Hi Brad, love your videos! Been watching then for years now. I use orchiata for a lot of my orchids, great stuff! You probably already know this, but orchiata is treated with dolamite lime, I've been using it in some of my nepenthes mixes, for the last 6 months or so. The plants that I've used it for are fine.
yes, I did see that on their website, I haven't had any issues. Barks are acidic, They says it is just to make the bark more PH balanced 5.5 - 6.5 which is perfect.
Have you tried red lava rock/dust instead of laterite? I imagine they should be very similar (the former much easier to find and cheaper) in terms of chemical properties and mineral contribution to the soil. Both are weathered mafic/basalt rock with high amounts of oxidized iron (red color).
Great video. This is similar to my mix I use for nepenthes. I'm planning to experiment with adding turface in place of laterite (I believe they are the same thing) for a villosa I need to repot. Edit: not sure about the laterite, but turface takes a lot of washing to get ready. The ppm of water will go sky high while rinsing/soaking it.
Yeah, I had bad luck with Turface. I didn't know to rinse it. Was told it was inert and wont leach. I almost lost a lot of plants. I used it in 2016 and spend the later half of 2017 realising the problem and repotting. Cephalotus, Heliamphora, etc.....ugh. lost a few.....:( Luckily I had an eye for it, and saw mineral deposits are pots . put two and two together
That's what happened with my first experiments using it with pings. I didn't test the water at first (basically just rinsed till water was clear) and potted up. Plants looked horrible after a while. Is the laterite a bit easier to work with?
I think it depends on the company a lot. I use Bettergro moss which I believe is Chileaen and I get a long life out of it just like i used to with the NZ moss, but it's easier for me to get ahold of as well. Love your informative nature in your videos!
I see a lot of people saying this and that for potting medium for Nepenthes. I grow mine in stoney soil, no moss, no additional anything, and they grow large and healthy, producing large lower pitchers, and upper pitchers, never seen a Nepenthes growing in spagnum moss anywhere around the world, or pearlite
I re potted a couple of my plants recently into damp sphagnum moss and they are really struggling ..it looks like they are not getting enough water but the moss is damp and was well watered, anything I can do to save them ?
They were on sphagnum earth before, so I soaked the the pots and the soil in warm water to get rid of all the earth ,from there on I wrapped damp moss around all the roots and place back in the pots and watered well ..I used pure RO water to water them bu tmaybe I should use my tap water its at 50ppm salts and other things
Marks Shrimp Tanks don’t use the tap water. You say the moss is damp, I’m thinking maybe it’s not draining too well. It should drain pretty quickly. Should be potted relatively loosely, not tight and packed in. Hope this helps!
Don't give Nepenthes a lot of nutrients. Many types of Nepenthes are located in the lowlands, prefer an acidic environment and are poor in nutrients. I use a mixture of mashed bricks and charcoal (for the base), then top it with sawdust, fern roots (mixed). Next, top it with cocochip, cocopeat, gravel, roasted husk, perlite (mixed).Then put in a pot, sprayed / soaked with anti fungicide, wait a few moments. Then drain it, pour lots of water.Then plant it, and for aesthetics, around it, cover the media with living moss and living spaghnum moss. EDIT: Providing a lot of nutrients prevents "the trap pocket" from enlarging because the nutrients are obtained from the soil, not from insects. If you want to get bigger, support the trap pocket with a supporter. Because if it hangs, the trap pocket can't be expand, because in the wild, the trap pocket is sitting on the ground (supported by the ground) and makes it very large because the plant knows the stem of the trap pocket will not be broken.
Can you use pumice instead of perlite? I can't find plain perlite in my stores (lowes/walmart), it's only miracle gro perlite which I've read not to use fertilizer w my pitcher plant. Just got my plant today
Hello, i would have a question for two specific plant i Will have (my two first nepenthe/carnivorous plant), im whaiting for a spectabilis × ventricosa and a fusca sarawak, what mix should i use for a dry environnement (windosill) should i use for thos two something like 70% sphagnum and 30% perlite? My only problème with the mix i would ray le how dry my environnement is (40-55% humidity) thanks!
It is probably a Borneo Exotics plant, I got it from BE as I am the Canadian Distributor for there Nepenthes. I’m not sure who has them In Stock In the states
I'm planning on buying nepenthes but I don't know which one to choose. Can you recommend an easy one? I'm thinking maybe maxima x ventricosa or miranda. I live in Australia.
I’m sorry that this was confusing... I am in Tennessee and have had a hard time locating Pings and when I have they are expensive... are they difficult to grow? Just a general question-
Is/are there any Nepenthes spec. that will stay small until its fully grown? I mean like 2-4,5inch (5-12cm)... AND especially it has to be a Lowland Nep. Can you or anyone out there help me, please? Thankyouuu!!
