Easy Nutrient Bomb?

[Nepenthesis]

Aight, so I had this idea quite a while ago and I've thought it through and it seems like it would work. The idea is simple... When old leaves or pitchers die, you cut them off and let them decompose on top of the medium. There is one major flaw to this, which is that it would grow mold, however I really don't think this would happen in a greenhouse with high light, temperature fluctuation and great air flow. If you're an outside grower, you've probably noticed springtails in your medium... Or at least I have. I find spring tails, all different types, living in my sphagnum cultures. These guys would be great decomposers. You know how mushrooms pop up every now and then? Those would be good too. Over time, say over the period of a year, the leaf would completely decompose and turn into compost that Nepenthes could actually use.

What are y'all's thoughts on this? Of course, I would put the dead leaves under the live sphag on top of the pot so it doesn't just go to the sphagnum. This HAS to happen in the wild, and it will happen with neighboring plants too, so it should be safe for Neps.

 

[GrowinOld]

While I don't think you will see any "explosive" growth, it is an experiment worth doing, especially if it motivates you along these lines.
Keep in mind that when the pitchers grow & then die back (the leaves) that there are other plants growing in the vicinity that can also make use of the nutrients. Whether the pitcher plant actually uses much or not, and how much... becomes the next question for me.
But indeed it will help duplicate what happens in nature.
I already have this situation going on in my outdoor bog set-ups & in the unkempt section of my greenhouse. To do this indoors much might be "un-natural actually, as the other plants & surrounding conditions are not the same.
But none-the-less, good luck with your experiment... and if anything amazing happens, by all means post about it!

GrowinOld/Paul

 

[Nepenthesis]

While I don't think you will see any "explosive" growth, it is an experiment worth doing, especially if it motivates you along these lines.
Keep in mind that when the pitchers grow & then die back (the leaves) that there are other plants growing in the vicinity that can also make use of the nutrients. Whether the pitcher plant actually uses much or not, and how much... becomes the next question for me.
But indeed it will help duplicate what happens in nature.
I already have this situation going on in my outdoor bog set-ups & in the unkempt section of my greenhouse. To do this indoors much might be "un-natural actually, as the other plants & surrounding conditions are not the same.
But none-the-less, good luck with your experiment... and if anything amazing happens, by all means post about it!

GrowinOld/Paul

Not sure which Nep I would try this one. Maybe a smaller, less valuable one so I could really the the effect, and I'll stop using coffee on it for the time being. Would it be appropriate to cut up all of my Nepenthes leaves from all 15ish plants and cram them into one Nep pot for decomposition?

This brings up another question... If I started a compost bin with just old leaves, pitchers and some springtails, could I use the compost in my Nepenthes mix since it is Nepenthes-based? As long as I mix it up with some sphagnum and perlite.

 

[Sundrew]

I think the latter would be more effective. For the time it would take to decompose one leaf and then have its nutrients entered into the soil, you'd never be able to tell when it affected it or if it was just another factor.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I think the latter would be more effective. For the time it would take to decompose one leaf and then have its nutrients entered into the soil, you'd never be able to tell when it effected it or if it was just another factor.

Okay, so I guess what I will do is start a compost bin of Nepenthes leaves, sphagnum and springtails. Then I'll just use a little at a time when stuff needs to be potted/repotted.

 

[lance]

Its hard to say how this experiment will play out especially since Nepenthes absorb nutrients from their pitchers for a reason. . . Still, you never know what you'll witness . I look forward to the results. Good luck!

 

[dueoka]

Okay, so I guess what I will do is start a compost bin of Nepenthes leaves, sphagnum and springtails. Then I'll just use a little at a time when stuff needs to be potted/repotted.

If it's not broke don't fix it. You are already having great results with coffee and your current compost. Don't change that. It might be interesting to try this on a single plant, but adapting your potting system on all your plants may not be a smart move.

 

[Nepenthesis]

If it's not broke don't fix it. You are already having great results with coffee and your current compost. Don't change that. It might be interesting to try this on a single plant, but adapting your potting system on all your plants may not be a smart move.

Yes yes, I won't do it to more than one (one of my least favorites) until I see that it works. I think I may just make a compost anyway because I do need compost at times for some plants other than neps. It would be interesting to use on neps though, worth a shot.