N. mirabilis var. echinostoma

[IceDragon]

I was wondering what should be the soil recipe for N. mirabilis var. echinostoma? In the book The Savage Garden they said that they perfer a more alkaline substrate but in some of the sites that I was looking at, they said they perfer dense peaty soil. Can someone sort this out?
Thanks

 

[The Griffin]

N. mirabilis likes your standard Nepenthes soil mixes but likes it wetter than most. I had one that went nuts sitting in water, which is a general "no-no." It was in LF sphagnum.

Regards,

Joe

 

[IceDragon]

whoa! that was fast. Also what do you think the cultivation ease is, and what would you recommend for humidity and temp for this lowlander?

 

[The Griffin]

Ideally, not less than 70 F. Neps in general like high humidity, so above 70% would be good(I would stray away from 100% , unless you have good air movement).

Regards,

Joe

 

[swords]

Hi there. N. mirabilis seems to be a very easy plant at least from 5 cm to 10 cm!  I have var. Echinostoma (I got mine in May) as well as a couple hybrids where mirabilis is used. All grow & pitcher easily in true lowland conditions of 80%+ humidity and temps between 85-95*F during the day and 70-75*F at night year round.

As for soil I simply placed it in long fibered sphagnum, there's probably some medium grade orchid bark and charcoal too as I always like to blend that with it to allow a bit more aeration/faster drainage and "sweeten" the soil with charcoal.

I have not tried it in a tray of water as Joe but both N. ampullaria and N. mirabilis are known to occur where the ground may be waterlogged during heavier rains. When my plant is bigger I may experiment with occasional flooding.