Live from the Greenhouse (2)

[Hans Breuer]

N. spathulata - definitely a lowlandable highlander!

N. gracilis

And some Ant Farms in all of their leafy splendor:
Lecanopteris sinuosa

Lecanopteris pumila.

 

[Capslock]

Great stuff in both posts, Hans! Congrats on the new brood of gracilis!

Capslock

 

[rattler]

i love the Lecano's, wish i could get mine to do that well

 

[Hans Breuer]

Thanks for the nice words, muchachos!

As to the lecanopteris, I 've found that treating them exactly like any lowland swamper nep (raff, amp etc.) yields best results. While I my other ant plants do not like it too humid (I had one quite large Myrmecodia sp. New Guinea rot away in a very wet terrarium), all my ant ferns (lecanopteris sinuosa, l. pumila, l. luzonensis) absolutely thrive in steamy surroundings.
I keep them in the shadehouse, which is open to the elements. It's been raining continuously for five or six weeks, and the lecs have almost doubled their leaf production, making taller and taller leaves, all brimming with spores, too.

How do you grow yours?

H

 

[rattler]

been growing it with my highland neps, maybe i should move it in with my D. falconerii for awhile and see if it helps

 

[Hans Breuer]

Quote[/b] (rattler_mt @ June 20 2006,12:46)]been growing it with my highland neps, maybe i should move it in with my D. falconerii for awhile and see if it helps

My initial knee-jerk reaction to this would be "get them away from the highlanders asap!" When my highlanders really start taking off (around late October), that's the time the lecanopteris start pouting; and henceforth, nothing less than a warm and womb-y terrarium will do until May.

 

[rattler]

really and thats odd cause the person i got it from says they have done wonderfully with his highlanders. he must be the exception, will move it in with the D. falconerii and paradoxa this afternoon, they are in about a constant 85F with 90% humidity

 

[Sev]

...What's that weird and vaguely fungoid looking thing in the bottom picture?

 

[rattler]

thats where the ants live, its part of the fern

 

[Hans Breuer]

Yup, that's what it is. With L. pumila, it getsta be real big, too: This baby weighs in at a hefty three feet plus. It resides in a tropical plant nursery in Southern Taiwan.....I didn't even dare to ask the price of this divine creature! Speaking of prices, what do L. pumilas retail for in the States? Here in Taiwan you pay up to twenty smackers US for a three-inch specimen....

 

[rattler]

$20-30USD for a small but established specimen in a 4-5cm pot the problem. in the states is that there seems to be alot of demand and lil supply. i recieved my lil guy in trade for Utrics about a year ago so it didnt cost me anything

 

[rattler]

its pretty bad when the most reliable source for them is ebay

 

[Hans Breuer]

Might be just a wild thought, but......considering the extremely slow growth of l. pumila (I guess the big guy in my previous post is at least 20 years old), many of those that make it onto the market are poached from the wild, which would explain their scarcity.
As I said, just a wild thought, ...I'll be happy to be proven otherwise.

By the way, mine's making spores these days! Little yellow powderbags at the tip of the leaves - on the upper side, at that!