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Do you need to feed Heliamphora in a terrarium?


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I see that many growers grow Heliamphora in terrariums, and from the posts I have seen they grow very nicely in these conditions. However, how do they receive nutrients if the terrarium has a lid/hood as surely insects can't get in? Do people artificially feed them, and if so what with, or do they survive without needing nutrients?

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Hi,

you shouldn't feed your Heliamphora. That causes that the pitchers die more early as otherwise. I only water them a few times a year with orchid fertilizer. I only put in 1/10 of what you actually should put in.

Regards,

Michael

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Hi.

I use orchif fertilizer (half dose) for my Heliamphora once a month. I just fill the pitchers.

The plants seem to appreciate.

François.

Edited by Sockhom
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Hi all,

i´m also using liquid fertilizer for my Heliamphora, about every 5-6weeks, and the pitchers are not dying at all, as François already said before. :D

A few years ago i used to give them "Mehlwürmer" (ooups, sorry, i don´t know the english word). I cut them into 2 pieces, otherwise they can damage the pitcher and even get outside the pitcher.

This method off course only works with adult plants. But in my opinion the effect was even better as with the fertilizer. :D But a not so good effect is that the pitcher is dying much faster than usual. :wink:

For juvenile plants only fertilizer works.

Best regards,

Dani

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Guest Andreas Eils

Good morning!

A few years ago i used to give them "Mehlwürmer" (ooups, sorry, i don´t know the english word).

mealworms :wink: This may help you in such situations...hihi: http://dict.leo.org :D

I cut them into 2 pieces,

You brutal person!!! :D

I feed small (not bigger than approx. 1 cm in length) house crickets (Acheta domestica) to my Helis (and also Neps), but I put them only into older pitchers anyway. One cricket only per pitcher about every three months. Additionally I put some Osmocote perls into the soil (depending on size of the pot: between 1 and 3 perls!!!) once yearly. But you have to be careful to use only the perls containing long term fertiliser (yellowish to brownish in colour in my case)! Some packages contain also perls with instant fertiliser (white or bluish ones in my case)!

But adding some splashs of heavily diluted fertiliser into the pitchers is a very good method indeed. :D

My two pence!

Adios, amigos!

Andreas

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If you're going to fertilise Nepenthes and Cephalotus, why not add the fertiliser where it should be, in the pitchers.

A half strength liquid seaweed fertiliser syringed into the pitchers once a month.

I did it years ago with my Cephalotus and seedling Sarracenia ( you need a needle on the syringe for those).

Results were encouraging, no problems.

I don't do it now as they do fine without it.

Why complicate things :wink:

:smile:

When it comes to Heliamphora it's the same treatment.

In this case it's unnecessary to fertilise using Osmocote.

Overflow will naturally flow to the roots.

May be advisable to flush through occasionally to prevent a build up of surplus minerals/ fertiliser in the compost.

Edited by FredG
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they grow fine without so why risk it? I never fertilise mine

Well Stephen, probably because other plants need to be fed.

Therefore CPs MUST need feeding

I don't do it now as they do fine without it.

Most will skip that bit in my post :smile:

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they grow fine without so why risk it? I never fertilise mine

Maybe because your plants grow in a greenhouse where some preys might wander, don't they?

Wer're talking about sealed terrarium, Stephen.

Awesome Heliamphora by the way.

François.

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Hi all,

Stephen, but you are forgetting one very important difference in the cultivation. :wub:

Your plants really are looking good.

But as i can see on the picture you are growing your plants in greenhouse, most of the others are growing their plants in closed terrariums or aquariums, perhaps because they don´t have a greenhouse. In my case it´s so.

After your plants are growing in a greenhouse of course they have something to "eat" during spring, summer and autumn :smile: . Only during the winter not.

Plants that are growing in closed terrariums or aquariums have never in their hole life insects to "eat". So in this case it´s necessary to fertilize them a few times a year. :wink:

There is the same problem with other plants that are cultivated in closed terrariums or aquariums, like some Pinguicula, Utricularia or Drosera.

Best regards,

Dani

P.S.: I have needed to long for writing, lol.

