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Anyone growing N. Northiana?

DavyJones

Is ready to take this hobby to a whole new level
I've been trying to find out some information on N. Northiana, and have actually turned up pretty empty handed. There are some old posts on here regarding it, but none of them have too much information on cultivation. From the few places I have read, all I can gather is that it is rather difficult. Maybe this is why there is no information out there???? Anyhow, I just wanted to see if anybody here had any information on the conditions they provide for it, etc. I find it a captivating species, but think it might be a bit over my head with only a few years of Nepenthes experience under my belt and my thrown together setup.
 
I almost got one not too long ago but chose another Nep instead. It took me a while to find anything real helpful on it.

All that I was able to come up with is that its roots are finicky when compared to other Neps. Peat is not a recommended addition to it's soil, why? I have no idea, I'm assuming it has something to do with root rot. Clearly a lowlander, and as far as difficulty it doesnt sound like it's an impossible plant to grow but it can be a little more challenging. Good luck with your hunt!
 
Everything and anything you ever wanted to know about growing N. northiana successfully by Jeff Shafer. From Vol. 32 of the CPN. So here is my plug for the ICPS. If you are not a member you should be! It is well worth the annual fee.

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/articles/CPNv32n2p49_51.pdf

btw the peatmoss thing is nonsense.. Most issues with poor growth are related to improper temperature and or light level.
 
For a number of years, growers in Singapore and Malaysia struggled to have N. northiana thrive in media with just peat and sand or sphagnum moss and perlite. Plants in such media were slow-growing, pitchered randomly and prone to root rot.

At first, we thought the main difference was drainage. But having varied the peat/sphagnum/sand/perlite mix and watering routine, we did not get much better results. Apparently, burnt earth did the trick. Burnt earth is fire-kilned red clay, chunky and has excellent drainage. The media is meant for ornamental plants and contains loads of minerals.

Now, almost all of the growers have the species potted in burnt earth...or at least a mixture of burnt earth (70-80%) and peat/sphagnum moss (20-30%). N. northiana plants in burnt earth produce pitchers consistently and readily in ambient lowland conditions...and put out rapid growth year round.

N. campanulata, N. merrilliana and N tomoriana were other species that used to struggle here but not anymore.

More discussion found here.
 
I have been growing my N. northiana in a mix 60% live LFS and fine orchid bark for the past 1-1/2 years and is doing great. I have to give kudos as Tony mentioned the article in the ICPS newsletter. Great info on growing this species, especially in regards to lighting requirements. Mine has gone from a small 2" plant to well over 6" now. Also it has pitchered on every leaf now making 4-5" pitchers. I have not had any problems with root rot but I do not water it per se/just let the misting system provide water. I think the main thing is lighting and high humidity. Again as Tony mentioned the ICPS article is full of helpful info. This is my second N. northiana as my first died due to poor /wrong conditions/very weak clone. The one I have now is a BE clone and very vigorous.
I do not have access to "Burnt Earth" media/would love to try on some of the more finicky plants.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. It seems to me that I should try and get my humidity issues under control before I take an attempt at this plant. The hard part is always trying to make your conditions jive when the plant you want is available. I am positive I could meet temperature requirements, but my humidity generally fluctuates between the mid 50s and low 20s, which is okay for some plants, but doesn't seem to be great for Northiana. Does anybody know if Burnt earth is something available at your local garden center, or if it is something you need to order from a special provider? Hopefully I can try and get some more stable conditions in order to try my hand at this beauty.
 
Does anybody know if Burnt earth is something available at your local garden center, or if it is something you need to order from a special provider?

i would think Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil would be a good substitute.....im guessing by burnt earth they mean fired clay......
 
rattler's right...the closest is APS, fired clay. But burnt earth is the dirt cheap version. Full of dirt and cheap, less than USD$1 for a 7kg bagful. :-))]

The reason why burnt earth is useful is probably because it originates from south east asia in the first place. The mineral contents wouldn't be too much of a difference as the natural soil found on forest grounds. But because it is fire-kilned, it makes the chucks porous and kills off the bugs etc.
 
APS isnt bad......$5 for around 6 kilos or so i think.......cheap enough to experiment with.....i like using it in bigger nep pots just for the ballast it provides and keeps the tall ones from tipping over....almost never use perlite anymore.....
 
  • #10
You should check out the tropical pitcherplant forums. I think they have some good info about it in the species section.

I recall someone smashing lavarock into pea-sized pieces and then putting their northiana in that. It seemed to work well!

