albinkolano Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 I'm thinking about starting to fertilize my neps. I've read some about it and some people says that it works another that it doesn't..... What's the truth? How many of you fertilize your plants? Do you see any results? If fertilizing is good thing, how to fertilize then? Osmocote, orchiid fertilizer? What's the best? What's is giving better results? Watering with fertilizer, adding fertilizer to pitchers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul O'Keeffe Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 Never looked into fertilizers personally so don't know much about that subject but I grow a few neps on my windowsill and grow very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Cornish Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 A much argued subject! I'm of the opion that if you want to give your plants a boost then put a few crickets in the pitchers. It's a simple as that. After all that's what they do best. Regards Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hingst Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 (edited) For me it is just like that: Each plants do need nutrients. If there aren't enough in the soil, or in the rain, plants developed such elusive strategies like carnivory. If you grow your plants in nutrient poor soil, and water with poor water, then they should at least have the ability to catch as much prey as in habitat. If you do not have that many insects in your home (or greenhouse) as in a Borneo jungle perhaps (I hope you don't ) it may be a good idea to feed them a bit. With Nepenthes it is quite easy to do it the natural way (without the risk of over-fertilizing) - but think of e.g. Uticularia! Regards Martin Edited July 20, 2008 by Martin Hingst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 I fertilize mine, although not often and not very regularly. Many of them grow in soil types that do contain nutrients, although in small quantities. Some also grow large and healthy root systems and presumably obtain much of their nutrients through those. As i grow orchids also, i occasionally give them a spray with orchid fertilizer and i've also used osmocote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albinkolano Posted July 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 And as to feeding them with insect. Has anyone tried to feed neps with dried Daphnia? I don't know how is it called in English but almost everyone in Poland use it for feeding aquarium fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Generally no, I don't. although I am sort of experimenting as previously mentioned.. Btw.. I would have thought you would need an awful lot of daphnia to give a nep a good meal.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jk Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) I don’t know about growing Neps indoors, but my Neps that are growing outdoors benefit from fertilization. I think the light level needs to be high enough for the plant to photosynthesize the fertilizer, otherwise fertilization will not make much of a difference. I use an organic fish extract because it doesn’t have salts, which can build up in the medium and suck the water out of the plant. The fertilizer is applied to the growing medium at half strength every two weeks, or that's the plan at least, and sometimes it's poured into the pitchers. Here's one of the fertilized plants. Edited July 21, 2008 by jk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Green Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 jk - thats a good advert for NOT fertilising, there aren't many of us that could accomodate a plant that huge Nice plant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 jk, Very nice plant Is it a hybrid, perhaps alata x cokacola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Magee Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Jk I have to tell ya, If my neps got that big and started drinking MY soda, I would have to cut them down to size! I wonder if it was the coke that made it so big (It works on people, why not plants?) ... You might want to start thinking about putting that nep on a diet as it could stand to lose a few pounds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 JK - not sure what else to say except WOW!!! Thats one hell of a plant!! Got an error yesterday trying to vote on this. I dont fertilise my neps but I am considering do so at the moment.... Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amar Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 that is insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeevoe Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Kinda irrelevent, but if you put a seed of a plant in a totally non-nutrient soil, and only gave it ion free water, would the plant grow very well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 It really hard to be certain how much fertilizing really helps, however my N Northianas which i've had for quite a long time now, and never grew much, have recently started to get much larger (vs 2cm when i got them) and are a very healthy dark green colour, coincidentally perhaps, but recently they've had some fertilizer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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