François has mentioned it already.

Edited by Daniel O.
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After your plants are growing in a greenhouse of course they have something to "eat" during spring, summer and autumn

Since when?

I have yet to see the results any of my Cephalotus or Heliamphora catching prey.

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If CPs don't catch any prey then where do they get nutrients from?

There are many other plants in bogs that are not carnivorous.

Terrestrial orchids are a good example.

Where do they get nutrients?

They are adapted to grow with the minimal nutrients available.

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Of course your plants are "catching" something during the warmer season, thats totally normal. One of my hybrids is growing on a windowsill and there are not so rarely insect inside. Why should they catch nothing?

quite, I rarely see prey in Heliamphora pitchers...
but sometimes, that´s enough.

Also in bogs there is rotting bio mass from leafes and dead insects, so they have there more minerals than grown in peat or sphagnum in a closed terrarium or aquarium, where at least is no rotting material.

Best regards,

Dani

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Of course your plants are "catching" something during the warmer season, thats totally normal. One of my hybrids is growing on a windowsill and there are not so rarely insect inside. Why should they catch nothing?

I would trust my eyes more than your assumptions

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My words are no assumptions, they are facts. :wink:

For a intelligent human being it is easy to understand that in a greenhouse there are more insects and bio mass than in a closed room or terrarium.

Surely nobody is looking every day into the pitchers of his Heliamphora, but perhaps you have so much time to do this, i don´t know and i don´t want to know. :wub:

Bye the way all owners from nurseries are fertilizing their plants, or what do you think?

This is not an assumption, that are facts. Ask them.

Also Stephen has mentioned that he rarely has seen prey in the pitchers, but rarely is not never.

Mobile wanted to hear the experience from other growers, and a few other growers and me only wanted to help. You don´t need to attack us, but that´s what you are doing.

I wanted only to explain how i´m cultivating my plants and don´t wanted to have a discussion about biological and chemical aspects from that you obviously don´t seem to have any knowledge.

Perhaps it´s really better not to explain our growing conditions and not to discuss about some things, but perhaps that is a little bit help for growers who are not sure what to do. They would have the loss in this case.

We all have understood, that you are not a big supporter of fertilizers. :smile:

For me the "discussion" has ended here. It´s not worth to loose so much time for such a dicussion with no real sense.

In future i will not try to help anymore, sorry for my try.

Good night,

Dani

Edited by Daniel O.
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Guest Andreas Eils

Gentlemen,

you don´t want to argue, do you? :wub:

If the question is: Is fertilising necessary? - The answer may be: No! It can be beneficial for the plants (Nepenthes, Heliamphora, Cephalotus, Darlingtonia, Sarracenia) when carefully applied. How senseful fertilising is depends certainly on a couple of factors: Which water and what soil is used. If you water with rain water and your soil contains a good part of peat (or also bark) then fertilising may be obsolete. My Heliamphoras and Nepenthes for example grow in a substrate mix with almost NO nutrients: 50% dried New Zealand sphagnum, 20% perlite, 20% lava rock and only 10% peat (My Nepenthes substrate also contain a little rock wool and charcoal). I water mainly with pure distilled water (once monthly with tap water). In my case fertilising appears to be very senseful, and I have good results with using Osmocote. I don´t use rain water anymore as with the years a lot of crap rinsed from our house roof has gathered in the underground barrel. And I ruined a lot of plants with that water! :D You see, under certain circumstances even rain water can be unsuitable for our plants!!!

Of course when applying fertiliser into the traps you don´t need Osmocote in the soil! :smile:

Daniel is right! Most professional growers of CP´s such as Thomas Carow, Rob Cantley and Christian Klein fertilise their plants and also recommend their customers to weakly fertilise their plants (except Drosera, small Utrics aso. :wink: ). Whereas Andreas Wistuba tends to discourage from fertilising CP´s.

It´s a matter of deliberating. More important are other growing factors such as sufficient light, required temperatures, suitable soil compounds, quality of water, humidity in some cases. If those factors aren´t correct, fertilising may do more harm than benefit of course.

Best regards,

Andreas

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