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Nepenthes rajah

  • #81
Hmm......Still gives me the jitters about thinking of your loss Phil. But well, I guess its a lesson learnt by all of us to be wary of our cultivation specifications. Still, good luck with the other rajahs that you grow. Hopefully they should soon reach the size of the one that met its demise. Once again, thanks for all your advice. My rajah seems to be growing in waves. The last leaf formed very fast, within 3 weeks the entire thing went from bud to full blown leaf. Now its been 1+ week and the leaf is still slowly moving into position. I am making quite a few changes to my setup at once and hope this thing doesn't go into shock mode again.
 
  • #82
Hello everyone,

I couldn't agree more with what Phil and some others have pointed out --- LFS ultimately breaks down and will spell disaster for your plant. I have used open mesh baskets with packing peanuts and an inverted pot for drainage, in order to promote maximum aeration. This will work for years, provided you have the time to water every day or two, as it drys so quickly, and LFS is very difficult to re-wet, once it is really dry.

In any event, all these precautions will work for couple years or even longer, but ultimately the moss will break down, and it's impossible to remove it without root loss.

I had still been using LFS in small (3.5' or less) pots, but have discovered an excellent substitute. Milled sphagnum (finely ground LFS) and #3 perlite in equal proportions. Plants grow just as well and the mix is easily removed, when needed.

Finally, my condolences, Phil. That was a magnificent specimen, and I too, was honored to have actually seen it. I'm very sorry for your loss.

Paul
 
  • #83
Thanks Paul. It was a pleasure showing it to you.

I also share your practice of using milled sphagnum and perlite on occasion. It is very easy to remove and is best used on smaller pots. I use it almost exclusively for rooting my nep cuttings. I've also used the inverted pot method as well and it works like a charm. I use this method on really large pots, 4 gallons and up.
 
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