N. campanulata appreciation thread!

[pmatil]

Here is my Campanulata. Just noticed some yellowing on the center of a few of the leaves. What do you think, is it serious?

 

[mato]

Has it been experiencing cooler temperatures lately?

 

[pmatil]

Not really. I have a heated terrarium with temp set at 28C (82.4F) day / 20-22C (68-72F) night. Also the blackening pitcher is weird, and on one side only? Could it be a sudden drop in humidity?

 

[Clue]

N. campanulata -- on the left is a rooted basal of a reddish clone from MT and on the right is a BE clone.

 

[thez_yo]

Wow, is that yours, Clue? That's gorgeous!

 

[Cindy]

@Clue I see burnt earth as media!

 

[pmatil]

Very nice setup there, Clue. Interested on the media type as well.

 

[NatchGreyes]

Oh, I have updates, too.

This one is the best photo:

More at my blogpost on N. campy.

I've found that it really responds well to limestone chunks in the media. I do think that there must be something in the limestone which promotes growth of this species, as it has certainly responded very well to the limestone.

(On that photo above, some of the leaves look a bit damaged. That's from an inadvertent cold snap. The newest growth is back to normal. The moral of the story is don't let your lowlander tank get down to 55 F).

 

[Clue]

Wow, is that yours, Clue? That's gorgeous!

Hey Zu, yeah, it is, although I can't take any credit in the N. campanulata plants as they're recent acquisitions. Putting the arrangement together was certainly fun, I should have taken some pictures of the process (especially smashing the tufa for the miniature cliff). I fear that as the plants get larger, the aesthetic probably won't be as effective, but that is if I don't kill them first!

@Clue I see burnt earth as media!

Sharp eye, Cindy. Burnt earth isn't available in the US, but the vendor I bought the BE plant from actually brought back a few bags of burnt earth from Singapore to test on the species (he wasn't having much luck before in sphagnum mixes). Pete: His mix is burnt earth with Orchiata (pine bark infused with dolomite), which I simply transferred into the planter. It's been interesting trying to figure out a watering schedule for this mix.

I've found that it really responds well to limestone chunks in the media. I do think that there must be something in the limestone which promotes growth of this species, as it has certainly responded very well to the limestone.

Do you have other plants of the species in more conventional sphagnum mixes, Natch? I'm not trying to be dismissive of the limestone addition, but I've heard a lot of conflicting reports on what the species actually needs and it could just be that your plant took a while to settle in to the new conditions before taking off. On the other hand, the vendor I received the BE plant from claimed that N. campanulata would grow well in sphagnum mixes for several months before a slow but inevitable decline and credits the high mineral content (he said water flushed through it was ~200 ppm I think) and looseness of burnt earth for his more recent success. I really have no opinions on the growing medium for N. campanulata, but I wasn't willing to throw away usable mix (especially when burnt earth isn't something you can get again stateside).

Also Pete, any updates on your plant? I had a few outdoor Nepenthes plants several years back that were dropping roots because it was too wet and they had similar damage.

 

[NatchGreyes]

Do you have other plants of the species in more conventional sphagnum mixes, Natch? I'm not trying to be dismissive of the limestone addition, but I've heard a lot of conflicting reports on what the species actually needs and it could just be that your plant took a while to settle in to the new conditions before taking off. On the other hand, the vendor I received the BE plant from claimed that N. campanulata would grow well in sphagnum mixes for several months before a slow but inevitable decline and credits the high mineral content (he said water flushed through it was ~200 ppm I think) and looseness of burnt earth for his more recent success.

I do not have other plants of the same species. I do, however, have several different campy hybrids. Obviously, that's not quite the same. Anecdotally, however, the hybrids with limestone are performing better than the ones in a more traditional mix.

I concur with his assessment that most pure campys grown in a regular sphagnum mix do decline slowly in time. Many start the decline with slightly smaller leaves which are also more brittle than one would expect. In time, the plant sort-of peters out. (Of course, there are exceptions and you can find those readily online).

I would not be surprised that the plant would do well in burnt earth. It appears to be similar to the native "soil" of the cliff-faces. It should also leech minerals at a fair pace. (Much faster than limestone, I would think).

 

[thez_yo]

Hey Zu, yeah, it is, although I can't take any credit in the N. campanulata plants as they're recent acquisitions. Putting the arrangement together was certainly fun, I should have taken some pictures of the process (especially smashing the tufa for the miniature cliff). I fear that as the plants get larger, the aesthetic probably won't be as effective, but that is if I don't kill them first!

