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transplanting

Hi All,

I have several nephs that need transplanting from their teeny, tiny pots but am confused about soil mixtures. I've found recipes that use up to 8 ingredients and others that suggest only two. What have you all found to be a good mixture?

Thanks!

cpwitch
 
You'll get as many recipes as people who respond. My mixture is LFS and sponge rock. When potting Neps, I first put a layer of packing peanuts on the bottom of the pot and then a little coco fiber above, with the LFS & sponge rock mix above that. You don't need to make it that complicated, but I happen to have bags of packing peanuts & coco fiber from my orchid days.
 
It depends a lot on your conditions and schedule as well as species. For example, when I had a lowland terrarium upstairs, I had to cover it because the humidity in the room was low, so I used a mix of 1/1/1 lfs/fir bark/perlite and watered about once a week. Then I moved it into the basement where it's naturally humid and I only cover the tank half way, so the water evaporates faster and with the same mix I had to water every 3 (that was pushing it!) days. Since then, due to my schedule I had to replace the media with straight LFS and now I have to water once ever 5 days, not pushing it.

So, depends on the species, your personal schedule and the conditions. I'd still use 1/1/1 lfs/fir bark/perlite if I didn't have to be out of town for 5 days at a time.
 
thats a good recipe...if you ditch the lfs for peat :p
 
Thanks for the suggestions. When I was out today I looked for LFS and couldn't find any; I was going to try Armstron's tomorrow. So if I can't find LFS peat is ok? I have some of that from separating some pings. And if I can't find fir bark would orchid bark do the trick? From my reading I know nephs don't like real wet roots and so the soil needs to drain and I saw that pearlite was used in some recipes. Is that good to add? Also, (I guess this does get complicated!) some recipes called for charcoal; is that just to keep the water sweet? Also, when I do take the plants out of their little pots, do I try to get the old material off the roots, of just place the whole thing in the new mediuim? Thanks again!

cpwitch
 
peat is fine...just make the mix super loose...like 1:2 peat: perilte.

about that last question... take it out of the pot and just make a hole and just place the whole root/ dirt mass into the hole. that makes it so there is as little root disturbance as possible.

good luck!
Alex
 
Depends on specie but fine orchid bark, perilite, and peat all should be clean of minerals etc.
 
cpwitch,

As I'm sure you'll discover/possibly already know....everyone has their own nep soil recipe. I have some growing in pure cedar mulch..I have some growing in pure peat...Some in 1:1 peat: perlite, some in pure orchid bark, some in orchid bark: peat 1:1, etc. It depends on species and personal preference, but also on a few facts. Personally, I think lfs sucks hardcore and I only use it as a topdressing on maybe 3 plants. But in terms of facts, I regularly fertilize, which breaks lfs down and ends up harming the plant in the end.
 
I substitute "orchid moss" for LFS. I basically use whatever I have laying around just as long as it is airy and coarse. I use some peat, with larger portions of perlite and orchid moss and orchid bark.

xvart.
 
  • #10
Thanks all. I'm finding that a mix of peat, perlite and some sort of bark seems to be a popular combo. I have a bad habit of letting my nephs sit in a bit of water (lost a couple to root rot) so I want my mix to allow good drainage (and I promise not to let them stay wet). I don't have anything exotic, just ventricosa and I think a truncata (you know, the Lowe's specials?!). Anyway, I'm off to the garden center!

cpwitch
 
  • #11
Yesd, peat, perlite, and orchid bark is one of the most popular combinations. I simply mix sand, peat, LFS, and add pine needles to mine. Glad to see you back on the forums! Are you still into pings? I got a boatload from like four different people last summer. Check them out:

http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m271/straus_2006/?start=all
 
  • #12
I can't tell you how jealous I am about your vast kingdom of cp's! Where do you keep them all?! I also saw a ceph. in your batch of pictures. I just discovered that one I thought I'd lost over the winter has come back and now I need to know how to keep it alive, so please share any care tips you might have! And yes, I'm still into pings. I've actually managed to separate several of my plants and now have more of them, but not the variety you have! I've also got quite a few droseras of different types. And now I hope my transplanted nephs will thrive. So I'm happy :)

How's life these days? Take care.

cpwitch
 
  • #13
I just sent you a PM.... but to answer the question about where I have been keeping the collection, my Sarracenias, VFT's, and Neps are on the porch. After having them ravaged in April and losing ~half of them, some have been replaced and some have recovered. So far they haven't been brutalized by anything or anyone. The majority of the butterworts are on window sills (with a rack) on the stairway window sills. Other plants are on the kitchen sills and some are in the bathroom sill. Then I have two storage containers, filled with mostly sundews and bladderworts, in a closet, under a shoplight.

Welcome back!
 
  • #14
I just potted a Rafflesiana in one part peat, perlite, and orchid bark. It seems to be working fine.
 
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