Kathy Macomber well as a small Business myself trying to sell plants I can see $18.95. $32.00 is high. I hate $20 plants I make nothing off them, here is an example (think Canadian dollars. How much profit is in A $20 Plant Sale -25% for taxes to the government = plant now has $15 profit. - Let’s say $7 cost of the actual plant after imports, shipping to me. Now plant has a cost = $8 profit -$3 for pot, potting media, electricity, etc =$5 profit -$2.50 to invest back into the company for improvements and expanding future stock = $2.50 profit -$2 to invest in the company as Coverage against lost of plants/dead of plants in general... so if something happens plants can be replaced as business can survive = $0.50 profit. $2.50 Packaging and vehicle gas to drive to the post office to ship it. Negative $2 profit Money for my time to source the plant, arrangement for getting it to me, care, maintenance, propagation, getting the plant to the purchaser and anything else missed above.... nothing. No money left for this. Lost $2 on this plant.
Thanks for the fantastic information. I need to repot a nepenthes that's in a wrong soil mix, and this will help a lot. Now I'll have a happier plant.
Great, glad to help
For me
Lowland species love coco coir or cocopeat and perlite.
Intermediate species prefer Sphagnum
I want to try coco coir but afraid to hurt them --- they are easy hybrids so they should be fine but
Hi Brad, love your videos! Been watching then for years now. I use orchiata for a lot of my orchids, great stuff! You probably already know this, but orchiata is treated with dolamite lime, I've been using it in some of my nepenthes mixes, for the last 6 months or so. The plants that I've used it for are fine.
yes, I did see that on their website, I haven't had any issues. Barks are acidic, They says it is just to make the bark more PH balanced 5.5 - 6.5 which is perfect.
Have you tried red lava rock/dust instead of laterite? I imagine they should be very similar (the former much easier to find and cheaper) in terms of chemical properties and mineral contribution to the soil. Both are weathered mafic/basalt rock with high amounts of oxidized iron (red color).
I learned something! Ultramaphic growing plants - Thanks.
Yup, serpentine soils are another one
Great video. This is similar to my mix I use for nepenthes. I'm planning to experiment with adding turface in place of laterite (I believe they are the same thing) for a villosa I need to repot. Edit: not sure about the laterite, but turface takes a lot of washing to get ready. The ppm of water will go sky high while rinsing/soaking it.
Yeah, I had bad luck with Turface. I didn't know to rinse it. Was told it was inert and wont leach. I almost lost a lot of plants. I used it in 2016 and spend the later half of 2017 realising the problem and repotting. Cephalotus, Heliamphora, etc.....ugh. lost a few.....:( Luckily I had an eye for it, and saw mineral deposits are pots . put two and two together
That's what happened with my first experiments using it with pings. I didn't test the water at first (basically just rinsed till water was clear) and potted up. Plants looked horrible after a while. Is the laterite a bit easier to work with?
100 x more expensive but never have any issues.
I think it depends on the company a lot. I use Bettergro moss which I believe is Chileaen and I get a long life out of it just like i used to with the NZ moss, but it's easier for me to get ahold of as well. Love your informative nature in your videos!
Thanks Hyperion Greenhouse, good to know you have a decent brand of Chilean
I see a lot of people saying this and that for potting medium for Nepenthes. I grow mine in stoney soil, no moss, no additional anything, and they grow large and healthy, producing large lower pitchers, and upper pitchers, never seen a Nepenthes growing in spagnum moss anywhere around the world, or pearlite
So basically potting mix with lots of perlite?
I re potted a couple of my plants recently into damp sphagnum moss and they are really struggling ..it looks like they are not getting enough water but the moss is damp and was well watered, anything I can do to save them ?
could be root loss but really don't have enough info to say
They were on sphagnum earth before, so I soaked the the pots and the soil in warm water to get rid of all the earth ,from there on I wrapped damp moss around all the roots and place back in the pots and watered well ..I used pure RO water to water them bu tmaybe I should use my tap water its at 50ppm salts and other things
Marks Shrimp Tanks don’t use the tap water. You say the moss is damp, I’m thinking maybe it’s not draining too well. It should drain pretty quickly. Should be potted relatively loosely, not tight and packed in. Hope this helps!
You probably have air pockets where your roots are from not contacting the moss. Gotta make sure you squish it in there, but not too tight.
I used to use mixes but now I just use pure live sphagnum in net pots.
Don't give Nepenthes a lot of nutrients. Many types of Nepenthes are located in the lowlands, prefer an acidic environment and are poor in nutrients. I use a mixture of mashed bricks and charcoal (for the base), then top it with sawdust, fern roots (mixed). Next, top it with cocochip, cocopeat, gravel, roasted husk, perlite (mixed).Then put in a pot, sprayed / soaked with anti fungicide, wait a few moments. Then drain it, pour lots of water.Then plant it, and for aesthetics, around it, cover the media with living moss and living spaghnum moss.
