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Any UK growers use fertilisers?


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I'm looking to see what products UK growers use as fertilisers? I see Maxsea is very popular however it is very difficult to source here in the UK. Anyone use any other alternatives?

 

Many thanks.

I use orchid focus grow for all of my nepenthes every two week.

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I fertilise my Dionaeas, Sarracenias, Droseras, Utricularias Darlingtonia, Cephalotus and temperate Pings with a foliar feed of Miracle Gro Acid (pink and yellow box), the one for Camelias and Rhododendrons.  I use a quarter of the dose recommended for houseplants every 2 weeks.  Just don't use it on Queensland Drosera and Mexican Pings.  If I grew Byblis and Drosophyllum (my nemesis) I'd use it on them too.  I also sometimes use it on Heliamphora if I remember.  

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hehe,i have used it on neps , sars , pings , cacti , tomatoes and chillis at a strength of one cap full to 8 litres of water for the carnivores ,that was the recommended strength for propagating /transplanting on the bottle and was also the weakest mix on the back of the bottle,i feed the pings and neps every few weeks with it and only did the sars once,ooh and cephs nothing seems to of reacted badly so far

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I use Orchid Myst as a folia feed on my Nepenthes about once a month, plus about four weeks ago they got the first of their bi-annual caffeine fixes. There's a definate growth spurt going on, but whether it's any more than normal summer growth, i have no way of telling as they ALL got a dose :biggrin:

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Guest paul y

From experience, I would fertilize CP's only with extreme caution. I certainly wouldn't fertilize VFT's and Sarracenia, they just don't need it.

Why do growers think that CP's need this feed, some people are obsessed with fertilizers.

because you can go from germinated sarracenia seed to adult flowering plant in  2 years under lights and skipping dormancy, same with vfts, really weak doses sprayed on drosera seedlings makes them grow like rockets, orchid food for neps if they are kept in tanks makes them grow well,  ive wasted time going round feeding drosera with fish food flakes now I just spray them once a month and they grow really well regardless of prey capture.

I agree that caution is advisable using food, but cps certainly benefit from it.

regards paul

Edited by paul y
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i think cp's in the wild come across more nutrients than some think,pure RO or the like contain nothing,most in situ pics i have seen of cp's they grow alongside many other plants that do not have the ability to eat bugs.

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i think cp's in the wild come across more nutrients than some think,pure RO or the like contain nothing,most in situ pics i have seen of cp's they grow alongside many other plants that do not have the ability to eat bugs.

Some of the largest rainforests are fertilised with desert dust from thousands of miles away. Point being even rain can carry fertilizers. Feeding RO water to sphagnum moss is a good way of starving your plants, lol...

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I occassionally fertilise my plants when I can remember or have time but only certain species Heli's Cephs and Nepenthes, I never fertilise flytraps or Sarracenia, some plants seem to really benefit from it. But just dont over do it. Orchid fertiliser works really well for me but you can get really green plants and loose some colour and natural characteristics when over used, and this can make them more vunerable during winter with all the soft new growth and fertiliser left in the soil if you root fertilise. I cant remember how many times I have killed a pitcher or one has died prematurely from over feeding.

Edited by mattynatureboy44
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I frequently fertilize Heliamphora, Nepenthes and Cephalotus with Growth Technlogy Ionic Hydro Grow hydroponic nutrients. Growth Technology also make Orchid Focus which is mentioned earlier in this topic. I typically mix it with RO water at a EC solution strength of 0.75 mS/cm (half strength)

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Many many years ago I fertilised Cephalotus with half strength seaweed fertiliser into the pitchers. Never had any problems and certainly no fast burn out. I also went to the extreme of doing the same with Sarracenia seedlings, by injecting drops of fertiliser through the lids.

 

Recently I took up fertilising a Darlingtonia clone I was hoping would grow well but I'd accidentally ruined several new pitchers. I'm just adding fertiliser to the stumps to make up for the lost traps. It'll not do any harm at least.

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Guest paul y

more experimenting and research is needed in this subject,  cps are nutrient greedy plants, that's indicative in the fact that they evolved these carnivorous mechanisms just to keep up with their own nutritional needs, the fact that plenty of non carnivorous plants have evolved in the same habitats and have thrived without the ability to catch and digest insects proves that cps are big fat greedy gluttonous plants.

the ec of peat straight from a bag is around 1.1, which is a good starting point for feeding chillies and others in hydro systems, cps repotted in fresh peat experience a growth spurt because of this level of nutrients already in the peat.

plus this obvious point, if its possible to overfeed a cp with nutrients means its a given fact that they can absorb and use these nutrients, if the amount of food is reduced below the point of harm then it will have benefits to the plant.

paul

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I wouldn't say that CP's were greedy feeders,despite what Paul said. Part of their ability to compete with other plants comes from them being able to survive fire, which is very important.

I have heard that fertilizers can bring on Sarracenia and shorten the cycle from seed to flowering. I have heard that it can make them very soft and they won't survive a hard winter. I also understand that repotting seedlings every two months with Sarracenia can make them grow fast as well.

I have used quarter strength Phostrogen on Helis and Nepenthes. Be careful with your Neps though, too much doesn't do them any good.

Richard doesn't feed his Mexican Pings but I  feed my P. moranensis to good effect.

I think that when in doubt about feeding, don't.

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Richard doesn't feed his Mexican Pings but I  feed my P. moranensis to good effect.

I think that when in doubt about feeding, don't.

Reason why I don't is because the fertiliser I use is for acid plants. Peter D'Amato said it melts Mexican Pings.  I'd maybe consider a seaweed fertiliser on them though. 

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Guest paul y

it appears I need to add a little context to my earlier statement that carnivorous plants are greedy and gluttonous, the vast majority of plants on earth lets say 99% for the sake of argument have evolved to thrive in the environment they are typically found, as in a typical cactus will thrive on the nutritional content of a substrate that matches its natural environment. 

sphagnum peat bogs contain many different species of plants that have over time evolved to accept and thrive in the acidic low nutrient content substrate that is typically found in these environments, these environments contain carnivorous plants.

some of the worlds rainforests which are typically very high nutrient environments also contain carnivorous plants.

of all the known species of plants on earth there are several known species that have gone against the almost mandatory law that you must evolve to accept the nutrient content of your environment.

those species of plants are the ones we all cultivate, they have in no other terms completely ignored the normal evolutionary path of plants and through various ingenious, unparalleled means and with sublime efficiency decided to supplement their diet through capturing and digesting various forms of prey up to and including mammals. 

cps are merciless indiscriminate killers of anything that comes their way and can be caught and digested, every single insect or otherwise that meets its  death at the hands of a cp is with the sole intent of boosting that plants nutrient uptake.

I may be on my own on this and I don't particularly care but the sight of a near metre tall flava pitcher full to within an inch of its lip with struggling flies and that pitcher is just one of eleven that are all full the same way with what must be hundreds upon hundreds of flies all to feed a plant that fits in a 2 litre square pot can to me be described as nothing else but greedy gluttonous and a perfect example of a plant that compared to any other found in its natural environment has evolved to get as much food as it can.

id hazard a guess that several hundred dead flies blended into a pint of water will give you quite a rich nutrient profile fluid, the thought nauseates me but id imagine it has quite a high ec and poured into the pot of any plant would give it a significant feed.

using chemical or organic foods must be approached with caution when feeding cps but that in no way precludes or negates their benefits, I have no idea what their use may have on a cps asbestos rating however,

and that david is despite what you say.

regards paul

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