Nepenthes

Here are some shots of mine of a plant called Nepenthes hamata. I have been growing nepenthes plants for over ten years.

SecretMethod70

Groovy. Pretty sure I saw those on Planet Earth

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Jetée

What is your daily (weekly?) routine in caring for them?
What is it that you feed them? (they look to be the ravenous sort of sprout.)

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Nepenthes

I have a system of care that is fairly automated.

I keep them in cold terrariums in my basement. I water them every week with rainwater that I collect. The lights are on a timer to simulate a day/night schedule. I have an aquarium pump to pump fresh air into the terrarium base which has some water in it, to raises the humidity. The pots sit on a grate above the water-line to avoid root-rot.

These plants are carnivorous, so I feed them. I use fish food instead of insects.

These plants are native to the mountains of Borneo and thrive in cool temperatures. I have an unheated basement which simulates the temperatures pretty well.

They have been featured on the show Planet Earth.

Growing these plants is still a mostly unknown hobby, even among people who grow orchids.

Jetée

Very cool. (I don't know of another term of praise, or I couldn't think of one.)

When you say that rearing these plants is a foreign concept, even to "people who grow orchids", what does this mean? Are the two types of plants similar, inter-related, off-shoots of one or the other?

How did you initially get started in this hobby? Did you mail-order one of these on a whim or by fascination, or did you actually manage to bring back one fresh from the wild? (in my experience globe-spinning, it's easier to bring back weapons and medicine than it is to transport vegetation or non-native fruits.)

Have you had any luck (I'm guessing just so) in breeding / cross-pollinating your "Piranha plants" - and assuming yes, what does the process entail?

Thanks again for sharing your hobby with us, Nepenthes. It's interesting to wonder.
(I swear I don't view you as a new member; you seem quite familiar, and I'm rattling off in my mind who eactly you might have been before, or who you remind me of - it's the avatar of yours that has got me thinking.)

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Nepenthes

The term "very cool" is praise in my book, thank you. It is a term that I often use.


Many people do not keep these plants as a hobby. There are many people who grow exotic, ornamental plants, but very few who grow carnivorous plants such as these. The ratio of orchid growers to carnivorous plant growers might by 200:1.

This particular plant was legally imported from a tissue-culture laboratroy in Germany. You need special import permits to import these plants from overseas so that they are not destroyed during customs due to parasite risks.


Collecting from the wild is discouraged for these plants as many are rare and endangered.

I first started growing plants with my grandmother when I was young. I have always been fascinated by plant propagation. My path to these plants was generic houseplants to hibiscus plants to bonsai trees to orchids to these plants. I was once told that I could not grow nepenthes because of their special needs and that only a botanical garden could truly handle it. I find the challenge helps fuel my hobby. I am also in a club with other growers of these plants which helps me to expand my collection and to share knowledge.

Yes, I have had luck propagating some nepenthes plants. The one pictured in this thread is especially difficult. It is very rare to get these to produce seed. They flower after many years, and the plants are specifically male or female. You need to have a male plant in flower for pollen to fertilize another female plant in flower a the same time. The most common way to propagate these plants is through cuttings.

Jetée

cuttings? is this the same practice as stemmings? (might have made that term up)

I believe in both the cultivation and harvesting of marijuana, as well as apples, you can cut a sliver of the stem, or stalk, of the desired plant you wish to propagate, and tie it to a another sapling, and somewhere in between this process to the culmination, the end result is a literal clone of the parent plant.

What's the lifespan of your Nepenthes, given optimal care?

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Nepenthes

Nepenthes plants are vines in nature. Cuttings are when you cut the top of the vine, leaving a few leaves and a stem, just above a dormant growth node. You can cut a long vine into many different cuttings. For each cutting, you then cut into the base of the stem, where you want roots to grow, and place in damp sphagnum moss. When you make a cutting above the node, a dormant growth point will start growing to continue the vine. You might get multiple nodes to grow to form more than one new growth point.
There is more to it, but this basically covers it. I am giving a seminar on this technique next month at an upcoming carnivorous plant meeting.


What you are describing is called "air layering." This is when you take a woody cuttings and graft (i.e. tie) it to another cut plant with a strong root system. This will result in a type of hybrid between the two plants. The cuttings technique aboved will result in a true clone.

Some people have had the same vine growing for over forty years. My oldest plant is ten years old. I have taken cuttings from it many times.

Are you living in the USA, Jetee?

Jetée

Sorry about the delay; I've had to make unusal daylight hours in week's preparation.

Currently, yes, my stead is in the USA, Nepenthes (I'm near a Middletown on the Eastern Seaboard). I will, however, be making a little business venture out-of-the-country, beginning tomorrow. Why do you ask? Are you about to make your rounds as well? [you mentioned you are somewhat of an authority on these, and you offer aid/knowledge/awareness]

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Nepenthes

I could mail a nepenthes cutting to you when the weather gets warmer if you would like to try to grow one. It would not be the species pictured in this thread, but it would one suitable for a new grower.

I cannot ship plants outside of the USA.

dlish

Bummer. That was my next question.

these look amazing. How many hours a day/week does it take to look after Nepenthes? i know you said its an automated process, but how often do you feed them and take time out to nurture them?

how rare are they? i was in borneo a few years ago in Kota Kinabalu en route to Mt Kinabalu but dont recall seeing any of these.

p.s. is it me or do these look like female genetalia? sorry someone had to say it

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Nepenthes

In my setup, I spend an hour a week at most. I feed them once per month with fish food. I water and prune dead leaves for maintenance. I re-pot if necessary or every few years. There are many fantastic species from Mt. Kinabalu. They are rare to see in the wild. There are guided tours in the area for people to see them growing in the wild.

Yes, some people have commented that the pitchers can look like either male or female genetalia. The is how the Venus Flytrap got its common name.

genuinegirly

Beautiful! I have a sweet spot in my heart for Nepenthes, and this species is striking. Your setup sounds impressive, it's good that you've been able to figure out how to work with this difficult guy.

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