6 replies to this topic

[Mujician]

I'd like to get a nepenthes or two, just to go in a lot somewhere in my house. Which species are the most hardy? I'd like something which grows large pitchers. Purely so it's easy to plonk in a cricket or two (I have lots of crickets due to keeping large numbers of reptiles.) I believe the bathroom or kitchen is the best place for them which is good because they both get lots of light too.

Finally, do nepenthes grow gemmae, or produce baby plants/pups or is it only possible to reproduce them by pollination?

[Flytyer]

N Ventrata Alata is an easy one to grow IMO. Mine are still only small (the stem standing about 6" tall) but one of the pitchers is already big enough to take a cricket.

The easiest way of propogating them is to wait until they produce offshoots. One of mine had a small plantlet when I bought it at B&Q last year and it's now about big enough to plant out into its' own pot - best done in the spring or early summer though I suppose....

Not sure about growing from seed, but some of them are very slow growers. You do have to be careful about whether the species is highland or lowland; highland plants are a lot easier to grow than lowland species, which need constant high temperature and humidity throughout the year.

[Richard Bunn]

N. ventricosa is a nice easy species and it's also one of the parents of the easy N. x Ventrata. I can only go on how successful my plants in the living room window are doing for the past 2-3 years.  I have a glabrata, a sibuyanensis and a jacquelinae but they're too new to award the 'thriving' labels.  glabrata has small pitchers though as far as I know.

[carni grower]

Sanguinea should be a good one for the house also easy to grow. hope this helps

[Blocky71]

Hi
I'd also like to add some Hardier  Neps into a greenhouse area i'm currently building, would these suggested varieties do ok in this enviroment?, also would they need to be brought indoors over winter.
thanks

[Blocky71]

Hmmmm, just read up a bit and it seems around 5c is the lowest the highlands will tolerate so there's the issue....... I don't want to heat my greenhouse over winter and i don't want to have to bring hoards of plants indoors over winter.....
I guess i'll just have to settle for a couple then, any suggestions if you could only have 2/3 plants?

[Richard Bunn]

Yes they would be ok during the summer.  They are pretty much ok with temperatures down to around 8-10c.