to start with these minerals because they are very diluted so as not to cause an algae outbreak when you feed your aquarium plants.

And of course be sure you start very light if you ever try fertilizing your plants. You don't have to be an expert to feed them just be careful, a good rule people throw around for Neps (and orchids) is to use 1/4 of whatever the reccomended doseage is to avoid possibility of overfeeding and it seems to work for me so that's what I do too.
 
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