Who here grows neps wih the tray method?

[rattler]

i am thinking of using my 75 gal tank as a dart frog vivarium which means my neps will be kicked out(though i may leave the speckled amp in there if i can find sufficient evidence that the frogs will come to no harm, Black Jungle has a referance to some of there frogs breeding in a nep pitcher). anyways i was thinking about placing my neps in a mix of LFS and perlite, placing them in mesh baskets and attempting to grow them in a method similar to my Ceph, fill up the tray and let it dry before doing it again. i see no real reason why it wont work. the LFS will be a little wetter than through my normal watering but the mesh baskets and perlite should allow enouh O2 to get to the roots i think. any comments?

 

[endparenthesis]

If the medium is deep enough that there's no chance of the roots growing into the water, then it wouldn't be much different from frequent waterings, IMO. I don't think I'd try it without the airiness... but I'm just going by what I've read really.

 

[rattler]

yeah what ive read says dont do it but ive also read that U. sandersonii "blue" is a shy flowerer(mine flowers constantly) and Darlingtonia MUST have an airy mix for cool roots(i grow it in pure peat in warm stagnant water) so i take what i read with a grain of salt. just wondering on others experiances.

 

[srduggins]

I grow my lowlanders that way. I use the correct size tray for the pots so they don't sit in a lot of water. Just be sure the trays dry out between watering. I water them once a week.

I also grow alot of mine on top of rocks in trays so they can stay out of the water but still get a little more humidity.

 

[Zongyi_Yang]

I grow almost all my neps like that. Do you mean putting them in pots and in a large tray that holds water? Sometimes, my neps are waterlogged for days without ill effects. Zongyi

 

[The Griffin]

I grow most of mine like that in tanks. I water just enough to cover the bottom and then check on them in a couple of weeks.

Cheers,

Joe

 

[Clint]

i used to water daily.

now i keep them in a cm or less of water and water every other week. it's great.

 

[SydneyNeps]

Just one thing to note when using the tray method - keep your growing area clean. Water is a fantastic vector for a range of pathogens, and if you have one pot infected with a fungi or the like, then everything in the tray will have it in no time.

 

[wickedthistle]

I have two lowland neps in pots (peat and perlite), and those are in a much larger plastic container that I keep .5" of water in. I add a little bit of water every morning - they're in my office window - and they're doing well.

 

[CP30]

I grow most of my neps using the tray method. Some are in orchid pots with airy soil mixes, others are in plastic pots with similar mixes; I then put these pots in saucers or trays that help keep the mix moist and help maitain the humidity. I water the trays when the soil appears dry. The mixes stay moist most of the time, and I have had no problems with fungus or rot in the past 3 years since I started this.

 

[Amateur_Expert]

all my neps (every single one) is on the tray method. all growing fine.

 

[Clint]

oh yeah, i let all the water evaporate for a couple of days before i water.

 

[FlytrapGurl]

I tray water my N. ventricosa and it does great.

 

[D muscipula]

I've done that with several varieties. It was the only way to keep them hydrated when i had them outside last year in blistering sun on a black rooftop. Just don't let them sit in water when it rains a lot, or gets cool and cloudy, or they'll take a beating.

 

[FlytrapGurl]

You keep plants on your roof? That's awesome. For some reason that's a highly appealing idea for my VFTs and Sarrs, but the squirrels would destroy them the second I walked inside.

 

[Mannex17]

I water my ventricosa overhead, with a tray underneath the pot. A few seconds after I water, the water flows through the soil into the tray. After the water in the tray evaporates, I water overhead again. I think that it helps keep minerals from building up in the soil.

 

[FlytrapGurl]

Hmmmm.. might try that.

 

[SarraceniaScott]

Quote[/b] (endparenthesis @ April 13 2005,3:25)]If the medium is deep enough that there's no chance of the roots growing into the water, then it wouldn't be much different from frequent waterings, IMO. I don't think I'd try it without the airiness... but I'm just going by what I've read really.

I have my two N. coccinea and N. miranda growing in 8" pots, using the tray method.

I fill the tray to about halfway, and wait til it's nearly (but not completely) empty.

The N. coccinea has roots growing out the drainage holes into the tray, and there is no sign of rotting.

They all are doing wonderfully.

In my grow chamber, I have smaller Neps in 5" square pots, also on the tray method, except I only put an inch of water in the tray, and let it (the tray, not the soil) dry before watering again.

 

[SarraceniaScott]

Quote[/b] (Mannex17 @ May 12 2005,8:40)]I water my ventricosa overhead, with a tray underneath the pot.  A few seconds after I water, the water flows through the soil into the tray.  After the water in the tray evaporates, I water overhead again.  I think that it helps keep minerals from building up in the soil.

If you're collecting the runoff water in a tray, and letting the soil take that water back up, then any minerals present in the water can still build up.

I overhead water and let the excess collect in the tray, but I use rainwater.

 

[Mannex17]

I use distilled.