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N.Merrilliana

nepenthes gracilis

Nepenthes Specialist
Okay I have a couple questions for those of you who grow N.Merrilliana. How large will it get? How big will the pitchers be? How much Digestive jucies can be held in the pitchers? Will I need to get it large prey to feed it?
How large of a pot do I need to let it grow to monstorous size? And 1 last question how large does it get over a moth or so;right now mine is about 3-4in. in Diameter. Thanks alot nep.G.
 
They seem to grow pretty quick up to about 6" across then slow down. That could be partly that I don't keep them as warm as they would like through the winter. My biggest merrilliana is about 10" across and took a couple years to get there from 4"...

I will attempt to answer your questions from what I have heard and read since I don't have a full grown merrilliana.

How big? a few feet across..
How big pitchers? big enough to hold about a gallon of fluid filled (One site says 45cm tall pitchers or about 18")
large prey? yep.. hope you got lots of friendly neighbors! j/k ... if not you can get mature crickets from pet shops. A couple of those every once in a while should keep the plant very happy.
pot size? Probably in the 2-3gallon size range. Deep pots preferably over wide shallow pots.

I suspect even under ideal conditions they are slow growers and would take many many years to get anywhere near that size.
Tony
 
As with TOny, mine is not mature.. I heard over and over that they are slow growers...

Mine is currently about seven inches across...

Tony, does your nepenthes always seem to put it's pitchers up under another leaf? Maybe it's just extremem coincidence, but my merrilliana always seems to grow the tendril under an adjacent leaf, and then grow the pitcher up there... perhaps it's seking shade?
 
The merrilliana on my windowsill sits apart from the other plants a bit. The pitchers seem to develop only when the tendril hits the windowsill. I have not seen a pitcher form yet from a tendril hanging in the air. In the greenhouse where the plants and flats are packed pretty tight, the tendrils seem to run along the surface of adjacent pots for a distance before forming pitchers. Perhaps it adds some stability to the plant to send its pitchers out a distance.. Perhaps it increases chances of catching more bugs? maybe both?

Tony
 
hmm... mine does not seem to scramble about so much... Is Merrilliana considered a scrambler by nature? Mine is pretty compact... perhaps it is because ot the terrarium lighting...

Yeesh... I am going to have to start looking into a bigger home for my collection pretty soon!
 
Thank You Tony and Pampuppy! Nep.G. P.S. Now I will get ready for a heathly pesky neighbor eating plant!
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One last question can My merrilliana be grown in my hose out on a table top with a current humidity in my house about 65-70% And an average temperature about 70-75 F. All day. So is it possible with daily misting. Thanks Nep.G.
 
I will let Tony answer whether or not you can grow it ona table top... he's had more experience with that.. I can tell you he's going to need to know what kind of light it will get there, and to make sure it is out of direct iar flow from a vent. (sure death).

PamPuppy.. too funny!
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Whoops!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: I didn't realize that! Sorry RAMPUPPY there now that is right! Nep.G.
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no big deal buddy! I thought it was funny... I misstype stuff all the time!
 
  • #10
Temp and Humidity sound fine to me. As Rampuppy mentioned how is the light where you want to put it? Merrilliana likes it fairly bright, new leaves should have a bit of red coloring. I wouldn't bother misting with the humidity you mention. Keep in mind it will take some time for the plant to adjust to your conditions, particularly so if the plant has recently come out of the lab.

Tony
 
  • #11
Thanks Rampuppy. Tony I will put it in a hanging basket sometime near a south window after i tell you it's status. The Merrilliana's status is came from Phil mon. Afternoon. Then I removed all plastic covering's and protective devices. Then I knew it needed high humidity and I put it in a sealed fish tank so humidity would condense. I also put 2 jars of distelled water in there to raise and maintain humididty. The growing tip was wilted but now it is coming back staight up. An undamadged pitcher is forming to! The tank I have it in is surronded with home-made refeltors to increase light intensity and keep heat in. i only take this layer off in the morning since it is by a south window. and put it back on at night. the light is heat emmitive meaning heat produtive. ANd that is it! Soo with my last post and information would it be okay for me to put it ina hanging basket maby next season or soon? Thanks Nep.G.
 
  • #12
I would give it some fresh air by cracking the top of the tank a little. Give it about a month to start putting out new roots then you can start removing it from the terrarium a little longer each day over the course of a week or two. You will have to just keep an eye on it and if you see it wilting toss it back to recover. Don't be surprised if the plant gets a little ragged around the edges while adjusting. Once it's happy with room conditions it should make new growth and pitchers.

On a side note I am not sure how it will respond to be hanging in the air. The merrilliana I have seen don't pitcher until the tendril hits a hard surface. It will be interesting to learn if they will make pitchers in midair.

Tony
 
  • #13
That's what I was thinking I will do as you say too! If you want to give me more advice feel free as I am always expanding my mind to CP's! Nep.G.
 
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