N. bicalcarata...

[Mannannan]

Hi all!

I'm new here, and thought I'd post a few questions ive got.

I'm thinking of getting meself a N. bicalcarata in a lil while.
It seems like a not-too-impossible Nep to grow, plus it's absolutely gorgeous in my opinion

I've read tho, that it gets quite large fairly quick, and soon reaches a diameter of like 6 feet.
Is this true? or is it theoretical, due to 3 foot leaves hanging down, thus making diameter smaller?

Thanks / Daniel Quensel.

 

[eplants02]

First off, Welcome to the PFT Forum, Daniel!!!

Anyway N. Bicalcarata becomes a HUGE plant. Not only the leaves are huge but the pitchers as well.

Size is a big factor when considering to grow this fanged pitcher plant.

Here's a growing guide of it:
N. Bicalcarata

Also some of the members here grow this plant. You might want to ask them.

 

[rubrarubra]

The plants do eventually really grow to about 6' diameter. They work well in warm humid terrariums for a little while, but then they get cramped and you need larger spaces. But if you start out small you can enjoy one for at least a year or two. I also thing the pitchers are gorgeous.
Peter

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

One word, Titanus! One of the largest Nepenthes (plant wise), pitchers are not slouch either, but the plant is really big. It need hot, steamy conditions with moderate shading. Large pots are required eventually. Mine is around 3 foot in diameter with 6 inch tall (15cm) pitchers.

 

[D muscipula]

Pictures speak louder than words:

That's a large ... and deadly, birdbath

Best of Show winner at the first NECPS show last October

To give you a better idea of the scale, here's one of the pitchers:

 

[Mannannan]

Hot darn, those are some huge plants!!
Truly magnificent though, so it would most likely be well worth the trouble of finding the space for one.

If it takes like a year or two for it to get really big, i'll have time to build a large enough tank for it (and other ones o'course)...

As I'm kinda new to these plants, could you recommend any other ones that are suitable for a not-so experienced Nep freak?
I'm thinking lowland mostly, as they seem easier to keep alive.

/Quensel

 

[droseradude]

some people think this species grows **** fast. I thought so too, and thought I'd have an 8 inch plant by christmas when I got a 4 inch one in october. well its about 6 inches now. However it did make lots of cool traps. I think you should definetly use a very big pot, and remember to keep it warm and humid like everyone says.

 

[D muscipula]

Nepenthes are the easiest of all CPs to keep, in my opinion, because you almost have to keep them in closely regulated conditions (ie a terrarium).  So, take a terrarium, keep it warm, humid, and well lit (how hard is that), and you should be able to grow most of the lowlanders well.  Now as far as which ones won't outgrow a small terrarium in a few months... N. campanulata is a very interesting lowland plant that stays extremely compact.  N. gracilis grows fast, but is petite and can be pruned easily when it gets out of hand.

If you want a truly simple plant, requiring no special setup, most of the 'intermediates' are the way to go, and in many places they don't even require a terrarium, but will do fine in your window.  N. alata highland aka luzon, N. ventricosa, N. sanguinea.  Especially the latter.

The first of those two N. bicalcarata plants grows outside in southern Florida at Orgel's Orchids, the other in the greenhouse of Black Jungle.  So there aren't a lot of ordinary joes that can grow a full-size bical.  Just the freaks like most of the people you'll meet here.

 

[pond boy]

Thjat is cool! I wish they were highland\intermediate. Lol. Is there a hybrid between it and say an ultra highlander like N.villosa that is cold tolerent but also has the "fangs"?

 

[D muscipula]

Apparently most hybrids don't conserve the fangs. I bought N. bicalcarata as my second nep, and bought a hybrid called N. xCantleyii (N. bical x N. gracilis) as the third, thinking it would be smaller but have fangs. No such luck.

However, considering that highlanders are typically harder to grow than lowlanders, it's just as well, because it gives everyone an option. If one has extremely cool temperatures, then N. macrophylla or (if the force is with you) N. edwardsiana is your ticket to awesome 'toothed' peristomes. If one has high temps, go with the fanged wonder, N. bical.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

If your looking for an awesome highlander definetly go with N. macrophylla, N. villosa, N. hamata, N. veitchii (not really toothy but cool), N. ovata is ridgy...

