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Feeding your nepenthed fresh blood.

I normally feed my neps wax worms, meal worms, and the occasional koi pellet crushed up.

I was wondering if fresh blood would be ok to feed neps and if it would be benifitial to them. Or if it would just kill the pitcher. Now when I say blood I mean fresh blood not some blood that been sitting around for awhile like at a butcher shop. I'm talking like freshly drawn blood from say, I don't know...ME. Now I'm willing to give it a try but  I want to know first if blood is even digestable by nepenthes or if it will just rot the trap.

Now I know it will be hard but please try and refrain from "Little shop of horrors" joke/puns anicdotes......I'm dead serious.

Also do you know of anyone else that has tried this?
 
I haven't heard of this actually being done (yet). But in those dark hours when I can't sleep weird thoughts cross my mind and I've thought of it too. My GF has diabetes and I could just swipe a finger sticker thing and get a drop of blood out... but then I figure crickets are cheap! Plus, I need all my blood so I can be fresh to go to work and pay my  high summer power bills for them highlanders...!
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I do remember a long time ago reading up on the VFT board about some guy put some calluses or a scab or something that he cut off his feet into a VFT to see what it would do. Aparently it sort of digested some of it... the dude took pics and everything. Maybe that post is still up there?
 
well I can easily draw blood from myself as I has my "ways" in which I could quite literally take about 20ml's and be somewhat 'ok'


So do you think if I did it the neps would be happy?
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It isn't fair to post something like this and not allow us to joke about it.
 
Well, in all seriousness, the worst thing for you is that continually taking blood / bleeding yourself can lead to Anemia. That is (in part) your body may develop an inability to absorb iron efficiently or at all which is definately not a good thing. Anemia can lead to B12 deficiency which leads to continued fatuigue and easier contraction of Mononucleosis.

As far as the plant goes, one drop or two may not do too much harm as long as it is deposited directly into the fluid, not on the sides. Blood is nutrient rich and will likely stain the pitcher with a black spot and then fungus where the blood droplet landed.

I fed my plants blood worms, which are mosquito larvae who have heimoglobin in their systems (which makes them "blood red"). They were too rich for the plant and rotted the pitchers I put them in. However, they were young plants with 2-3" pitchers and not something large and sturdy like my N. Miranda pitcher or a big N. truncata pitcher.
 
well the means in which I would "harvest" blood from my self definatly doesn't include cutting, smalling, or breaking of the skin. Also since I only feed my plants every one to two weeks. I don't think the amount of blood I'd be loosing would lead to any kind of anemia since it would be only about at the most 5 ml's (5cc's). But I am flattered for your concern and is a good warning to those that are so inclined to try it that can't as easily draw blood from themselves as I can
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So basicaly feeding plants blood would be like feeding them milk. Don't let it touch the pitcher walls only droping it directly into the picther fluid and on using alittle but at a time.

I think I may try doing a 3 or 4 week experiment with this.... I'll get back to ou guy once I devise the experment parameters...
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Spectabilis73 @ June 06 2004,7:20)]BLOOD? that much??!

ok you've lost it...
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that much? LOL

5 ML's isn't very muh AT all hahahhits like less then an ounce....hehehe
 
  • #10
5 ml is aproximately equal to a teaspoon.
 
  • #11
Maybe you should save your blood for something more useful, milk seems to do the trick. But I too share your curiosity. But you know what you're doing, or atleast you're good at making is sound like you do
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. Also out of curiousity, you've mentioned several times that you can draw blood easily, care to elaborate? Are you a cyborg or something cool?!
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Or is that a secret (sorry if it actually is private)?
 
  • #12
Actually yes, I guess you could consider me a cyborg =wink= =wink=

no its just drawing blood is no big deal is all....and I do know what I'm doing... its not like I'd be using rusty old needles or something...
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  • #13
Hello

Well I have feed my Nepenthes a small amount of fresh human blood (My brothers blood that is). With no ill affects (to him or the plant) but like swords said why feed them blood when cricket are so cheep. I did not see any different growth in the plant or anything like the.

thanks
Jeremiah
 
  • #15
Blood?

:-))Ambulance on standby.
What about removing a kidney and feeding it that,anyone tried it yet?
Lol,this is turning into a horror story!
 
  • #16
that much? LOL

5 ML's isn't very muh AT all hahahhits like less then an ounce....hehehe

5 ML man!?! Five MEGAliters!? Are you crazy! Watch those capitals man... there are scientists about....


I read once that a guy grabbed a mosquito that was full of blood and squished it all over his D. binata, and actually reported movement within the leaves similiar to what is observed in D. capensis and others.

If you are serious about doing this, and why you are and whether you should be is a whole other matter, but if you are serious, you should start with a drop or two, and slowly increase, recording your findings along the way.
 
  • #18
Wow do you have an implanted port or a picc line or something? And heck The bodies turn around on blood is 100-120 days. The blood he is talking about taking is small. When people come in with sepsis to the hospital we do blood cultures. That is 15mls per vial and 4 vials are normally drawn, plus the other labs. Not to mention normally daily labs at about 3-10 mls per day. I donate blood regularly. and when I do it is normally 2 units RBC. I do Alyx where they take twice as much RBC and give back the plasma for volume. So the ammount of blood he is talking about is minor. Being a dude, his hemoglobin is normally 13-15. And my heart patients run with hemoglobins of 8 and are up walking the floors post cardiac surgery. I don't recommend bleeding yourself out for your plants when osmacoat or live bugs work just as well. You can grow your own bugs to feet your plants and keep it going indefinately too.

I believe the idea is a lil strange myself but to each their own. I am strange when it comes to some thigns too. Just not harvesting my own blood.
 
  • #19
I like this one... No offense to the necromonger.

 
  • #20

Thanks soopaman.
I don't know if it is just that this thread was already about feeding blood to your plants or that the thread was dead for like 7 years or what... but this pic in this thread has been making me laugh for quite a while now.

sorry dash, I was too late to include yours too!
 
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