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N.Bicalcarata and N.Ampularia questions

bluebird

Rub my belly!
I just got a Nepenthes. Bicalcarata and an Nepenthes Ampularia they're in 3 inch pots in a coco-chip/ LFS mix right now it's growing at a windowsil and the growing area it's in has %45 to %60 humidity tempeture 75 F to 84 F also at night with the lights off the temps gets to 73 F to 75 F and 75F is this enough humidity and tempeture for the plant or should I up either the temp or humidity also I'm not sure what window it faces,but there's no shade and it receives decent amount of light right now I have only room for a CFL so intill I get room for a shoplight which CFL is best to get I've seen alot, but I'm still not sure.

The two plants have been doing ok so far the N.Ampularia looks like it has a couple of roots comming out of the holes and it has two pitchers the Bicalcarata is looking decent no pitchers, but the growth point looks like it's growing also once the Nep. Amp is growing well for awhile I'd like to up-pot it I think I should just use the mix it's in I have the LFS, but I'm not sure where to get the coco-chips and what brand to get I'm kinda afraid it might have salt so washing the cocochips will help getting rid of it or should I just up-pot it into a biger pot with orchid bark and LFS?

I know Bicalcaratas gets pretty big eventually I plan to build a decent size greenhouse for it and some other CP I know windowsil might not be the best place for them, but eventually I plan to get a growshelf or a terrerium for lowlanders in a few weeks or monthes I might move back to Louisiana in one to two years and I might not it depends on how things work out.
 
louisiana is can be very hot and humid, which is nice I'm sure there are more than a couple CP growers around those parts...

84 is a better daytime temp than 75 for sure... the reading I've done since I recently got these exact plants says that a bicalc is going to love as much as you can really give it... so I'm keeping mine around 90f. with 90% humidity daytime.... nighttime humidity is like 95% and nighttime temps are like 78 or so...

I'm sure it'll be happy and grow in those conditions... its such a robust grower that if you really want freakish fast growth you may up both your temp and RH but I'm sure it'll put good growth with those conditions as well :) give it some time to acclimate...

I'm not sure if I would repot so soon after shipment... its been under enough stress...
granted thats just my opinion... you could repot and just get it over with that way you dont have to bother it later... I dunno your call
 
Thanks for the help I plan on getting a CFL for plants and next month I'll be able to buy a shop light with a T12 bulb for light on cloudy days and winter.
 
The first thing you need to do is repot. Especially the bical. A 3" pot is to small. Step it up to a 6 or 8" pot ASAP. Your bical will outgrow this pot also in about a year year and a half. Will not grow very well in the 3" pot for long. Bicals hate to be root bound.
 
I've read that bicals naturally found in peat type mixes with a heavier mix than most other neps... so you may adjust your mix to accomodate

I'm finding mixes that are common being the standard CP mix. 1:1 Peat/Perlite

its just some info I've found I'm keeping it in mind for mine as well
 
Thanks for the tip with the bicalcarata also I know the Bical. won't do well in a 3inch I think I should wait a bit to not shock it too much from the shiping, but I guess if I let it get settled then repot it might not be good so I don't know I guess I should just repot it now or something..

Would the Ampularia needed to be repoted into a bigger pot too I guess might as well and should I use the same peat/perlite mix and since it's potted in a coco-chip/LFS should I carefully remove it from the nep when I repot?

I went looking at the CFL at homedepot, there were alot of different ones, but I couldn't tell which should I get there this one brand called N:vision it says on it that the 9watts= 40 watts it has 385 Lumens 9 Watts and it says daylight on it I didn't buy the bulb it seems kinda odd for a 9watt CFL to equal 40watt.

I was looking for a 20watt or 40watt and I couldn't find any, but I didn't have enough time to really look good enough I can only use CFL for now hopefully this winter I can convince my parents to allow me to buy a shelf to have my plants on them and mount some t12 lighting up..
 
oh no you want the biggest one you can find, their usually in a green or blue container mine put out over 1,000 lumens a piece...
 
My mix for bical is as follows: 70% LFS the good type Chillean or New Zealand, The other 30% to consist of equal parts osmunda fiber, perlite, horticultural charcoal, fine orchid bark, crushed lava rock and peat moss.
I have been keeping N bicalcarata for about 26 years and this mix has worked great over time but bical definately likes to be overpotted.
 
Thanks for the responses I have a couple 6inch pots that I had on hand so I'll probably repot them tommarow I also found on another thread with this mix for a bicalcarata peat/perlite/vermiculite/lfs all one to one ratio except the peat I put extra in and a handful of orchid bark in the mix does this mix sound good too?


Thanks.
 
  • #10
Well I did the repot for my N.Ampullaria and N.Bicalcarata I took some pictures unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the roots to show I didn't want to keep it out for too long so far the neps are doing good, but it's only been a day so I guess in a couple of weeks I'll post an update and maybe I'll go to my cousins house to use their computer to post pictures of them since it takes an hour or so to put one picture on photobucket since I have dial-up right now.. :-(

I don't have pictures of the roots, but the ampullaria had a good, bit of roots and the bicalcarata has some roots not has much as the ampullaria, but both look pretty healthy and the growing tip on the bicalcarata is getting tiny bit bigger than what I first got it and the amp is too.

Thanks for the information and help I hope these two little guys grow nicely for me I'm pretty excited to see the bicalcarata pitcher when it does.
 
  • #11
Good job. They really need to be in a big pot especially bical. Your bical may slow growth at first after a repot although the ones I have never do. Supposedlly bicals roots can be sensitive if plant was root bound. That is why I like to overpot bical. Getting ready to repot a seedling bical red x orange from a 6" pot to a 12" pot myself. Has been in the 6" pot for right at 1 year. Has gone from a 6" leatspan to 24" leafspan in that time. They usually take off after a repot for me.
 
  • #12
hopefully this wont create any angst, but I've read that of all neps that the bical is the one that usually does better in a mostly peat mix since in its natural habitat it grows in peat swamps... its a bit different than every other nep.

I'm sure it'll grow great in the mix you put it in, just thought I'd share my two cents since I'm dealing with the exact same plants you are from the same place and the same size ;)

show those pics!
 
  • #13
Not to highjack your thread but, I also have a bical. but, what leaf span should fangs start to show on it. (It finially pitchered agian!)
 
  • #14
hopefully this wont create any angst, but I've read that of all neps that the bical is the one that usually does better in a mostly peat mix since in its natural habitat it grows in peat swamps... its a bit different than every other nep.

I'm sure it'll grow great in the mix you put it in, just thought I'd share my two cents since I'm dealing with the exact same plants you are from the same place and the same size ;)

show those pics!

Before repoting I read a little on media for bicals I saw they would be better in mostly peat mix, but I already had to media mixed up so I added extra peat to the mix then I repoted the Neps so far they're doing well the pitchers on the amp is still fine and the bical looks ok I guess I'll see how they do in the mix in a few monthes I don't mind you saying that I agree I probably should have just made a new mix of media and used the other stuff for a different Nep, but it's kinda late now so I'll keep watch on the two guys and see how they do once they start growing good I'll post an update hopefully with pictures.

So far things have gone good the N.Ampullaria's growth point has gotten a tiny bit bigger and the bicalcarata is doing fine it has no pitchers on it's leaves.
 
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