Oooh. Are they available in your neck of the woods? I'm seriously going to try to make it for the Potluck, assuming work doesn't send me out of state. I've got some room for a tiny little campy in my terrarium...

 

[Tanukimo]

Oooh. Are they available in your neck of the woods? I'm seriously going to try to make it for the Potluck, assuming work doesn't send me out of state. I've got some room for a tiny little campy in my terrarium...

You have a terrarium? I thought all of your plants were on your balcony?

 

[Ngantnier]

Do you think N.lowii x campanulata would prefer a mix containing APS which I assume would be similar to burnt earth? I'd been thinking of dropping my specimen in a larger container, as it's in a net pot so root disturbance should be minimal, and wonder if APS would be a good addition?

 

[Cindy]

@Clue: I think I know who he is...If he is one who inquired about where to get them.

Btw, burnt earth does compact over time so his addition of pine bark is good. Usually, I need to water on a daily basis. And change media every 6 months to a year.

 

[Clue]

Oooh. Are they available in your neck of the woods? I'm seriously going to try to make it for the Potluck, assuming work doesn't send me out of state. I've got some room for a tiny little campy in my terrarium...

I'm not entirely sure anymore, I was not expecting to see any for sale at the BACPS' Show this year, but there they were.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/19323483852" title="N. campanulata by Clue-peata, on Flickr"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/407/19323483852_48baa16d7d_c.jpg" width="534" height="800" alt="N. campanulata"></a>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/19303443686" title="N. campanulata by Clue-peata, on Flickr"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/379/19303443686_c53239d626_c.jpg" width="534" height="800" alt="N. campanulata"></a>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/19141942368" title="N. campanulata by Clue-peata, on Flickr"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/340/19141942368_f261cc5c85_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="N. campanulata"></a>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/18707009834" title="N. campanulata by Clue-peata, on Flickr"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/299/18707009834_ebf28b6422_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="N. campanulata"></a>

The sphagnum is there to keep the burnt earth in place and a little more moist to cut down on evaporation. The Singaporean dollar coin is a little larger than an American nickel.

I would grow these in a regular pot and with the rest of my Nepenthes, but I'm bringing this in a terrarium to university this fall... got to keep myself entertained somehow.

 

[pmatil]

I just noticed my Campanulata has started to grow a basal. Not sure if this is a good or a bad thing as the mother plant made smaller leaves during the summer and the browning on the leaves is there again. I would like to know what is causing this...

 

[Clue]

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/23503996173/in/dateposted/" title="N. campanulata"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5764/23503996173_53ebd9194e_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="N. campanulata"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

My rock has grown into its looks a little bit.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/23997660339/in/dateposted/" title="N. campanulata MT"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/23997660339_db5b19e4a9_z.jpg" width="521" height="640" alt="N. campanulata MT"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

MT baby finally has some red!

 

[Benurmanii]

By far my favorite lowland species, I hope to acquire one some day.

 

[Red Lowii]

That's so awesome Clue, I was awaiting an update on your rock experiment, seems to be working splendidly!~

<a rel="nofollow" data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/23503996173/in/dateposted/" title="N. campanulata"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5764/23503996173_53ebd9194e_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="N. campanulata"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

My rock has grown into its looks a little bit.

<a rel="nofollow" data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61904224@N05/23997660339/in/dateposted/" title="N. campanulata MT"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/23997660339_db5b19e4a9_z.jpg" width="521" height="640" alt="N. campanulata MT"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

MT baby finally has some red!

 

[thez_yo]

You have a terrarium? I thought all of your plants were on your balcony?

I've got a small terrarium on my desk at work as a sort of ICU and test space for plants that might grow better in the heat or with more regular daylight hours. Right now it's got N.peltata, N.tentaculata maroon spotted from the now defunct Hortus Botanicus, D.paradoxa, a campy hybrid seedling that I'm pretty sure was N.(boschiana x campanulata) x platychila that actually sprouted for me, and a H.minor. I moved the N.hamiguitanensis out a month or two ago and it's still not doing anything, but it got too big for the terrarium, so I have to figure out what to do with it I guess. The same thing happened with my N.clipeatas so I put it in with them with the orchids to see if it picks up on the good role models

Anyway, I still don't have a campy in and of itself. But I do still have some lovely campy hybrids:
N.campanulata x maxima from AW.

N.boschiana x campanulata (lower, because I gave the plant a huge haircut)

N.thorellii x campanulata (lower, because I gave this one a haircut too)

N.'Nephthys'

..here's a pitcher that's still growing in. The green lid/red body is really interesting.