What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Nepenthes feeding

  • #181
In my opinion, feed them about once a month or every other month during the active growing period; and while Nepenthes don't have a dormancy like North American pitcher plants, feeding them during the Winter is generally a bad idea -- and encourages algal growth and the loss of the pitchers . . .
 
  • #182
Ah thanks a lot, thats pretty much what I've been doing so I'll just continue! :)
 
  • #183
I have a established Nepenthes something-trata cutting. I want to try out some Liquid Karma on it and see how it performs. Anyone else use this? Here is a rundown I picked off their site.

Liquid Karma™ Bio-catalyst Plant Stimulant
Formulated by a PhD Plant Physiologist

The introduction of Liquid Karma™ represents a major and significant breakthrough in plant nutrition. This is because Liquid Karma™ contains a full complement of metabolically active organic compounds not found in regular plant foods or supplements. These unique compounds are absorbed immediately and act as regulatory signals, activators or catalysts to produce synchronized and accelerated growth under all conditions. Liquid Karma™ functions as a growth engine because its high metabolic activity produces a large amount of energy which is immediately transformed to growth.

Biochemical Composition

Liquid Karma™ contains seven (7) major groups of nutrients based on their specific effects on plant growth and development:

A. Fermented Compost Solution – prepared by exhaustive bacterial and enzymatic fermentation of fish meal, composted seabird guano, spirulina, sea kelp, and soybean meal. In order to enhance the fermentation process and obtain a product which contains the highest possible biological activity, the fermentation is carried out in different stages in the presence of humic acid, citric acid, raw sugar cane, complex carbohydrates, glucose fructose and over 72 trace elements. Fermented Compost Solution prepared in this manner is used by an increasing number of organic gardeners to obtain luxuriant vegetative growth, huge flowers and flavorful fruits and vegetables.

B. Amino Acids – Liquid Karma™ contains essential amino acids which are derived from casein hydrolysate and soybean protein hydrolysate. Amino acids are important plant nutrients because they serve as building blocks for structural proteins and enzymes. In addition, amino acids are also involved in the activation of transfer ribonucleic acids (t-RNAs) and DNA synthesis. The following amino acids are present in Liquid Karma™: glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, threonine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, histidine, cysteine, cystine, methionine, proline, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan.

C. Vitamins – All of the vitamins used in this formulation are extremely beneficial for plant growth because they function as co-factors for enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and the biosynthesis of macromolecules. Liquid Karma™ contains significant amounts of riboflavin, thiamine, pyridoxine, and all of the other B-complex vitamins obtained from fermented
yeast extracts.

D. Plant Extracts – Liquid Karma™ also contains aqueous and ethanolic extracts of etiolated wheat seedlings and Zea mays. These extracts contain high levels of the plant hormones known as auxins and cytokinins. For successful plant micropropagation (tissue culture), the crucial requirements for an auxin and cytokinin are well documented in botanical literature.

E. Humic Acid – In addition to the ingredients indicated above, Liquid Karma™ contains optimal levels of humic acid and fulvic acid derived from leonardite. These substances are known to stimulate the growth of roots, shoots and flowers, by maintaining the proper osmotic concentration in cells.

F. Seaweed Extract – Liquid Karma™ also contains a high proportion of seaweed extract obtained from North Atlantic Kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum).
Kelp extract contains metabolically active carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, minerals such as cobalt, strontium and iodine, and growth substances that are known to be beneficial for plant growth.

G. Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates are included in Liquid Karma™ because they are the direct or indirect precursors of virtually every metabolite. Their precense provides the added burst of energy required to assimilate and metabolize all of the other wonderful ingredients present in Liquid Karma™.

The seven nutrient groups used in the formation of Liquid Karma™ act synergistically to produce optimal plant growth.

Benefits of Using Liquid Karma™

Extensive research and field trials indicate that Liquid Karma™ produces beneficial results during every phase of plant growth. Starting with seed germination and following through to vegetative growth, budding and flowering, the continued use of Liquid Karma™ ensures optimal plant growth at every stage. In addition, because of the presence of high concentrations of B-complex vitamins and plant hormones in Liquid Karma™, the product has been shown to be very effective in protecting plants from transplant shock, and in promoting the rooting of cuttings.

