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Nepenthes soil recipes

Just curious what people are using in their mixes. Please share your recipe or just tell us what secret ingredient you are using with some results success, no difference, or some difference.

For example I use black volcanic cinders, pumice, and red volcanic cinders in some of my mixes. I also use the dust from tree fern fibers (hapu'u) on my rarer seedlings like N. hamata with excellent root growth through this media.

Share any thoughts on this?

Michael
 
I use peat, coconut fiber and sphagnum moss. And sometimes a little bit of rocks.

But most of mine are still in the pots I bought from you, so whatevers in there.

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I experiment with alot of different "things" in my soil recipes. I'll list what I can think of but these are not all together just what I've tried.

Coco fiber
Coco chunk
ground Coco
Groton
red/black lava rock
Pumice
gravel
sand
leaf mold - (Ficus, Hibiscus, Dracaenea, Oak, Maple, Cordyline, Ferns, Epiphyllum, ...etc...)
Compost - (Hibiscus bloom, Day lily bloom, banana, orange, Fig, Cork bark, oak bark.....etc...)
Bacteria
Fungi
Protozoa
Nematode
LFS
Peat
Top soil
River Dredge
Cork bark
Caudex (Beaucarena recurvata)
Worm castings
Aliflor
Laterite
Gauno
Sponge
Foam
Clay
Lime
Sulphur

I can't think of any more right now

Joe
 
60%spaghnum10%peat 30%Perlit
 
Has anyone tried (or heard of) New Zealand Fir Bark?

tried it?


M
 
Hi Michael
never heard of the NZ fir bark,ijust use pure LFS for 90% of my plants but a few have pine chips in it and oakleaf mould is added sometimes for a more richer mix.
 Bye for now  Julian
 
Hi Everyone,
One of our new additions to our Nep mix is Corbitt brand NO FLOAT Cypress Mulch which you can find at Lowes for around three dollars. I would not use any other type of Cypress Mulch because it may be a blend of other woods, some of which might be pressure treated and poisonous to Neps.
Compared to orchid bark or fir bark, it is so much less expensive. Another problem with fir bark is the rate of break-down or decomposition. Anyone who has grown Neps for several years knows how this can be a problem - also true for LFS.
For those of you who experiment with new additions to your mix should be warned that, while at first the plant may seem to benefit, once the mix starts to decompose the chemical and ph properties may change - yealding negative results in the end.
The Corbitt NO FLOAT Cypress mulch (blue and gold package) is clean, environmentally harvested, very inexpensive, and the Neps love it! We've used it for a while now with great results.
Our other mix ingredients are: Lambert brand Canadian sphagnum peat moss mixed with Aliflor, fine grade pumice, sponge rock (puffed perlite) and dried long fiber sphagnum moss. Neps are not that picky about the mix, as long as it is acidic and has good drainage.
 
One of the things which I am really big on are the coconut husk chips. They act as little sponges. Nepenthes roots can grow into and through them. They are incredibly slow to decay! I have unpotted plants from the first time I started using them several years ago and they are slightly darker but still fully intact! Just be sure to buy quality chips and soak well just incase there is any salt in the husk.

I have also been playing around with coconut coir in place of peat moss to give my mix a little more 'soil' feel and take up some of the space between the perlite, husk chips, lfs. It is not quite as fine as peatmoss so has better drainage and should be very resistant to decay as well.

Maybe I will look into the cypress mulch at Lowes. Only problem is they would only have it a few months of the year up here. So I would need to stockpile it or do without if I ran out in the middle of the Winter. The word CHEAP does have appeal though! I am always looking for new things that will give the results I want at the best price hehe.
 
  • #10
Tony,
Neglected to mention the chips. Love 'em for the small plants, but they can hold too much water for plants in large pots if used straight up.  Even the pre-washed, ultra clean coconut chips still need several rinses before use on Neps.
Check out the Corbit mulch. Three bucks for two cubic feet definitely brings down the potting overhead.
 
  • #11
I have to repot a couple of nepthes soon and am planning on 40% spag, 25% peat, 25% silica sand and 10% cypress mulch.  Does that sound like a good mix?
 
  • #12
Jan,
Save the sand for your Drosera and Sarracenia. Increase the cypress mulch (again, be careful!! Not all brands are created equal. Most use scrap pressure treated lumber mixed with the cypress and is poisonous), and you should be fine.
 
  • #13
I'm relatively new and inexperienced with Neps, but I get the strong impression that they require an airy mix. So I try to emulate those with the experience. I am currently using a mix of peat, sand, LFS, and on top - dead pine needles, as per recommendation from Maehem. They are growing and pitchering, so I don't argue with that.
 
  • #14
Can't argue with success, or as the old adage sez: Don't fix it unless it's broke.
 
  • #15
Well now that my Neps are in a bog the mix varies to each plant with waht it was originally potted in but is fairly consistent throughout:
1% Volcanic rock
5% vermiculite
30% sand
20% sphagnum peat moss
4% live LFS
40% LFS
 
  • #16
Oh and there may be some perlite and treefern bark as well as verious leaves
 
  • #17
I use the same thing Tony uses. I'm a beleiver!... in the coconut chips
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Thankyou Sir.
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A little charcoal, perlite, choped lfs, and that's it. Never really dries out, but not too wet either.
 
  • #18
Thanks guys great responses.
Trent better get some stock in the cypress mulch, I'm gonna run over to Lowes and load my van with it. But its not $3 a bag here, more like $6 a bag (for shipping).
I used to use this pine bark mulch until I read on the label that it conatins steer manure (gross).

Tony, I also like the coir coco peat, but wish there was a source for that inexpensively. The small bricks cost way too much for use on everything (I use it on the rare stuff), wish they came in a bale the size of the coco chips do!

Keep the responses coming. Has anyone tried Osmunda fiber (We don't get it here, but I hear its perfect for orchids, anyone tried it on nepenthes?)

Also has anyone tried chicken grit granite? I buy it from the feed store for a few bucks a bulk 50# bag! I use it like perlite, but doesn't float like the latter, and helps keep soil porosity good even when the coco bark, fir bark and LFS has broken down.

Michael
 
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