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Calcium and Lime

superimposedhope

Somewhat Unstable
Okey Dokey,
I know that they grow in lime and mineral etc...in the wild. How does this work out in cultivation? Should I add lime and or calcium? If they are a mineral native (so to speak) does municipal become ok to use. I have horticultural chunk grade lime and calcium such as shell or something similar are easy to find. What's the deal?

Joe
 
Hey, i recently purchased a Northiana not too long ago, im growing it in 100 LFS and its put out a brand new pitcher and ready to un-furl a new leaf, there WAS another pitcher forming but the #### thing broke off, word of advice, if and when you get yours and it thrusts a tendril down into the medium, dont pull it out
sad.gif
 
Oh Suck, yeah I did that with a different one. OOOps oh well it survived and I learned a lesson.

Joe
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (superimposedhope @ April 09 2004,4:29)]I know that they grow in lime and mineral etc...in the wild.
N. northiana does not grow in alkaline mineral rich soil full of calcium.  It grows in peaty soil composed of decayed vegetation.  Quite mineral free and deffinately acidic!

Now if I could put some negative highlighter on everyone's Savage Garden where it says to avoid peat and grow it in alkaline soil, MAYBE this nonsense will go away.

Tony
 
WOW! I also read @ wistuba that it is from lime cliff faces and such along with tentaculata, and like 8 others (I dont remember). I trust that you would know, Tony. Although I wonder why other commercial growers say otherwise.

Anyways, grow the same as my other lowlanders. 100%LFS hot & humid.

Joe
 
Limestone cliff faces yes.. this does not translate into the plants growing in calcium rich soil. The high amount of rainfall and acidic nature of decomposing plant matter dissolve calcium fairly quickly where it accumulates into pockets of soil.

The key to N. northiana is high humidity and steady warm temperature and moderate light.

Tony
 
Much help Tony, Thanks
I can do that!
Good luck Stefano1

Joe
 
Neps and Swords both have really large healthy N. northiana and can give you some pointers I am sure. You can also check out Neps information on N. northiana under his cultivation list at Plantswithattitude.com

Unfortunately I just don't have the space to really grow a nice specimen properly.. but it sure is one of the most striking species.
 
I love the northiana and veitchii peristomes. I also like some highlands as well but am only growing lowlands for now. I hope to start highlands in a year. I have a neoguineensis comming one of these years (SIGH....Im impatient).

Joe
 
  • #10
lol, just like me

i LOVE alot of the highland species, but im too scared to try growing them because i live in southern florida, i hope to try it in the next year or so


also with the northiana, ive been keeping mine in high humid, warm temps, i think really warm, and it gets alot of morning sunlight, im strill kicking my self for lifting up that #### leaf to see wher the tendril went

you learn form your mistakes but ,..... blah.....

veitchii is one that i want now also, ....... as for the northiana, i had looked at Neps and swords photos to see if i really wanted it or not, i got mine from Tony, very nice price and came in excellent condition really fast..

i often visit his website to see what others im interested in and then i look in my wallet, lol, its not that its expensive, its just for some odd reason i dont like spending money, my mom got me into that habit, should i relal purchase this? yes, well no, well maybe, do i really want it, blah blah blah

ive saved ALOT of money from my mom but am geting to scared to spend any of it lol

right now im looking at the veitchii, a heliamphora, the N. viellardii, bellii, albomarginata, longifolia, maxima, and the cephalotus, sarr. purpurea, wrgylenea (i totally spelled it wrong) ,.. i also am interested in the N. sibuyanensis, bt its a highlander
sad.gif


blah, enough of my useless talking, i always do this get carried away into another subject
 
  • #11
There has been a lot of speculation among growers over the years concerning the compost N. northiana requires to grow well. There are those who have insisted that limestone, antimony, or other elements or compounds are required for its successful cultivation.

Well, this much I can tell you: I have tried none of those things, and my plant is 1.3 m in diameter. It has produced pitchers between 35 and 40 cm in height, and it flowered for me last month. In short, it is a fully mature plant.

I grew it from a small TC specimen, no more than 1 cm in diameter, over a period of about five years. To do so, I grew it in a well-drained mix of peat, perlite and other typical compost materials. (I don't remember what all I used off-hand, but the details are in an article I wrote which was published in CPN last summer. If you want more information, please read it.)

In addition to compost, successful cultivation requires that this species be given very warm, humid conditions, with little variation. Furthermore, lighting should be somewhat subdued, for it is easily burned.

If you are really serious about growing this species, please be sure that you can provide these conditions, for failure to do so will almost certainly result in a plant which will grow poorly. Moreover, be sure that you have room for N. northiana, for it will grow to be very large indeed, and you will quickly run out of room! If you cannot do these things, I highly recommend that you elect to grow another of the many interesting species available, for I doubt that neither you, nor your N. northiana, will be happy....
 
  • #12
Question: What about the idea like Tony said that it grows in decaying leaf mulch basically. Since it is probably not the lime so much as whats between the crevices in which the roots grow. Could something similar be used to grow in cultivation?

Joe
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Could something similar be used to grow in cultivation?

Please reread my previous post:

"I grew it in a well-drained mix of peat, perlite and other typical compost materials."
 
  • #14
I think Swords uses some sort of composted leaf mulch. Personally I am not for it. I am not trying to recreate nature in a pot. I am more interested in using materials I know are consistent from batch to batch so I can grow the plants systematically and if at all possible better and healthier than in the wild. This takes experimentation and trial and careful observation but I think in the long run is preferable.

In the end it is up to each individual grower to find what works best in their own situation. Often what works for one grower may or may not work for another because it is impossible to duplicate every environmental condition. The whole of which leads to success or failure. So learn from others but adapt and apply that knowledge to your own culture.

For example: Many people use pure LFS and grow great Nepenthes. In my situation however it stays too wet and the plants suffer badly.
Tony
 
  • #15
Tony,

Well said. It is true in nature that N. bicalcarata and N. ampullaria can grow in peaty swamps, but for us to duplicate the water table that prevents the soil from going stagnant in Nature and keeps the soil living and vibrant w/o repotting is not possible for us. Hence we use a mix of commonly available products.
Nepenthes do not grow wild in cocofiber, but look at Rob Cantley's plants at Borneo Exotics, lol.

Regards,

Joe Griffin
Lincoln, NE USA
 
  • #16
I do occasionally try to duplicate nature in a pot. Mostly with my epiphytes (not CP's). I suppose that some things are too delicate and I guess unnecisary to duplicate, I myself currently grow my Neps in 100% LFS. This works well for them. I guess really my ? was if it works for my other Neps should it be ok for the northiana? This has been answered for me. Thanks

Joe
 
  • #17
We had our northianas on a bench in the greenhouse growing side by side with rafflesiana and ampullaria, and they were slowly going downhill. After Jeff's article in CPN, we placed them in cutting chambers under the benches. They very quickly recovered and are happily pitchering. The growing medium is our typical peat-fir bark-lfs-pumice-aliflor-charcoal concoction. A friend of ours has his northiana under an auto mist system used for propagating beds.
Bottom line: northiana must have constant high humidity and shade. (Ours have no problem with night temp drops into the upper fifties F as long as days are warm-low to mid eighties F)

Trent
 
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