Nepenthes in culture I

 

 

I am cultivating Nepenthes under 'hard' conditions. Some hybrids are growing outside during summer and in my greenhouses the humidity has sometimes only 40%. But if you fill the pitchers with water, there is no problem to keep the soil as dry as for cactea. And the plants will become much more stronger than under 'soft' conditions.

 

 Cultivation of seedlings and smaller plants in dried clay-pearls:

Everybody has his own special mixture of soil for Nepenthes. Since many years I am experimenting with different kinds of substrate for pitcherplants with more or less good results. Now I found a good medium for seedlings and smaller plants.

The main component are dried clay-pearl (you see the red pearls on the photo) mixed with peat, quarzssand (or better granitesand) and charcoal. There is no risk of overwatering and if you forget to pour, no problem: the clay (dried one - not a burned one!) will keep moisture. The clay is not acid enough for pitcherplants, therefore I use granitesand and peat, which is really acid. 

A rooted cutting of Nepenthes

reinwardtiana, cultivated in clay-pearls.

Nepenthes rajah
grown from invitro-culture 

Nepenthes rajah is one of the most spectacular and formerly most desired pitcher-plants.

This specie grows on ultrabasic soils on Mount Kinabalu. Ultrabasic means that there is a special kind of rocks in the underground, which is rich of magnesia. The soil there is a result of the weather-worn rocks, washed out by heavy rain. 

That is the reason, why this specie doesn't like any fertilizer - except of course catched insects

Now in the age of invitro-culture Nepenthes rajah is sure one of the most popular and common species. 

The cultivation is rather easy. Like other highlandspecies you have to care for low night temperatures and not to high day temperatures. For the soil I use clay-pearls, Polystyrol, peat and cork inrelation 2:1:2:1. 

If you let the pitchers sit on the ground, they will become much larger than hanging pitchers! 
 
 
 
 
 

Nepenthes edwardsiana ssp. macrophylla

grown from seed! 


This pitcherplant is one of the highlandspecies, which like to grow under more dry conditions although it is growing in misty montain regions. If the soil is too wet, the roots will rot and then the whole plant. Use 1/3 dried clay-pearls (also used for hydro-culture) 1/3 peat and 1/3 bark (perhaps cork). 

Nepenthes macfarlanei

This specie is found on mountains near Kuala Lumpur. For cultivation it likes the same conditions as many other highlandspecies: cool night, much light and hot day temperature 

     

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