D. paleacea spp. stelliflora

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hey all I was on a picture spree today so I snapped a photo of my D. paleacea spp. stelliflora and it's flower stalk. Enjoy!

 

[noah]

beautifull! What soil mix do ou use for your pygmies?

-noah

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hi noah! This guy is in a mix of 50/50 peat and playbox sand. I switched to a course grade silica sand though...it drains better and is 100% safer too. And I don't have to keep grinding up perlite for "mimic" sand conditions.

 

[Greg Bourke]

I've recently been to the site where this beautiful taxa grows. The soil is laterite. This soil type is very difficult to replicate using common substrates. All I can suggest is to make the top 20-50mm of the pot very coarse with no peat at all! This allows the surface roots to breathe. Expanded clay may work. Something to experiment with!

Greg

 

[CP2k]

Laterite is very pricey for a soil mix, and it is not common to the states. Expanded clay is not too difficult to acquire by mail order. Most of the pygmies grow well enough in peat:sand though.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

For laterite specifis requirements, I make a mix of laterite (available here from aquarium supply dealers) and sharp sand. I use this for the top dressing of about 4-5 cm. It works well with the summer sensitive pygs, and also for the petiolaris complex plants. I feel the iron in the laterite also contributes to a good coloration in the plants.

 

[Greg Bourke]

Yes Tamlin. I'm sure the Iron effects plant colouration. I'm wondering if other metals present in the soil effect plant growth. Perhaps an experiment with trace elements may be useful.

Greg

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hmm I wonder if I should try my Nepenthes trace fertilizer for an experiment. Any thought on that Greg or William?