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Soil question

Hello,
I bought my nepenthes, pitcherless, in February this year. It's still pitcher to this very moment. But, I've successfully propagated two stem cuttings. I have used mulch instead of orchid bark, peat and perlite for their soil. Last week I've noticed that their leaves, pitcherless too, were yellowish but not like they were starting to wither. They are in my house with the temperature around 20 C and I mist them 3-4 times a day.
Could mulch be the cause for the color change?
And how do I make them pitcher?
smile_h_32.gif
 
Mulch would not be a good idea, because it is rich in nutrients, exactly the opposite of what Nepenthes need. They are carnivorous because the soils in which they grow are leached and low in nutrient. I wqould hazard a guess that your plants are not producing pitchers because they don't need to - they're getting enough nutrient from the soil.

Good components for Nepenthes media are sphagnum moss, orchid bark, perlite (good idea to soak this one for a few days and rinse before using) and coconut coir. The mix needs to suit your growing conditions - the higher the humidity and wetter the conditions, then a more free draining medium can be made. If humidity is a bit lower, and conditions dryer, then more sphagnum should be used.
 
Mulch=Evil
Mulch carries too many nutrients, it will poison the plant.
I mainly use 1/2 Sphagnum and 1/2 osmunda(fern) fiber. (you can get the fiber from www.californiacarnivores.com) And my nepenthes love it.
 
Ok,
I will repot them ASAP. But what about the mother plant? It's still in its original pot with original soil but doesn't pitcher anyway. However it's producing new leaves very fast and it's very green.:)
 
If you are attempting cuttings, You should try rockwool. Rockwool is a sterile subtrate, nutrient defficient and has a considerable striking rate. In addition, once the cutting has rooted, you can then place it all in the preferred mix as Hamish mentioned.

C
 
Well, those two cuttings have their roots developed but not mother plant has pitchers nor cuttings themselves. I haven't repotted cuttings yet but will tomorrow.
Still my question is how do I make them pitcher? Will I have to wait spring for them to pitcher?
 
Change your soil medium to what hamish mentioned. Mulch is a no no because it contains nutrients that retard the growth of pitchers.

What species or hybrid of nepenthes is it? Is it a highland, intermediate or lowland? If it is not pitchering it usually in most cases means there is not enough humidity. You may be spraying it 3-4 times a day, but this does not mean that the humidity will stay constant throughout the day. There will be fluctutations in the time that you are not there to care for your plant. Most neps don't like a multitude of fluctuations in temperature and humidity. They can also take time to adapt to your conditions. Try putting a bag over it or better yet stick it in a tank to keep the humidity high. If you want to grow it outside of an enclosure use a reasonable layer of sphagnum to cover the top of the soil surface.

C
 
Thanks for the advice.
I don't know it's species because seller wasn't in the CP's and wasn't interested (only wanted money). Got it for 1.5$.
This is my first nepenthes.
Tell me one more thing. Winter is coming fast. What about dormancy period, temps, watering, foto period. Roughly since I don't know if it's lowland, intermediate or highland.
 
What is this mulch? Mulch, to me, is whatever you put down around trees to keep moisture in and slowly break down. Some mulches are shredded wood products like cyprus or cedar, and some people use that in place of orchid bark in their mixes.
I guess I would like to know the composition of your mulch before I jump to conclusions. The lack of putchers could be lack of humidity. I don't think I could grow a nep as a house plant no mater how many times I misted it a day.
Odds are, though, that repotting to a more conventional medium is not a bad idea.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #10
Lack of pitchers generally equates to either humidity too low or light not bright enough. How much light is the mother plant getting? You mention it is very green which could indicate insufficient light.

Tony
 
  • #11
This mulch is just plain shredded conifer bark, no additives.
Mother plant is in the northen windowsill but it's very bright. Other solution is southern windowsill but I've heard that neps don't love direct sunlight...
 
  • #12
Most Nepenthes would prefer some sun for at least a few hours a day. I would move it to higher light but do it a little at a time. The plant will be sensitive to burning until it adjusts.

This time of the year up here in the North my shade cloth is off the greenhouse except for a little strip up at the peak of 30%. The greenhouse gets full sun all day but because of the shorter days and low angle of the sun the plants could actually use even more light than they currently get.

Tony
 
  • #13
Make sure it is pure. Many mulches use scrap lumber as a component-including pressure treated-which is the kiss of death for Nepenthes. We have been very successful with one particular brand of cypress mulch that is 95 percent pure. The other 10 percent is miscellaneous hardwoods-no lumberyard leftovers. The cypress mulch seems to break down a lot slower than fir bark, and when blended with sphagnum moss, coconut husk chips, aliflor and a little peat, we get a long lasting mix perfect for our Nepenthes. Plus, it does not support evil nematodes
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We are lucky to have a large Mango tree growing west of our greenhouse. In summer it creates a partial shade that helps cut the heat, much to the happiness of our intermediate growers. That tree just survived two hurricanes and was subjected to winds up to one hundred miles per hour!

Trent
 
  • #14
Welcome to the forums Sneps! I agree more light and a more conventional compost are in order.Just make sure to adjust the light gradualy:)
 
  • #15
Dormancy? Ha! These things are tropical. Not temperate. TROPICAL! These do not go dormant.
 
  • #16
Well, that could have been said a little nicer, but they have no dormancy requiremnts. If you don't know what it is , I would shoot for intermediate conditions. Maybe 80s at the highest and sixties at the lowest. If you can snap a pic, we might be able to tell you what it is.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #17
Dormant may not be the right word, although they do slow down in growth.

C
 
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