Nepenthes soil mix?

Apoplast

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Hello my Canadian friends,

After a bit of a hiatus from growing plants, and being here (during which I missed my friends here), I am trying to start again. It's more of a start and stop, but I really want to get back to growing the plants I love.

So to be honest, I've kept my tuberous Drosera. I couldn't give those up. Telling, I know. I also kept a few Mexi Pings as they seem tolerant of quite a bit. Against all odds, I've been able to design a soil mix I like for them awhile back. I'm using 1/3 Gnat Nix, 1/3 Turface, and 1/3 coarse vermiculite. Works great!

But, now I am feeling vulnerable to fallacy of the single soil solution. I've been thinking about using this for my couple remaining Neps, and perhaps even if I expand getting a couple new species.

Before I do this, I figured a good reintroduction to this forum would be if I asked folks here what soil mix you prefer for Neps. I've tried, LFS and live LFS. I've done more of a bark epiphyte mix. Nothing works. The only species I've had good long-term luck with is N. pervillei. And that one I have in a similar mix to my Mexi Ping mix but with granite chips.

So, I'd be interested to hear from successful folks what soil mix they use. Thanks everyone!
 

Carson Hardy

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Hi apoplast,

Welcome home?

I am by no means a proficient nepenthes grower, but I have yet to kill any (other than a cutting that didn't take). I have seed grown plants, and tissue cultures plants, and store bought ones too.

I use 50/50 peat silica, exactly what I use for my sarracenia. I top it with live sphagnum, keep then in domed grow chambers, and never mist.

Not necessarily an answer for you, but, that's my experience so far.

Goodluck getting back into the hobby!

Carson
 

WillyCKH

CPSC Moderator
Staff member
I find that most of my Nepenthes do well in LFS mixed with perlite. Some of the easier species are not picky at all, they would grow well in peat mix and LFS. The temperature and humidity could be more important to Nepenthes.
 

Apoplast

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Thanks all! Probably like anything in horticulture. Some general guidelines, but it's all about what works for you. I'm going to give my new Mexi Ping mix a whirl. Hopefully all goes well. Or at least better than previous efforts.
 

Shoggoths

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Nice to see you around Apoplast.

Like you, I did a bit of cleaning in my set-up. At first, I collected all sorts of CPs that I could but realized that I was neglecting a lot of them and rather than let them wither, I gave them to focus on a few species I like the most. Pinguicula and Cephlotus.

I recently lost my big Roridula :( I tried to fertilize it and it looks like it didn't work well ...

About your question, in my growing conditions, I found that the Nepenthes are doing well in unholed pot. My mix consist of LFS, perlite, vermiculite and turface. I mix with the eye but probably equal parts. When the pot go dry, I put water in it. The nepth are flooded sometime. I found that when I water from above, the leaves prevent the water from reaching the pot and the roots. In fact, water falls everywhere except in the pot. I think this is an indication that the nepths I keep does not like water that much ... anyway. Since then, I let the pots dry a lot before watering/flooding them again.
 

Shoggoths

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Hello Will,

Perhaps because I'm lazy or because I have it in hands ...

Also, I don't have access to coarse sand. The only silica sand I can find is too small. Like I said earlier, I think I'm not growing my nepth the standard way. In the no hole pot, if I only use perlite and LFS, when I flood the pot, the perlite rise to the surface. The turface mixes well with LFS and provides some support and drainage capacity to the mix. But maybe that's all happening in my head too :)

A few years ago one of my coworker sent me pictures of nepenthes growing in Africa and they were in nearly pure sand so it made me lean towards a different mix.

7636
 

Carson Hardy

Carnivorous Plant Addict
If you crop the bottom of the photo you could have fooled me into believing those are sarracenia. What an interesting form on those guys
 

WillyCKH

CPSC Moderator
Staff member
Are those Nepenthes madagascariensis? I'm always fascinated by them living in Africa.
 

Lloyd Gordon

Cactus micrografter newbie.
Staff member
I've noticed that sometimes my Neps do best in shallow pots of LFS, where the roots go out the bottom of the pot and form a gelatinous mat on the surface of the tray.
 

Apoplast

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Salut Shogg - Great to hear from you! I can't even seem to get my neps to grow with any organic matter in the pots. But I do think Turface is pretty decent. Good to know someone else is using it.

Willy, those nep roots are crazy! If I held any of my neps in standing water, especially with organic soil, I guarantee they'd have rotted off for me. Really interesting to see how different people can grow with success. For example, I am a strict mineral soil xerophyte grower. But there is a great commercial grower here in town who uses a peat mix. He does great where I'd rot everything in the same circumstances. I guess you never can tell.
 
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