 

[agustinfranco]

Don't forget N. Dentata or N. hamata!. It is the toothiest plant around.

Gus

 

[superimposedhope]

I have a bical that is still young (6"across) and a pitcher just opened and it is like 2 1/2 - 3 times larger than the previous pitcher and there is 2 more pitchers forming. One of them will be done probably in 2 weeks. The plant from my experience so far is growing fast and pitchers are making good leaps between each other. It has been very easy for me so far. I too plan on a large enclosure of it's own in the next 2-3 years. I have a left over iguana cage that may be a sutible candidate for a make over in the future.

Joe

 

[Jason Wong]

D. muscipula, that bical is HUGE!!!

What do you feed it, goats?

Its muct weigh a ton, looks like you could almost stick your hand inside...what is the diameter of the plant?

 

[Jason Wong]

You all are bical-growing masters...I tried growing a bical and it 'died' quickly due to unknown circumstances (It better not be lack of water), it rained every day. That bical caught the largest prey of any of my cps, was a little over a foot across, had 4 pitchers. Not really good to grow in tropical islands like singapore...what the heck, I might try again if I can get my hands on one.

Jason

 

[Jason Wong]

How do you bring a plant 'back to life' (I know this sounds crazy, but somehow or the other , I've seen neps shoot out from a dying or already 'dead' stem. This happened to me twice already...go to here
to see how you can help...quite intriuging really!

 

[Jason Wong]

BWT, has anyone here grown bicals from seed before? Anyone know how long bical seeds take to germinate? I just received some from pyro and they've been planted for bout 2 weeks now, and there's just a tint of algae begining to spread...good thing the seeds haven't caught it yet. Once they germinate, I'll move them out...or is it not a good idea to disturb the roots this early. Oh yes, (and this question is directed to all you bical pros)

- what are the growing condition (ie. temp, humidity, light) for bicals, I'm still a newbie with these species.

What potting media should I use? Is it neccessary to feed them, and how often should I water them...if you have books/websites that say all this then it'll be helpful (to you as well, then you don't have to explain...you nowt I'm sayin')

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jason

 

[Trent]

Hi Jason,
We have germinated bicalcarata seed. Unfortunately, the entire crop perished in an unexpected cold snap. The seedlings are very vulnerable to sudden temperature drops, but the larger more established plants will tolerate temperatures down to 50 F at night every now and then as long as the day temp comes back up into the 80's F. We have several bicalcarata clones, the largest is a female we call "Big Mama", who has a leaf span from tip to tip of five feet. She grows, surrounded by her smaller minions, in our greenhouse here in Boca Raton, Florida. We pot our bicals in straight long fiber sphagnum moss, and provide them with bright light but never direct sun. they are under 70 percent shade cloth, and fall into the shade of a tree growing west of the greenhouse every afternoon. At this time all of our Neps get a bright, open shade and a nice cooling effect. Typically, however, the mid-day temperature about this time of year is about 88-90 degrees F, but humidity stays above 70 percent. Michelle will mist the Neps when she's home through the course of the day. They really like to get their leaves wet. We water with reverse osmosis or rain water and drench the pots until water pours out of the bottom. This helps prevent any toxins from building up or bad fungus or bacteria from establishing in the medium. Then we let them slowly dry out, but never bone dry. We believe too many Nepenthes are killed from overly wet feet. Bicalcarata is an easy lowland species to grow and as long as you keep humidity high and temperatures warm, it will do well for you. Good luck!

Trent

 

[The Griffin]

Jason,

What was the compost you were using? Your environment should be fine. I was just wondering if it was too wet with all that rain, and maybe you needed a compost with more drainage.

Regards,

Joe

 

[schloaty]

Huh, TOO wet, for a BICAL? Didn't think that was possible. I almost killed mine because I let it go from wet to just "moiste" for ONE LOUSY DAY. Thankfully I've managed to save it. I grow mine in LFS with some orchid mix mixed in, and I use the tray method. I let the tray stay dry for a few days before top watering until the water comes out of the pot, and I let the tray fill up about 1/4 to 1/2" this way (my bical is only in a 4 inch pot...still very young).