The nepenthes can convert the protein into usable energy....
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Nepenthes feeding
- Thread starter Tony Paroubek
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I feed all my Neps with a pillbug ever two or three weeks. God i pamper them
As an amendment to my earlier post.....
I did not end up using any prepared foods. I tried one batch of live crickets but found that all just too fiddly (not to mention the cost). I tried adding 1-3 drops per pitcher of skim milk in a few, but did not like the reaction (some browned and some got mould).
In the end good old Mother Nature took over the feeding for me….
With my glasshouse now being almost 8 months old I have had several colonies of small black ants settle in the gravel base. They seem to have some in due to the warmth and copious amount of available nectar. The ants in turn feed My Neps.
In most cases, once a pitcher starts producing nectar, it only takes a few days to get a nice fill of ants.
I also have the roof vent open 24/7 at the moment so there is also a constant stream of other flying bugs (namely wasps) coming into the glasshouse.
There is also a large number of spiders moving in (presumably in response to the ants and other insects) so I’d imagine some end up being food as well.
Great to see that the Neps have needed up taking care of themselves!
Aaron.
I did not end up using any prepared foods. I tried one batch of live crickets but found that all just too fiddly (not to mention the cost). I tried adding 1-3 drops per pitcher of skim milk in a few, but did not like the reaction (some browned and some got mould).
In the end good old Mother Nature took over the feeding for me….
With my glasshouse now being almost 8 months old I have had several colonies of small black ants settle in the gravel base. They seem to have some in due to the warmth and copious amount of available nectar. The ants in turn feed My Neps.
In most cases, once a pitcher starts producing nectar, it only takes a few days to get a nice fill of ants.
I also have the roof vent open 24/7 at the moment so there is also a constant stream of other flying bugs (namely wasps) coming into the glasshouse.
There is also a large number of spiders moving in (presumably in response to the ants and other insects) so I’d imagine some end up being food as well.
Great to see that the Neps have needed up taking care of themselves!
Aaron.
Aaron, allowing the plants to accomplish what they were designed to do, I also find is the best method. I definately agree that feeding crickets to each pitcher can be quite fiddly, especially if you have ALOT of mouths to feed.
As for the skim milk method, the plants would not normally receive this for nutrition, and also leaves a pungent smell in your pitcher and maybe growth of unsightly mould.
You will find that with some spiders, they will make their home in an old pitcher to get their fair share of the ants. hehe.
I was quite surprised when I peered into the pitcher of my khasiana today and found a little lizard. He probably fell in whilst attempting to get some bugs. That's the food chain for you! And I don't know how well the pitcher is going to digest it but I'll see how it goes over the next week.
C
As for the skim milk method, the plants would not normally receive this for nutrition, and also leaves a pungent smell in your pitcher and maybe growth of unsightly mould.
You will find that with some spiders, they will make their home in an old pitcher to get their fair share of the ants. hehe.
I was quite surprised when I peered into the pitcher of my khasiana today and found a little lizard. He probably fell in whilst attempting to get some bugs. That's the food chain for you! And I don't know how well the pitcher is going to digest it but I'll see how it goes over the next week.
C
hi i'm from finland and i have a vft and a couple of nepenthes hybrides
when you feed your nepenthes with fruit flies...
do you grow them yourselves? and how do you grow them, because they are so small and i think that only a few of them won't be enough for the big pitcher plants. can they be bought from petshops or something like that?
and can nepenthes digest plantparts like leafs that fall into the pitcher? are they any good for the plant?
when you feed your nepenthes with fruit flies...
do you grow them yourselves? and how do you grow them, because they are so small and i think that only a few of them won't be enough for the big pitcher plants. can they be bought from petshops or something like that?
and can nepenthes digest plantparts like leafs that fall into the pitcher? are they any good for the plant?
Ok, most people do NOT grow the flies themselves, as i think that it is kinda hard to do so. They can be bought from pet shops (at least here in the U.S. i don't know about Finland). They are definitely enough to feed the plants, especially if there are a lot of bugs. Eventually (depending if you have an ant problem or not), you will get some ants wandering in to the pitchers. Those who survive tell the queen about the 'wonderful nectar' and voila! Lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast, and so on, come to the plant for you. This happens more if they are grown outside, or in a greenhouse.
I don't know if plant matter is unhealthy for the plants, but i'm mostly sure that it cannot be digested. I do think that i will take up space in the pitcher that would otherwise hold precious food though, and that's bad.
BTW, i have another name as NepenthesMaster.
Welcome to the forums fromFinland, i hope i was of some help.
I don't know if plant matter is unhealthy for the plants, but i'm mostly sure that it cannot be digested. I do think that i will take up space in the pitcher that would otherwise hold precious food though, and that's bad.
BTW, i have another name as NepenthesMaster.
Welcome to the forums fromFinland, i hope i was of some help.
I think that plant matter can be digested to an extent.
In fact, some have postulated that N. ampullaria has evolved to catch whatever falls into it's pitchers from above. One person did a study of pitcher contents(I wish I remember who and where that article was) and ampullaria pitchers seem to have mostly detritus in those locations.
Cheers,
Joe
In fact, some have postulated that N. ampullaria has evolved to catch whatever falls into it's pitchers from above. One person did a study of pitcher contents(I wish I remember who and where that article was) and ampullaria pitchers seem to have mostly detritus in those locations.
Cheers,
Joe
I found a $7 can of freeze-dried crickets in the reptile section of the petstore that was packed so full of them I think they're even cheaper than the live ones. Much easier to feed.