Good luck.
 
  • #11
Now we use burnt earth for nearly every species grown here. Sometimes as the main media, sometimes as an additive (e.g. N. ampullaria). The only drawback is that it is not properly and fully fire-kilned so there are chucks which turn clayey when in water. The media compacts quickly and growers have taken to sifting out the powery bits before use.

At $5 per 6 kg, APS is definitely my choice. But it is not available here...hehe...
 
  • #12
we gotta make due with what we have to work with :D
 
  • #13
Hmm.. I thought clay was what they grow in in the wild. I always wondered how they didn't rot and stuff.
 
  • #14
Hmm.. I thought clay was what they grow in in the wild. I always wondered how they didn't rot and stuff.

I was wondering the same thing. Clay is notorious for retaining water, just about the best water retention material there is.
 
  • #15
I grew this plant for a long time, it never got very big but I had it under 6x 40 watt shop lights - Jeff's article says two is better. I had mine in Orchid bark/LFS it grew and pitchered but never got big 8" diameter with 4" pitchers. Once I put it under my 400W metal halide and it became a near bonsai and got even smaller! lol!
 
  • #16
I was wondering the same thing. Clay is notorious for retaining water, just about the best water retention material there is.

I have noticed that many, many species of cacti also thrive in clay soils in the nearby mountains. This clay is found in-between limestone fossiliferous rock, which sometimes has obvious traces of iron. Yes, it is much more arid here in New Mexico than it would be in Bau, but... I'm wondering if the alkalinity and mineral content of the soil does something for Nepenthes and cacti - like kill off root pathogens, etc. Even with the obvious signs of mineral content in the soil, I do find ferns, mosses and lichens growing wherever they can (in the shade) over the soil, because it is indeed very water-retentive.
 
  • #17
I have noticed that many, many species of cacti also thrive in clay soils in the nearby mountains. This clay is found in-between limestone fossiliferous rock, which sometimes has obvious traces of iron. Yes, it is much more arid here in New Mexico than it would be in Bau, but... I'm wondering if the alkalinity and mineral content of the soil does something for Nepenthes and cacti - like kill off root pathogens, etc. Even with the obvious signs of mineral content in the soil, I do find ferns, mosses and lichens growing wherever they can (in the shade) over the soil, because it is indeed very water-retentive.


Wow traces of iron? Sound like everything I would try to avoid for CPs. Not only is clay very water retentive but it is full of nutrients which makes it great for non CP plants to grow in once they are established. The hard part is getting them established in the clay. Back home my backyard is nothing but clay, it takes new trees that we plant about 1 year to get established but once they get there they just grow like weeds. There must be something special to the fired clay. The nutrients wouldnt be removed by firing it but I wouldnt be surprised if by firing it the pH was lowered. I still am baffled though by the whole nutrient thing. Looks like there really is always that ONE exception to everything. What a great thread this turned out to be!
 
  • #18
all of our(northeast Montana) native cacti grow in very high clay soil, but they are also more tolerant of being wet than closely related species....ive actually found some that grow in fairly damp ground most of the year......however if you were to try this with a different species in the same genus from a bit farther south they will rot rather quickly cause their micro habitat is in quick draining sand or rocky soil.....your observations have to do with how certain species or certain locales of certain species have adapted to a certain niche and its rather difficult to extrapolate from that why anothe genus would do well in clay.....

and then there is clay and then there is clay.....our powdery gray clay is alot different from the red clay of the southeast in how it handles water.....water will move through the red clay alot better than it will our gray clay....
 
  • #19
Not only is clay very water retentive but it is full of nutrients which makes it great for non CP plants to grow in once they are established.

your clay must be different than mine.....without organic matter added, extreamly few plants can live in it......i can show yah pictures of huge swaths of clay that have been exposed for thousands of years and dont have a thing growing in it.....
 
  • #20
your clay must be different than mine.....without organic matter added, extreamly few plants can live in it......i can show yah pictures of huge swaths of clay that have been exposed for thousands of years and dont have a thing growing in it.....


Ahh that must be why the clay mentioned here works well with N. northiana. The clay I'm speaking of is red clay, and now that I think about it, after reading Jimmy's comment on Iron I'm ready to bet that the red color comes from Iron oxide being in the soil. I dont know if it's the clay itself that is rich in nutrients or if it is it's properties of retaining water that also help retain nutrients that make it rich. It could very well be that my clay is also poor in nutrients but retains much of whatever comes through it.
 
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