EDIT: Providing a lot of nutrients prevents "the trap pocket" from enlarging because the nutrients are obtained from the soil, not from insects. If you want to get bigger, support the trap pocket with a supporter. Because if it hangs, the trap pocket can't be expand, because in the wild, the trap pocket is sitting on the ground (supported by the ground) and makes it very large because the plant knows the stem of the trap pocket will not be broken.
Have you seen his other videos? This guy really knows what he is doing. But yes high nutrients isn't good.
How can you tell if your nepenthes is happy with the mix it is in or if you need to add more/less drainage while repotting next time
Can you use pumice instead of perlite? I can't find plain perlite in my stores (lowes/walmart), it's only miracle gro perlite which I've read not to use fertilizer w my pitcher plant. Just got my plant today
always love good info. thanks for taking the time..
thanks Joseph
Do you have an opinion on the "carnivorous soil" pre mixed options
can you put charcoal in the media?
Hello, i would have a question for two specific plant i Will have (my two first nepenthe/carnivorous plant), im whaiting for a spectabilis × ventricosa and a fusca sarawak, what mix should i use for a dry environnement (windosill) should i use for thos two something like 70% sphagnum and 30% perlite? My only problème with the mix i would ray le how dry my environnement is (40-55% humidity) thanks!
that campanulata is awesome, where did you get and do you think they have it at california carnivores.
It is probably a Borneo Exotics plant, I got it from BE as I am the Canadian Distributor for there Nepenthes. I’m not sure who has them In Stock In the states
thanks!
oh and also can you make a video about that plant, it is very interesting
Are there any other plants, like orchids, that you could use your mix of Orchiata pine bark, large perlite (sponge rock) and NZ Spaghnum moss for?
there probably is because i see orchids in that stuff all the time
Yes, these three ingredients will work for 99% of orchids in the correct proportions
Mine came in these little ceramic balls... I honestly don't feel like it can get any nutrients from that. Any thoughts toward the ceramic balls?
Its not supposed to get nutrients from the substrate.
Oh no,I understand thanks
I'm planning on buying nepenthes but I don't know which one to choose. Can you recommend an easy one? I'm thinking maybe maxima x ventricosa or miranda. I live in Australia.
Miranda or ventrata are good for beginners
I’m sorry that this was confusing... I am in Tennessee and have had a hard time locating Pings and when I have they are expensive... are they difficult to grow? Just a general question-
how much are they?
not super hard to grow if you know about plants
Why are Pings so expensive? I find them hard to find and high priced
I'm not sure I understand the question. What price and where?
go on california carnivores. they have good veriety and they are cheep. p.s. sorry for spelling bad
I've been wondering the same for cephalotus follicularis
can I use any other tree bark instead, such as Indian redwood tree ?
I don't know sorry
ok
Is this good for droseras aswell?
For some yes but not for all
What media worked well for your venus flytraps? I was thinking on putting a LFS and perlite mix together. Thanks
Why cant I just use pure live sphagnum for everything?
Do you know answer?
Is/are there any Nepenthes spec. that will stay small until its fully grown?
I mean like 2-4,5inch (5-12cm)...
AND especially it has to be a Lowland Nep.
Can you or anyone out there help me, please? Thankyouuu!!
You could try campanulata or bellii both are small. If your in Canada I can help you with those. If not, then you would have to source them yourself.
Thanks man!
Noo i'm from Germany... so, thats a little tooooo far :)
Wow, Campanulata is such a beauty, maby I'll try this one!
California carnivores is $18.95 plus shipping and Amazon $32.00 plus shipping for pings
Kathy Macomber well as a small Business myself trying to sell plants I can see $18.95. $32.00 is high. I hate $20 plants I make nothing off them, here is an example (think Canadian dollars.
How much profit is in A $20 Plant Sale
-25% for taxes to the government = plant now has $15 profit.
- Let’s say $7 cost of the actual plant after imports, shipping to me. Now plant has a cost = $8 profit
-$3 for pot, potting media, electricity, etc =$5 profit
-$2.50 to invest back into the company for improvements and expanding future stock = $2.50 profit
-$2 to invest in the company as Coverage against lost of plants/dead of plants in general... so if something happens plants can be replaced as business can survive = $0.50 profit.
$2.50 Packaging and vehicle gas to drive to the post office to ship it. Negative $2 profit
Money for my time to source the plant, arrangement for getting it to me, care, maintenance, propagation, getting the plant to the purchaser and anything else missed above.... nothing. No money left for this.
Lost $2 on this plant.
All I can hear is Kermit the Frog