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!

What do you guys do with big plants?

Well it seems one of my plants is growing faster then I want it to. and is almots going to be as wide as my grow chamber... My chamber is a 30" cube and this plant (maxima x miranda) is just getting to big. I may need to hack it....

do you guys just continue to build larger chambers as they're needed?
 
I don't know how big a maxima x Miranda gets? N. maxima is generally a bit smaller in diameter than Miranda who is huge and a vigorous grower once it does start to get some size!

If I want to "bonsai" a nep and keep it small and manageable in a terrarium I use a small pot and continuous pruning. As soon as it gets too wide, trim and replant the top (make nodal cuttings from the rest of the stem). I had to do this for a long time when I had only one aquarium to grow in. Nowadays I have more room to let em grow wild but I still do a big trim every January and restart my most overgrown (too tall) plants.

A bigger chamber is always the best idea, then you can get more plants, then a bigger chamber and then more plants....!
smile_n_32.gif
 
I just rearranged my greenhouse (literally 5 minutes ago) so i have more space to put plants, but that is so i can get more for christmas. I just let em' grow so i have a little jungle there, and when they get to gigantic proportions, i hack the stem in to little parts and plant them and sell it once it roots. I haven't had any plants get that large yet, but i will once they do.
biggrin.gif


Maybe i'll get a bigger greenhouse by then. Who knows?
smile_l_32.gif
 
hmm what do you do about shading? this plant I have is on a mission to block all light to its other nepthes bretheren
 
Mine seem to be doing okay. My tallest nep gets so much sun that the new leaves are much narrower, allowing more sunlight to reach the ones below it. Besides, i try to group Neps of certain sizes together.
 
The best thing to do with plants that are growing too fast is to cut them up and share the cuttings with everyone. Provided you have more than one growth point of course.

I will have plenty of N. ventrata and N. gentle to share when the weather warms. I have the room but one vine is already 10 feet long on th N. ventrata!

Its nice to share.
smile_m_32.gif


Glenn
 
And what happens if they have only one growth point, glenn? I've heard they will simply stop growing in that case...

By growth points, I assume you mean basal shoots?
 
Sszvein,
It is usually advisable to wait until the nep has a basal shoot before you cut, but not always required. Depends a little on the species. N. gracilis, for example, is one that I have cut when there were no other growth points. Cutting the vine actually stimulated more growth points to grow from the base.
 
Yeah, i guess it would be safer to wait though. I did that with my ampullaria. I'm exited, i've heard they are easy to root, and i'm keeping it wet humid and warm. If it works, then i'll have two ampullarias, i'll wait until i get a lot of offshoots, plant them, and get lots of plants to share with everyone.
 
  • #10
ventrata and rokko are ones i am willing to cut without an offshoot. they branch out readily when cut, for me.
 
  • #11
You mean that when you take a stem cutting they sent out a lot of offshoots from the leafe nodes on the stem?
 
  • #12
hmm yes sharing is good...

BUT if I where to do cuttings I'd have no place to put all the "babies" I want to just sell/trade it for something smaller Mayber If I can get pictures of it I can trade someone....
 
  • #13
Flip,
I have had success with a cutting mailed to me unrooted. So if you want to trade, ask the person if they mind an unrooted cutting. Then you have to ship the cutting wrapped in moist LFS or papertowel.
 
  • #14
Hi
I dont cut just let them go
smile_k_ani_32.gif


Bye for now julian
 
  • #15
i have recieved several unrooted cuttings through the mail. as long as they were shipped in damp LFS or a damp paper towel i couldnt tell the differance between them and a cutting i took myself.
 
  • #16
N.ventricosa,and sanguinea branched out readily when cut for me.
 
  • #17
hmm I don't know about cutting

I think if I can get some pics I'll post it in the trade forusm
 
  • #18
Well I just put the plant in a bigger pot. See this gives you an excuse for building a bigger plant area, thereby allowing you to get more plants.
On another note, some people (like me) do not mind trading for unrooted Neps. if you are worried about that.
 
  • #19
biggrin.gif
When Nepenthes get too big, there's only one thing to do:  Throw them out and buy some smaller ones...
smile_m_32.gif


Seasons greetings everyone!

Rob, Di & Leon
 
  • #20
Rob,

Great idea. I think I will start a new business... "Large Nepenthes Sanitation Engineer."
smile_n_32.gif


Cheers,

Joe
 
Back
Top