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New Bical... any tips?

hey guys
i just received my tiny N.Bical Saraswak red in the mail, and am really excited to see it take off. I have read online on how these plants if left alone can grow VERY fast. is this true? are there any tips out there on how to make this plant grow large in the shortest amount of time? thanks.

P.S pics welcome;)
 
beware of their fangs..dangerous plants

575662_2290232553226_917496453_n.jpg
 
he he wow cool.
anyway does anyone have tips to grow the plant?
 
I grew one for a while but ended up trading it off. They like it hot and humid, basically.
 
a giant bical....as if the regular one isn't big enough :-D

I have a red flush....great plant to start out with(my first plant too)....very hardy and forgiving. hmm....it has been my experience it prefers the following:

soil - damp and loose. wet not wet enough where it sticks together/clumps. makes it easier for the roots to spread out and encourages them to as they forage for water. The plant itself may prefer soil that is a little more wet but anytime you can get it to put more energy into the root system; it will pay off later(more roots=more everything else). I just use 60/40 spaghum peat/perlite but there are probably much better mixes so i wouldn't recommend it but can tell you it does work.

light - 10,000 lumens 6500k t5ho florescent seems to be the sweet spot for lowlanders but the bical can probably handle more. Only reason I do not give it more is I also have a raffesania var elongata and a mirabilis var echinostoma which 10k it closer to the upper end on those for light intensity...little red spots on the leaves but nothing on the bical. guessing 12-15k lumens for optimal artificial light. sunlight is best but not recommended for a terrarium. I say keep giving it light until you see a few sunburn spots on the leaves but less that 50% of the total leaf.

humidity - more the merrier. higher the humidity faster it will grow. i wouldn't go less than 70% for any period of time tho. it seems to prefer 85%

temp - it can handle higher temps but doesn't prefer them however max temp depends on humidity.....more humid it is the more heat you can get away with. Personally mine is 90f for days and 80f for nights but i strongly suspect it would prefer 85d and 75n but it would take me quite a bit of effort to maintain those temps whereas it hardly takes any for the ones I am maintaining now. I have had them up to 105f with no ill effects.

watering - it is forgiving to overwatering but as above water enough to maintain the before-mentioned soil texture. typically very little water daily or more water every few days.....just don't let the soil get dry.

potting - can take repotting but doesn't prefer it...start out with a 4 inch pot and go from there making sure the pot is at least double the leaf span. Usually you can tell how good or poorly you are doing by the amount of roots you have when you repot. Just be warry if it looks like the plant isn't doing much above ground that is because it is doing all it's work below ground :) when it is satisfied it has enough roots; it will grow at an explosive rate. provided it is happy and even if it isn't it will still grow quickly.

additional - look into evacuation and/or circulation fans to circulate air....all that humidity will easily breed all kinds of nasties if it isn't at least evacuated. if you have the means to control your environmentals easily i would suggest just finding out what the temps and humidity is in the jungle it came from and use that as a template.

edit: this is for an actual plant...seeds may require more of a wet soil. in conclusion it is very tolerant of a wide range of conditions but will not tolerate lack of humidity or water in the soil so as long as the dirt is damp and the air is humid you should be fine. happy growing. p.s. if you decide to do cuttings later put me on the list :)
 
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Wow thanks guys that was extremely helpful and yes cphobby i'll get you on that list... hope you can wait a couple months!:-))
p.s im gonna do a time lapse picture thread of the bical for y'all!
 
Warm and wet. Very warm, very wet.

I disagree with Cpbobby about the lighting. I found that mine grew just fine with very poor lighting. In their natural habitat these plants grow in swampy forested area, often times with tree cover.
 
I agree with dex. These plants like it very warm. They are ultra LowLanders. Many are found it's swamps. This nep I keep sitting in water. If the animals would leave it alone it would be much happier. The don't like to much sun and in my
experience get grumpy when temps drop below 60. These guys like it warm all the time. And once they get going.....the can how extremely fast.
 
I've seen pics online of a plant with a 6 foot leaf span under dense tree cover.
 
  • #10
I've seen pics online of a plant with a 6 foot leaf span under dense tree cover.

Also seen pics of a plant growing out of waterin a swampy area. Very large plant.
 
  • #11
In my limited experience, I have found N. bicalcarata to be one of the most enthusiastic root growers I have ever grown. If you have the above ground plant matched to the pot, with the leaf span just inside the rim, you can expect the roots to get potbound very soon, with just as many more hanging outside. Not that that will stop the plant at all! I agree with the "hot & humid", too. I've heard that before, read it in books, and seen it personally at a hugemongous hothouse. The hotter it was every time I visited, the bidder the plant was.

I just got another one. I will second this other bit of advice: DON'T let it get dry! That's how I lost the first one.


015-3.jpg


004-2.jpg
 
  • #12
In my limited experience, I have found N. bicalcarata to be one of the most enthusiastic root growers I have ever grown. If you have the above ground plant matched to the pot, with the leaf span just inside the rim, you can expect the roots to get potbound very soon, with just as many more hanging outside. Not that that will stop the plant at all!

hmm sounds like a good rule of thumb...approximately how long would you say someone has after the leaves start to reach the rim of the pot it is in before re-potting becomes a necessity?
 
  • #13
The trick for me is to OVERPOT. plant your bical in a much larger pot than it's root system. I use long fibered sphagnum as media. They will fill in quickly and you will see a big jump in leaf size.
 
  • #14
wow thanks again guys i am learning a lot from this.
JB orchid guy are you sure you saw a plant with a SIX foot leaf span? thats a MASSIVE plant- longer than an average sized human! ;)
so guys what do you think about growing the plant in a growroom under four t12 tubes with a constant temp of 85 and a 85 percent humidity?
thanks
 
  • #15
not my bical but to give you an idea(not even giant form :) ) :
PICT3682.jpg


mine is just an infant(it is larger but didn't feel like uploading) :
102_0020.jpg


it will take longer than 2 months for it to get big enough for cutting....also i wouldn't go overboard on the water. Will run the risk of root rot.

also a little more info: http://www.sunbelleexotics.com/Sunbelle/Culture_Neps_Grow.htm
 
  • #16
It was a while ago and that was what the person taking the pics said the leafspan was if I remember correctly
 
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