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I'm baffled! I've been trying to get some red N. ampullaria to flower for years and it just won't oblige. The vines are about 20' long and the tops of the vines emerge into full tropical sun. I've tried grafting on leaves from flowering N. mirabilils to encourage a hormone avalanche. Different fertilisers don't seem to work either. the plants are outdoors and the pitchers are full of prey.

I know that in the wild N. ampullaria sometimes flowers when it reaches a much smaller size than these guys. Has anyone ever seen a flower on N. ampullaria in cultivation and if so, how was it done?
 
Well you got me there Rob...In the tropical climate of upstate NY (read as: #### cold nearly Southern Canada) where we swing from the N. ampullaria vines on our way to work, they bloom all the time! O wait that's in my dreams. It is certainly confusing trying to figure out what makes these plants tick. I have plants flower which I would have thought would not be ready while others which are long rambling vines more several years have not.

If treating them nicely hasn't worked.. maybe treat them badly. Or get really radical and gas them with ethylene..

Tony
 
Hey, here's a stretch....I've heard that putting an apple in the enclosure will encourage flowering...Something about the gas emitted as the apple decomposes or something. Might be an old wives tale, but I know I read it somewhere.
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If I am envisioning the growing area here,...that is a lot of apple.
Maybe stress is the key. (Whack it back quite a bit and send me that pesky, flower-keeping vine, lol.)
Rob, do the greens and speckleds flower for you?

Regards,

Joe
 
I'm picturing Tony chainsawing his way through the ampullaria vines pushing holes through the top of his greenhouse.
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Down here in south Florida they are reluctant bloomers as well. Michelle and I were discussing possibly combining bloom boost orchid fertilizer applications starting mid summer on selected plants we know flower in late summer-fall, with shock treatment-carefully letting them go a little too dry. I'm too chicken to try this on some of the stunning amps we got from Rob! We want to do this to get certain males and females to flower at the same time.

Trent
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Trent @ April 22 2004,8:25)]I'm picturing Tony chainsawing his way through the ampullaria vines pushing holes through the top of his greenhouse.
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Trent
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Maybe grow the ampullaria in apple trees?
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Rob, Tony, If you EVER chainsaw through amps like that...
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!!!!!!

Send me the cuttings
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How long does one of the reds take to vine pretty good to make cuttings? I was contemplating getting some as a investment, lol. That Williams is quite a crown jewel and hopefull would pay for itself after selling a few cuttings.
BTW, when will we see "Borneo Sunrise"?

Joe
 
Guess it would take a lot of apples!  Here are a few quick snaps taken this morning:

A couple of red N. ampullaria growing outdoors.  I really am surprised that these two haven't flowered yet:

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In the background of this nursery shot you can see a N. ampullaria amp vining over the roof:

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Here's a general nursery shot with some vingin plants visible in the background on the right.  They are various species but there are some N. ampullaria there too.  Everything is flowering except the N. ampullaria!

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Ethylene isn't practcal if for no other reason than apples aren't grown on this island.  Any other ideas?  ...and don't tell me to out them out in a frost overnight  
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wow... your nursery is stunning!
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Those amps sure are gnarly... better get your chainsaw out!
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dont throw the cuttings away, just send em to me fer shipping
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(seriously)
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  • #10
wow rob u think u could get us thoes pics of you're rajah's planted out wild like portato's?
 
  • #11
heh... Rob Rajahseed
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(in place of jonny appleseed)
 
  • #12
I don't think Rob is going to send cuttings for shipping, as that is alot of potential money to make rooted cuttings with.
Are those reds in gallon pots, Rob? If so, they are nice-sized plants.

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Regards,

Joe
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] (The Griffin @ April 25 2004,1:13)]I don't think Rob is going to send cuttings for shipping, as that is alot of potential money to make rooted cuttings with.
 Are those reds in gallon pots, Rob? If so, they are nice-sized plants.

 
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 Regards,

 Joe
Hey, you never know...
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  • #14
THOSE ARE TALLL VINES!!!!!!!!!!!

very nice nursery, sorry for no info
 
  • #15
Nice plants! Love your setup!
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  • #16
Rob,

I know there are not a lot of fires in a constantly moist environment, like Nepenthes grow in, but have you thought about trying watering with water treated with smoke discs?
I don't think it could hurt. I could mail you some if you want to try it. Supposed;u it's the chemicals from fires that help some plants flower in Nature.

Regards,

Joe
 
  • #17
Monday morning here.  Have a champagne head this morning after a birthday party for Diana at the yacht club yesterday.  Hic!  
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Lots of questions!

The lowland nurseries shown in the photographs are pretty messy compared to the highland ones which are run by Diana. There are 3 lowland nursery buildings and only one of them is shown in the photos, it happens to be to oldest.

We'll be going to the highlands tonight and will be staying up there for about a week so I'll get some pics of the 'N. rajah field'.   It's not really a field, maybe just a plot with perhaps 2 or 3 hundred juvenile plants if I recall correctly but they sure are growing well in the ground as opposed to in pots.

yes Joe, those gallon pots each have a single clone of a red or tricolor.  One of them has a William's red in it.  In fact, here it is:

 
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Nice try with the cuttings guys  
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  I think I'll keep them here though!

Joe, taking cuttings from a William's red and then selling them on is probably viable if you can do it.  We have a 6 month waiting list for this variety.  The one I called Sunset is one of the 2 large vining plants outdoors so I haven't been taking cuttings.  However, if it doesn't flower soon I'll take the scissors to it.  Grrr!  
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  • #18
Rob,

So, these fit in with the formula that Jeff Shafer noted, that green is easiest to grow and propagate, followed by speckleds, and then reds.
What do you think about the smoke water idea?

Regards,

Joe
 
  • #19
Hi Rob,
Great shots of the nursery! At what point will those vines start producing the clusters of pitchers along their lengths? A mutual friend in Miami has his amps doing this, but they are growing under lights. Is it a humidity issue?

Trent
 
  • #20
Hi Trent,

I think it may well be a humidity issue.  In dipterocarp forest you see the aerial rosettes frequently but not so on N. ampullria growing on forest margins even though they may also be large plants.  No signs of aerial rosettes on my vines alas!

N. x trichocarpa however produces aerial rosettes at quite small size and humidity doesn't seem to matter much.  There's one vining all over my balcony where the humidity is sometimes very low and it has aerial and basal rosettes.  Very cute!
 
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