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  • #21
Well this is certainly a lively discussion!
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Hi ragnarok, yeah I got a veitchii 'Bareo highland' and H. minor 'Auyan Tepui' clump fomr him....hopefully the heliamp, wasn't effected by the 14 degrees freeze.
 
  • #22
Tony,

Are you growing the hamata in your standard mix(isn't it something like 1:1:1 LF sphagnum/cocohusk chips/perlite)?
Regards,

Joe
 
  • #23
Joe,
Yes with a little peat moss added. So I guess you can say my standard mix is now fine coconut husk chips, perlite, Sphagnum, and peat... roughly 1:1:1:1. The peat binds the other ingredients together into a more 'soil like' mix but it is still very well drained and aerated. I have found N. hamata to like it pretty wet at the roots but well aerated. One of the few that does well in straight Sphagnum for me. I don't pot much in pure Sphagnum though because of the cost.. something I have to watch on a large scale.
Tony
 
  • #24
Tony,

Yes, it's the plant that leaps to mind when you mention sphagnum growing Nepenthes. I have had mine in a baggie for...over two years, watered only twice! It does not grow as rapid as most suggest, but it is amazing to see it in a baggie like this. I will get another before I think about removing it, becasue I don't want to upset it's delicate balance and I want to grow one in a more normal manner. The sphagnum in there grows nicely, and I had to trim it away once.
Wouldn't a tray of sphagnum grow well in your greenhouse with the plants? I would think you could supply yourself with live stuff.
The addition of peat to your mix makes some sense. I have heard that story from several growers that use many course ingredients, how adding peat gives it that "Soil-like" quality, while still allowing the drainage and "fluffiness" to the mix.

Regards,

Joe
 
  • #25
Very interesting about sphagnum. Sphagnum is something I almost never use here. It's practically impossible to import and we have a very, very little which is carefully propagated in our highland nursery. We use finely chopped coconut husk mixed with coconut peat for everything. However, (big HOWEVER) our trials with juvenile Nepenthes jacquelineae are showing markedly better results with pure spagnum than with other media. The largest plants are just hitting the 2" leaf-span mark as opposed to 1" with other media. This is something I've never observed before and may be useful information for other people trying difficult highlanders. Having said that however, I can't get, perlite, peat, or just about anything else locally other than laterite and all types of coconut products.
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  • #26
speaking of sphagnum moss and growing it. the one thing i have noticed is that it only grows in a highland set up. i also have it outside in the lowland and it will not grow what so ever.

with the coconut fiber i haven't tried this yet but have split a couple of coconuts open and peeled them apart to soak them to get the salt out of it. i'm wanting to see how a couple of the plants do in growing in the mix with it added. with the water retention i do beleave that it doesn't hold as much as sphagmun does but does hold some water with in its fiber.
 
  • #27
Rob,

I am not at all surprised that you have noticed something that grows better in sphagnum. I am no saying anything ill about the mixes, just making a side-comparison.
I germinated some Drosera cunefolia once, some on peat/silica sand, others on milled sphagnum. The plants in sphagnum grew five times the size of the peat/sand plants in a six month span. The problem I have noticed with Nepenthes seed in milled sphagnum is heavy fungus attack, even when lightly misted with Benomyl upon sowing. This may have been due to unviable seed to begin with.
Sphagnum should grow in your highland greenhouses. The long-fiber stuff and perlite can both be mailed, as they are considered sterile, soiless components. I know you don't trade, but maybe you ought to trade those plain, green sanguinea to an overseas nursery for these products, lol.
Yeah, I know. Eventually there would be so many floating around that people would be saying,"These came from Borneo Exotics? What is Cantley doing? Sucking the pigments out with a straw?" Oh well.

Regards,

Joe
 
  • #28
I don't like green N. sanguineas. I mean, they're supposed to be red! Even the name says so
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  • #29
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Joe, you're nearly correct. We suck the pigment out and inject it into N. ampullaria. Purple N. ampullaria coming soon!

Spagnum is supposed to have anti-fungal properties. We're playing around with trichoderma here to help prevent root problems from occuring but haven't had any real evidence yet that it works as advertised.
 
  • #30
I prefer sphagnum moss to ANY other medium. It is loose, yet moist (perfect for Nepenthes and many other cps) and looks really nice if it comes to life. I need to order some through Lowes soon.
 
  • #31
I either use the dead stuff for cuttings and stuff or rare plants, (don't wanna risk something from my other stuff eating it) OR I use the blood red living stuff or pure green living stuff, depends what bog I go to to get a few handfuls.
 
  • #32
Mr. Gracilis,

It must rock to live near sphagnum bogs. I think my best chance, out of Nebraska, would be to drive to Minnesota or Wisconsin.

Regards,

Joe
 
  • #33
i have a large nepenthes x rokko ( throlii x maxima ) female that use to be that bushy now it's not so bushy but it is hugh it takes some one who realy knows how to grow a nepenthes to get a plant that big well done........ i forgot your name sorry
 
  • #34
Joe, please call me Dustin!
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And yes, living near natural bogs is very cool and benifical to have access to free sphagnum.
 
  • #35
dustin,
I don't see any of the photos anymore, only the clipeata one...
 
  • #36
Griffin I live up in Minnesota, the bogs are great...

Aaron
 
  • #37
I live in Chaska MN and there's no sphagnum bogs here, that Ive found anyway. But I'm quite south west of the metro area, I hear that up north is where the wild sphagnum and orchids (Cypripedium sp.) live. I don't necessarilly agree with collecting from the wild, but to know that the MINDOT HWY dept and Wildlife and Game nazis would rather allow the constructuon crews to destroy these plants utterly (in effect "making them extinct) and fill in their wetlands than allow people who know how to care for these orchids and plants obtain the correct & legal permits and start cultivating them is utterly rediculous.

a bit off topic I suppose, so to make this post worthwhile I will say that I too have found my highland tank to be the bvest sphagnum (and other moss) growing location. The only problem is my house smells like forest now! I burn inscence almost 24/7!
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  • #38
Swords,

If you go up north near lake Itasca or other lakes up north there are beautiful bogs of Saraccenia and some drosera. They have great sphagnum.

Aaron
 
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