One food that should be easy to use would be found in any fish store called carnivore food sticks. They are large but can be broken up and dissolve easily when wet. I feed them to my Bichirs and occasionally my catfish. They are the best for my nasty fish, they have a balance of all the necessary nutrients.
how many pellets did you put? I thought I heard somewhere that each pellet contains the different elements. SO feeding just one pellet maynot do anything as its only one element in an equation requiring three pellets?
I put about 2 pellets in each pitcher. The largest pitcher reaching about 10cm(4") in height. I tried this on 3 pitchers with different color combinations.
The pellets are clearly colored green, orange, yellow, greyish.
A color for each element perhaps?
The growth of the new leaf is good. It's quite a bit bigger in comparison with the older leaf. But nothing super special.
I'll try to measure the new leaf compared with a older one later.
The pellets are clearly colored green, orange, yellow, greyish.
A color for each element perhaps?
The growth of the new leaf is good. It's quite a bit bigger in comparison with the older leaf. But nothing super special.
I'll try to measure the new leaf compared with a older one later.
From carnivore to detritivore? Isotopic evidence for leaf litter utilization by the tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes ampullaria[b said:
Moran JA, Clarke CM, Hawkins BJ
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
164 (4): 635-639 JUL 2003
Abstract:
Nepenthes pitcher plants trap prey in specialized leaves formed into pitchers. Most lowland species live in open, sunny habitats and capture prey to obtain nutrients, principally nitrogen (N). Nepenthes ampullaria is commonly found under closed canopy forest and possesses morphological traits that indicate adaptation to trap leaf litter as a nutrient source. We tested this hypothesis by comparing foliar stable N isotope abundance (delta(15)N) between plants growing under forest canopy at 20 sites (litterfall present) and those growing in 20 open areas (no litterfall) in Borneo. Foliar delta(15)N values were significantly lower and total N concentrations were higher for the plants with access to litterfall. Using a mixing model, we estimated that N. ampullaria plants growing under forest canopy derived 35.7% +/- 0.1% of their foliar N from leaf litter inputs.
That's a good question, and requires a bit of understanding of biochemistry.[b said:
All life on earth uses three basic building blocks, categorized as proteins (made up of amino acids), carbohydrates (made from sugars), and fats (lipids). These are obviously used to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of life. However, they are present and necessary in all terrestrial life of which i'm aware. And here is the reason:
carbohydrates are used for (typically short term) energy storage and transport (ever hear of "low blood sugar"?) and structure (cellulose in plants). Lipids are used for cell and other membranes (think "skin" for separating cells and parts of cells). Proteins are used for the "machinery", like the "factories" that convert sunlight to chemical energy (photosynthesis) or convert chemical energy to mechanical energy (muscles). Obviously this is a simplification.
Anywho, carnivorous plants exhibit a classic tactic that could be called "resource exchange". They take a resource they have in excess and use it to obtain a resource they don't have. They use the abundant energy (sunlight), water, and carbon dioxide (from the air) to produce excess sugars, which they use for bait for insects. These insects are made up of (in part) protein, which provides the plants with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, which are all scarce in their habitat. So the plants are trading their extra sugars for proteins. This is why people try to use high-protein foods for their carnivorous plants: protein is what the plants are unable to get from other sources.
As a side note, i don't believe that the enzymes in the plants attempt to capture energy from what they digest. They are simply trying to get at the raw resources. As mentioned, energy is not really a rare commodity in a healthy CP habitat.
You are totally right! The only thing that carnivorous plants need is nitrogen which can be found in the base structure of every amino acid. If a plant wants to take energy from external sources, it would digest fats; in fact they are the best sources of energy because of their long carbonium chain riducted with hidrogenum.
seedjar
Let's positive thinking!
I just saw this question and PM'ed the following answer to Laura, who felt I should share it with the class:[b said:
According to the Savage Garden, and several other secondary sources I've found online, it is suspected that the upper pitchers of N. lowii are adapted to attract birds for their feces. The upturned lids of N. lowii's upper pitchers secrete a white goo (I think it's a thick nectar) from between the spines on the underside. Birds have been observed to land on the broad peristome, straddling the diameter of the pitcher, and eat the goo from the lid. When they defecate, it falls in the pitcher. I haven't seen any primary literature on this, but I think I've seen it suggested that some of N. lowii's relatives are also converging on this strategy. Strange huh?
~Joe
I get a five gallon bucket, add a plop of GrowMore Liquid SeaWeed fertilizer, a few drops of Superthrive and add water to dilute this. I can-ladel each pot with this blend every few weeks. I then go on with my life! Geezzzzusss too much fuss to tend with dead, frozen, dried, freeze-dried, live, chilled or even wild caught hushpuppies! No burns, no blackened, no malformed, no premature death, no discolored leaves, traps or growth.
leave the bug capturing to ne[enthes, remember its their evolution to attract, capture and utilize bugs, not their training of us to get food for them (FEED ME SEYMOUR!!!!), they've been here when all the continents and islands were all connected, I'm sure they'll be around after we're far gone too!
Just a mindful expression of mine. Don't take it seriously!
Aloha from lala land!
MM
leave the bug capturing to ne[enthes, remember its their evolution to attract, capture and utilize bugs, not their training of us to get food for them (FEED ME SEYMOUR!!!!), they've been here when all the continents and islands were all connected, I'm sure they'll be around after we're far gone too!
Just a mindful expression of mine. Don't take it seriously!
Aloha from lala land!
MM