New pics and questions

[moonflower]

hello

i posted some pics of my Home Depot rescue for an ID a month or so ago, and the plant has grown considerably since. i'm in a before-and-after kinda mood,so here goes:

BEFORE: if i recall correctly, it was a tossup between an N. ventricosa or an N. x 'ventrata'

AFTER: well, you tell me! to me it's looking more and more like a ventricosa, but i'm not 100% sure.

the largest pitcher, at about 1 3/4"

just thought this turned out a nice pic...

soo... what do we think, does it like me? i do have a few questions though... most importantly, why does my nep look like a bush and everyone elses' seem to be nice and compact, with everything coming from one growth point? there are at LEAST five growth points going on here, though it is a TC plant so i wonder if that's why. also, repotting. do i need to repot this guy anytime soon? how big/what kind should the next size be? i have no place to put a hanging pot, and i needs to be able to handle an 8-hour trip in a cramped car at the end of august. some soil "recipes" would be helpful too if i do need to repot it thanx again!

 

[seedjar]

I think that you've probably got a more mature plant than you think. Those extra stems aren't a TC mutation as far as I can tell; Nepenthes just put out more growth points as they get older, filling out the pot much like yours. Your plant is just as compact as any of mine, the only difference is that there's five stems in your one tiny pot. If you repot I'd try to put it in a pot that's at least two inches larger than that one, maybe more if you can. Very handsome! I agree with the ventricosa hypothesis.
~Joe

 

[Zongyi_Yang]

Looks like a ventricosa to me. The pitchers look exactly like the early ventricosa pitchers I had, as well as everything else like the rounded tentril to leaf attachment, red stripe down its back, and red tendrils. I kinda like the bushy look over the single vine look.

I don't know about the repotting, but it looks fine to me. I have bigger neps in pots the same size and their doin fine. Zongyi

 

[jimscott]

And you are doing a great job in cultivating it!

 

[Treaqum]

looks like ventracosa to me. And since it is probibly TCed it is probibly ventracosa 'Red' but you'll have to wait until later to determine that.

 

[RainforestGuy]

If it came in that reddish terra cotta looking plastic pot, then it is N. ventricosa from San Francisco Nurseryman's Exchange. I'm surprised that it didn't come with a wire stick label showing the photo of the pitcher plant on it. The tissue culture clone came from the Exchange by way of Agristarts III
(http://www.agristarts3.com/) and grown out in SF. The clustering growth is the outcome from the tc process.
You're doing an excellent job for recovery of the plant. When transplanting it, be sure to use a more well draining media. SFNE tends to use just pure coarse peat (the cheapest media on the planet) and this will prevent the plant from becoming its true potential for size and character.

Michael

 

[endparenthesis]

You might as well think of it as having five different plants. Some of them may be basal shoots, but eventually those will separate off I believe (or you can separate them if you want... I think bushy looks cool).

My vote is for ventricosa too. It's the lids... wide and droopy.

 

[moonflower]

awesome, and a history of the plant too

yes it did come in this pot, the tag was a cartoonish picture of some kind of tree with a caption reading "Asian Pitcher Plant of DEATH" or something to that effect. the pot is a *very* thin plastic that crushes easily when touched, i don't know what the underlying soil is like but the top layer is pure LFS, of a seemingly decent quality too.

i'll probably repot it before i go back to school, since a) i'll be strapped for cash pretty much immediately after i step out of the car and b) wal-mart is not known for its variety of specialty CP-growing items. i like the bushy look too, i just thought mine was weird after flipping through so many nep pics

(p.s. for a mix, would something like 2:1:1 peat, perlite, and orchid bark, possibly topped with LFS, work? just so i can shop around!)

 

[RainforestGuy]

Nepenthes ventricosa is very forgiving and will grow in any mix that holds some moisture, yet is free draining. By end of summer it should look somewhat like a juvenile vent with red coloring and maybe even a waisted middle trap!

Best if transplanted into a six inch pot (or hanging basket) and placed in an airy, well lit area. See feeding on an earlier post and do not use Miracle Grow! N. ventricosa responds very favorably to some fertilizers and will reward you with a huge plant in no time!

Do not divide it as each unti will be set back and will take longer to get established. In due time you'll be making more rooted cuttings from the long viney tops that will need frequent pruning to stay within bounds! Meanwhile, enjoy the plant getting bigger at each leaf and more colorful and bigger pitchers.

This is a good beginner's plant and can grow to huge proportions in short order.

M

 

[emilias_garden]

Hello Moonflower! You have there a beautiful and healthy ventricosa. Congratulations. The plant really likes you

It looks exactly how looked my baby ventricosa plants 6 months ago and now they all look like this one bellow:

So prepare yourself to have beautiful all red pitches very soon

Congratulations!
Jorge Joel...
Emilia's Garden

 

[jimscott]

Quote[/b] (moonflower @ June 26 2005,9:31)](p.s. for a mix, would something like 2:1:1 peat, perlite, and orchid bark, possibly topped with LFS, work? just so i can shop around!)

That's a good, standard mix. I also top mine off with the dried pine needles, as per Maehem's suggestion. seems to work and the price is right. We should have some pine trees on the Island, right?