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Ventrata uppers and fertility


jimothy

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Hi there.

My largest ventratais now just begining to vine (i think) and so I did bit of searching to see what the upper pitchers would look like when they form.

The pictures I could find showed quite alot of variability, but on the whole, there didn't seem to be a great deal of difference between uppers and lowers, so that left me wondering whether i should just prune it back to get bushy growth intead.

Now I think I remember reading somewhere that the most common clone of ventrata is infertile, in which case there's no point leaving the climbing stem intact in order to get flowers - can someone confirm this if true?

I'd also be interested to see photos of ventrata uppers, if anyone's got them, just to make sure I'm making the right decision, thanks.

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I havent heard of vents being infertile Jim but the majority seem to be TC from a single clone... The good thing about vining is the possibility of cuttings and flowering of course...I know many on the forum have had flowering vents and am sure you will get your answer (of which I will be all too eager to hear as well!!)The uppers on mine are not hugely different but hopefully a flower is forming so may have piccies in future.. good luck

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My N. x ventrata - Shrub Form... as it has been cut back so many times over the years.

So do I assume all those pitchers are lowers, or have some of the shoots reached the point where they are producing uppers again? they all look much the same to my untrained eye.

Also, I dug out the threads that referred to the "deroose" clone of ventrata being infertile. Apart from the label (long gone), are there any other distinguishing features of this clone? I noticed that my plant's pitchers are a lot darker than 90% of the ventratas I've seen photos of, and have a much more ventricosa-like peristome than most as well, but presumably at least the first of these details may be put down to growing conditions...

It's all VERY confusing, isn't it? 8-[

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Guest Aidan
My N. x ventrata - Shrub Form... as it has been cut back so many times over the years.

So do I assume all those pitchers are lowers, or have some of the shoots reached the point where they are producing uppers again? they all look much the same to my untrained eye.

The pitchers all look much the same to me too! I have let the plant vine to around three metres before now and I don't recall there being a spectacular difference in pitcher type. Nor has it ever flowered. This is a very old plant and it is possible that a different clone is being supplied these days.

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Heres a semi-upper on my plant:

ventrata.jpg

Later on the uppers turned pure yellow, I really like the contrast they give. Red pitchers below and yellow up high!

*edit*

Heres one I just took:

ventup01.jpg

Please excuse the plants raggedy appearance, I recently went away for a week and I think my neighbor let the soil dry a little too much.. :D

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TC neps with fertility issues:

Gentle, Miranda, Judith Finn, Ventrata, diatas (one of the BE clones...or so I hear)

Of course, the same does not apply to the same crosses from seed.

Pretty much all of Deroose's plants are screwed up.

Heres a pic, if yours looks like this...its infertile:

http://www.derooseplants.com/en/select_pla...antWebInfoId=59

If yours flowers, I'd just cut the stalk off. I can't think of any good crosses that have been made with ventrata...probably because there aren't any.

Edited by phissionkorps
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To make that bushy form, by cutting back, do you replant the cutting into the soil?

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Guest Aidan

I do try, but my success rate with Nepenthes cutting has been abysmal. If you are asking whether I stick cuttings back in the same pot, the answer is no.

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  • 3 weeks later...

IMonty,

I want to give you USEFULL Informations....

I have a Nepenthes ventrata and I live in Italy. My plant is a female and did develop a flower. I found some male pollen and I succeed to produce seeds and the seeds ARE FERTILE!

So...no wrong information please!

NEPENTHES VENTRATA IS FERTILE!

You will have more chances to get new plants crossing your plant with a PURE SPECIE. By crossing it with another hybrid you will have more difficulties ( less chances to have new plants ).

nepenthes_ventrata_lower_upper.jpg

This is the difference between upper and lower pitcher of my ventrata for example!

Hope you find usefull this reply!

Bye!

Mr_Aga

Italy

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So...no wrong information please!

NEPENTHES VENTRATA IS FERTILE!

the suggestion was never that ALL ventrata are infertile, but that there is a single clone in mass production that is.

Just out of interest, how big is the lower pitcher in your picture there? It looks a bit immature, or maybe it's just a very different clone to mine...

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Jimonty,

The lower pitcher was probably from a young basal shoot of my 2 mt high plant.

It is a common ventrata like all the others in aspect.

I think that most of ventratas are fertile.

It is hardly to believe that it can be a plant that is not fertile.

Bye!

Mr_Aga

Italy

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