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!

Stop the N. rajah hype! :)

  • #21
WOW
smile.gif
smile.gif
smile.gif
those are some nice pictures yall have there!Very nice coloration on that n.macrophylla(is that what it is?) Wow! Id like to see alot more!
Kevin
 
  • #23
Does anyone have a pic of an argentii thats growing really well in cultivation?
 
  • #24
Parusco,

Are you growing N. argentii yourself? I'd love to hear more about people's experiences with this species. I have to tell you that I find it one of the most difficult species to grow well. I suspect Tony Paroubek might have some nice ones?
 
  • #25
I agree N. argentii is difficult for me as well. They are very slow to gain in size. Mine grow and pitcher but they are still making what I would call juvenile pitchers and have only increased in size moderately. I really need to do some fiddling around and try some different things to see what might work better...Anyone else have some experience with it to share?
Tony
 
  • #26
Hi,

my N. macrophylla does grow in a very bright spot of my tank. Of course in a greenhouse even higher light levels will easily be reached. The plant does get about five hours of direct sun at the moment and it does appreciate this. Pitchers are still green when opening and they won't get the dark red colour under less light. This special clone is around here in Germany for many years and should be labeled correct. Rob, I do think you've seen some bigger plants of this exact clone few weeks back. And of course your plant is a different clone - my clone has a leaf apex which is somewhat more rounded than that of your plant.


The problem with the mite infection I had was not to fight it, but to find out what was going on with the plants. These are pictures of the most badly affected plant:

N_hamata_A_small.jpg


N_hamata_B_small.jpg


Even with a magnifying glass these "Weichhautmilben" (which translates word by word into soft-skin-mite) are not visible at all. They do live in the growth point and do harm the new growth badly. Strangely enough, only about ten of my plants were more or less affected. All others didn't show any signs of this pest at all. They do affect stressed and weak plants only. My N. talangensis was immune to them until I repotted it and in a matter of few weeks leafes looked like this:

Milben_N_talangensis.jpg


The red colour is due to a fungal infection following the mite, I do believe. Luckily Andreas was able to identify this pest and also did send me some Kiron (an Akarizid) which kills them off very very effectively and doesn't harm the plants. Those mite are around naturally here in Germany and so I'm not the only one fighting this problem.


N. argentii seems not a to be a difficult plant under my conditions right now, but I have to admit I do grow this plant for three months only. It has produced three new leafes in this time. The leafes did increase in length slightly but the widht nearly doubled. This plant is of course still in its juvenile state, but does already show the typical leaf shape of N. argentii. I'm growing a clone from Phill and it will be interesting to see, how this plant developes compared to the ones originating from Rob.


Joachim
 
  • #27
Joahim,

Diseases! Now this is really interesting. I've seen similar things here. At first I thought it was just a fungal infection and tackled it accordingly, then I found the mite. In this case it was black and very tiny but visible as a tiny black dot that would move if disturbed. We use a systemic insecticide: dimethoate regularly now and the problem hasn't re-occurred. We apply the dimethoate with a power fogger and it gets everywhere and into everything. Makes the tea taste darned awful. Some of it's probably lurking in my brain stem right now arghhhh!

The clones of N. argentii we have shipped so far are all different. However, the clone Phil has was sent to him from us and is one of the ones we are multiplying up here. It'll be interesting to see if we can isolate a more vigorous clone from the ones we are multiplying up. I think we have about 2 different clones in the lab now. It's not fast, even in sterile culture
sad.gif
 
  • #28
Thought I would add my HUGE  1cm tall N. macrophylla.. This clone is from Phill and is just starting to from that classic peristome.

Interesting Joachim on the mites.  Looks like that top one is N. hamata.  One of the few in my ghouse that I need to keep an eye on also.  Most highlanders for me don't seem to be bothered but that one does.

nmacrophylla.jpg
 
  • #29
Hi,

this is a picture of Johannes' N. macrophylla...
It is also slightly red on the inner parts.

Nep_macrophylla01.jpg


Martin
 
  • #32
The music at that website just about put me to sleep. Very hypnotic
smile.gif
. N. tentaculata is one f my favorite nepenthes. I don't know why people don't create more hybrids with it. Someday I will create a hybrid with it, that will achieve clonal status.
 
  • #33
Hi,

Tony you are right, it is my N. hamata from Andreas - so it took only about one hour after sending him those pics to him, and my phone did ring. - Four days later his first aid package did arrive :)

Interesting comment on the selection of clones you made Rob. Of course the faster growing ones will reach a "sellable" size first. But are these faster growing ones also the clones which would win the competition in the wild? I hope you do also sell the slower ones, so not everybody does grow the exact same clone (like it seems to be with N. rajah, where only four different clones are around). At least if you want to get rid of the slower N. argentii ones, I might help you out
wink.gif
wink.gif


Joachim

P.S.: I do believe the 20cm+ N. macrophylla pitcher on Martin's photo originates from a plant, Johannes Marabini does cultivate for about 19 years by now. So patience is for sure one of the major keys, to get a nice big N. macrophylla...
 
  • #34
Joachim,

There was a typo on my earlier mail where I said we have about 2 clones in sterile culture, I meant to type 20. Sure some will be slower growing than others. It doesn't make commercial sense to keep slow growing clones unless they have some different color characteristics. However, if it's a unique species or one that is threatened in the wild, I keep as many clones as possible, figuring that it may be important someday.

Everyone has the same 4 clones of N. rajah because Greg Redwood at Kew gave away 4 clones in the 1980's and they have been circulating ever since
 
  • #35
does that mean I can't send someone frozen pollen to pollinate someone elses rajah?because there all the same clones?
confused.gif
does that mean someone would have to get one from a store in malaysia that is a diff clone and take the pollen from THAT one to propagate the ones here?
confused.gif
I don't understand...and I think you guys don't know what I'm talking about, because I explain everything so...so...BAD
sad.gif
sorry, guys/girls
sad.gif
 
  • #36
which people got the 4 clones? how could someone tell what clone there plant came from if there are 20 of them around. which and who as the original plant?
 
  • #37
Rob is saying that the great majority of the N. rajah that are out there for sale are made up of 4 different clones. These are the only ones that have been available for a long long time. Only recently within the past year or so have plants grown from seed or from Robs 20 different clones, also started from seed, become available on the market.

Some nurseries and suppliers know which clones are which and keep them labelled and identified.. others don't.

Spect73.. not sure just what your asking. If you had two N. rajah, one female and one male you could cross pollinate them.

Tony
 
  • #38
tony thanks for the info. is there a way to tell if your plant is a m/f or do i have to wait till the plant flowers to tell what sex it is ?
 
  • #39
You can only tell when it flowers.  Unless it is a plant from one that has already flowered and the sex is known.  
Clones are kept in tissue culture for many many years.  It is quite possible that the tiny seedling you could purchase today is also a large flowering plant in someone elses collection.   When new clones from tissue culture become available though there will be a delay, while the first plants out of the lab mature, before sex is known.  Primarily because the different clones in tissue culture are started from seed not from already mature plants.   However because the odds are pretty much 50/50 male/female, 3 or 4 different clones gives a pretty good shot at getting one of each.
Tony
 
  • #40
I might add that the Rajah I got from Catalani and originated from you Rob is VERY vigorous! I am extremly please with it and must say it is just like Hamata, a weed!  
smile.gif
 
Back
Top