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What to do with this lil guy? (N. Ventricosa?)

ventricosa.jpg

zomghuge.jpg


I donno if you can see it in these pictures, but it's most recent leaf cut itself by growing up and over the light fixture.

I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I've been cheating and doping it with Bloodworms, filling the traps up to the point that the topmost bloodworms stay dry (they don't stay that way for long!) and the traps are getting bigger and bigger and gibber.

The problem is two fold. First off, it grew in a very slanted direction due to me not moving it at all for a significant legnth of time. When I finally spun it around, all that caused it to do is grow in a clockwise circle. So the main stem is kinda a mess.

I was thinking of chopping it off and trying to make 2-3 plants out of it, but I'm hesitant to do so, I don't want to kill it.

Would moving out out from under my light fixtures be an option? I hate to do so -- the window doesn't get a terribly large amount of full on sun) but it's kinda outgrown it's location. I could possibly put it on the next rack down...
 
After dealing with my ventricosa... I'd say give it a hair cut. I lopped off the top of mine and it exploded and turned into a small shrub. I had to cut off all the branches on it less the apical one and it still is pumping out basals like mad and mine isn't even throwing of pitchers as nice as yours. That's my two cents.

Good luck!
-J.P.
 
Your light looks very low to your plants, which isn't a bad thing, but you could probably afford to raise it up a few inches.

Another option is planting it into a smaller pot. (I've found my ventricosa does not have a very extensive root sytem anyway.)

I don't really reccomend trying to make it into 2 or 3 plants; it looks too small and immature. (Edit: but I guess it could work, based off E.F's post)
 
If you just tilt it on its side, it'll make basals, which I assume you want.

Looks like a happy plant!
 
That is another good option! Tilt it on its side as Jeff suggested and let the growing tip bend down so it drapes over the edge of the pot. This for whatever reason normally makes the plant sprout basals.
 
I'm afraid I don't quite follow you. So put the entire pot at a 90 degree angle? Or just some weight (fishing sinkers?) on the stem so it cascades, like a bonsai? And that will cause it to send up more stems?
 
Wow, I never thought of trying that. I'd like to see some basals from my sanguinea. It's been tilting over to the side like your vent. I wouldn't chop it, but that's me. Mine's doing the same thing, growing up into the lights and getting little scratches and burns. I need a greenhouse... Lol.
 
  • #10
All my plants that have gotten so big that they droop, for whatever reason begin to start producing basals. I even spun a ventrata around in its pot so it would be growing sideways and the plant responded.

mcantrell - Do you have any bonsai? They were my first botanical love before I got into CP's. Unfortunately when I was younger I don't think I was as patient as I am now. I've got a few that are left but I've been thinking about starting up again.
 
  • #11
I've tried Bonsai before, but didn't have a good enough setup for them. I bought my mother a Wisteria recently, I was thinking of taking a cutting of it before giving it to her to do Bonsai with. I'd also love to have gotten a living cutting from my previous home's Concord Grape vine, but the 2 I took didn't take, so, yeah...
 
  • #12
Pretty cool! But with grape you'd need a pest resistant root stock to graft onto. The plant may take but it won't have any resistance to phylloxera.
 
  • #14
Most of the time yes. I would wager most plants that have any sizable cane on them have been grafted. If you look at the base you can see a small swollen area where the union was made. After Phylloxera was introduced to Europe and over 80% of the vineyards were destroyed American grapes were used as roots stocks because they were phylloxera resistant, mainly because phylloxera is an American pest. Now there are several different rootstocks out there that have different characteristics. Some for dry areas, wet, humid, etc etc. Viticulture is pretty intense... The chemicals required to keep the plants healthy is enough to make you never want to eat grapes or drink wine ever again in your life.
 
  • #15
But, Concord is an American Variety? Why would it not be resistant already? :D
 
  • #16
So... is this a N. ventricosa, or is it a N. x ventrata? It's a Lowes Deathcube survivor, I believe.
 
  • #17
I'm leaning towards ventricosa but a full frontal shot of the pitcher would help.

And I stand corrected! Yes Concord is an American variety as is fairly disease resistant. My dealings with grapes are mostly just Vitis vinifera based varieties i.e. the European wine grapes. Those cuttings should be fine! I learn more everyday :)
 
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