Application Rate
Seed germination: 5 ml/gallon
Rooting 15–20 ml/gallon
Transplanting: 15 ml/gallon
Vegetative growth 10–15 ml/gallon
Flowering 15–20 ml/gallon

Ingredients
Liquid Karma™ contains the following amino acids; glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, sereine, threonine,apartic acid, glutamic acid, aspargine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, histidine, cysteine, cystine, methionine, proline, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Vitamins; riboflavin, thiamine, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid, and a full array of other water soluble vitamins. Carbohydrates; sucrose, fructose, cellulose. Phytohormones; Indole-3-acetic acid, trans-6-(4-hydroxy-3-methybut-2-enyl) amino purine. hydrolysate, soy protein hydrolysate, fermented yeast extract, aqueous extracts of etiolated wheat coleoptiles, and Zea mays, aloe vera extract, yucca extract, humic acid, fulvic acid, and kelp seaweed extract.


First feeding at 5ml / gallon tonight. Hopefully it doesn't fry it. I use it as a supplemental along with a fertilizer in my container plants. Seems to make a noticeable difference.
 
  • #184
"Formulated by a PhD Plant Physiologist?"

Yeah, and I know plenty of PhDs who still drop acid on a regular basis . . .
 
  • #185
"Formulated by a PhD Plant Physiologist?"

Yeah, and I know plenty of PhDs who still drop acid on a regular basis . . .

Yeah and there are some out there with PHD's that touch the little ones for fun as well.....what is the point we are trying to make here? :banana2:
 
  • #186
Crank it down a notch; just pulling your chain . . .
 
  • #187
crank it down eh? I thought I was with the dancing banana! No hard feelings here. "Them there was jokes." ;)
 
  • #188
I took it to be an aggressive dancing banana -- carrying a wrench. Freud never saw that coming . . .
 
  • #189
Now it is all cleared up! Onwards to the feeding!

Just foliar fed with 1/4 tsp/gallon with Dyna Gro Orchid formula.

Foliar fed 2 others with liquid karma at the 5ml/gallon rate. Now I sit back and see what happens.
 
  • #190
could you feed neps cichlid pellets. my fish dont like them so i have a unused bag of em
 
  • #191
could you feed neps cichlid pellets. my fish dont like them so i have a unused bag of em

Yeah, you could, I know many people who do and they have great results.
 
  • #192
For neps I use urea-free orchid fertilizer at 1/4 teaspoon per gallon, misting the leaves, spraying a little in the pitcher, and pouring a little bit on the soil, about twice a month. Neps seem to tolerate this well and can benefit from it. Granted, I do top water frequently, and my water is only 18 ppm here in Portland, so salt build-up is not an issue.
 
  • #193
I feed my giant N x dyeriana with this.



So, my plant's pitcher always looks like this....
 
  • #194
I have a quick question about feeding. Everytime I feed my neps freeze dried bloodworm, the blood tends to get moldy. Am I suppose to crush it up because I just put it whole and make sure the fluid completely covers the bloodworm. Also the newest pitcher is 1/4 the size of the previous pitcher, how can this be when the previous pitcher has captured lots of insects?
 
  • #195
Dude that N. x dyeriana is incredible! Grubs are nutrient packed, so it makes sense.

I feed mine with NLS fish food, works great. The bloodworms might not be sinking all of the way, so they aren't actually being digested.
 
  • #196
I have fed my nepenthes butterworms (soft grubs) as well as mosquitoes and it caught 4-5 small spiders when I left it in my basement for a little bit. It seems to like it, as a new pitcher has just popped open, and new leaves are forming. I only ran into problems with the grubs when they were not completely submerged. To avoid this, I usually slice the grubs lengthwise with a razor. This also speeds digestion. Another way is to add a little distilled water to the pitchers to raise the water levels.
 
  • #197
A new fish food on the market (since the last post above from 2017) is Fluval Bug Bites. I imagine this is somewhat more natural, as insects are one of the main ingredients in the food. All of their current fish food formulas contain a high percentage of Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae and some also contain Mealworm Meal.

I use Bug Bites for my tropical fish and they love it! I haven't used it for any plants because I simply feed my plants insects. But this is what their Betta food looks like:

A6575_packaging_US-400x400.jpg


Good Luck!
 
  • #198
I grow outdoors in central FL. My nepenthes are under 70% shade cloth Nov>Apr and 80% May>Oct. I use Better-Gro, Orchid Plus 20-14-13 at 1/4 tsp per gallon added directly to the pitchers using a clean 10ml epoxy syringe. I use the same technique on my Sarr’s, as well as on P. Planifolia leaves. The juice is definitely worth the squeezing. Dark green leaves, vigorous growth, brighter colors and larger pitchers. Since I don’t grow indoors under lights my fertilization program may not be suitable for everyone. I only know what works for me.
 
Back
Top