Nepenthes northiana

[NickHubbell]

I am thinking about purchasing a Nepenthes northiana. I have been looking at photos of the plant and just love the urns. I have found several good sources for the plant, but before I buy, has anyone else grown this plant?

I understand that it is a lowland and requires a alkaline soil to survive. For those that are growing this plant, what soil mixtures have worked best.

As for growing conditions, I am able to provide high humidity and lowland temperatures. 70-75°F at night, 85+°F during the day.

Thanks,

Nick

 

[swords]

I read that "alkaline" soil remark in Savage Garden too but nobody I asked seemed to think it was as detrimental as the book states. I have it planted in plain long fiber sphagnum moss (not peat moss) mixed with some charcoal and all seems to be going well but I will say as far as lowlanders go it seems to be awful slow at settling in and getting going on the pitchering. It usually seems that when I put lowland neps in my lowland tank they do well immediately but this guy seems a little slow, plenty of leaf growth but I might be giving it too much light...

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Northiana being planted in an alkaline media will give you a dead Nepenthes. Contrary to belife that D'amato and a few others state it does best in an inorganic soil is also false. It should be planted in any approved Nepenthes soil mix. I have mine in pure Long fiber sphag. and it is very healthy. Northiana will take a LOOONG time to settle in and produce new growth after shipping. The leave and tendrils will be misformed for a while before it puts out new growth. Also Jeff Schafer has a very large Northiana specimen that he has had for a while! Jeff, care to add to this?

 

[mindmaze128]

Nick

You might want to do a search in this forum and on the CP listserver for info on Northiana, as there is a lot of information already there. As for me, I really can't say that Northiana is too difficult, although I've only had mine for around 6 months. I keep it outside in my shadehouse with the rest of my Neps (with humidity fluctuations, direct sun sometimes, thunderstorms, bird attacks, etc.) and it's doing very well. It has produced pitchers en every leaf (except one tendril which died for some reason

), and the leaves have gotten progressively larger (as have the pitchers).

The one thing that I have noticed is that it doesn't like water sitting on the leaves for too long. It used to have a leaf spot problem, but I started spraying it regularly with captan (along with my other neps) and that problem has gone away. According to Mr. neps, this plant can get very large in a few years, so it's not really a good terrarium plant (just look at his plant for heaven's sake!!!

). I forget what mix I have mine in, but I think it has vermiculite, charcoal, sphagnum, and maybe orchid bark (not sure about that though).

I hope N mapuluensis manages to get into TC soon, because that's another awesome Nep!!

And that's all I have to say about that...

Jœl

 

[neps]

Nick,

You might find the information I have posted on my site about this species to be of
interest.  Here is a link to the main page: home.
From there, click on "Cultivation List", and then select the link to the page for N. northiana.
Above all, keep in mind that if you are successful with this species, it will become huge
(over 1.3 m in diameter).