Succumbing to French Roast Pressure . . .

[BigBella]

But still I'm curious of what kind of coffee you are using.

I think that the type of coffee is immaterial, though I haven't ever used instant. I like darker roast coffees, French or Italian Roast; but most any of them should just be fine. Don't over-think it . . .

 

[thez_yo]

My Nepenthes drink what I drink: dark roast Sumatran. Figure they're closer to that than Ethiopia anyway so it works out for them? I think I dilute to less than my drinking strength but it's still pretty dark. Coffee-grinder full of beans to a French press and dilute that in a gallon or two of RO.

I haven't ever used instant either - the way it tastes I'd be afraid it would melt the roots right of 'em.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

Thanks for reviving this thread. Coffee will become part of my regimine very soon.

Do you think this would be beneficial to species like northiana?? Don't tjey live in lime stone areas? Making it more alkoline? Or am i off base?

 

[BigBella]

Thanks for reviving this thread. Coffee will become part of my regimine very soon.

Do you think this would be beneficial to species like northiana?? Don't tjey live in lime stone areas? Making it more alkoline? Or am i off base?

Regardless of N. northiana's supposed requirement for alkaline environments -- it also requires its fair share of nitrogen, which coffee can also provide (though the chemistry behind the apparent benefit of coffee still remains unclear). Many growers opt for composts that are pumice-perlite-vemiculite based to duplicate that environment; but coffee shouldn't be an issue . . .

 

[BigBella]

Here is another update; the leaves are all developing quite well and increasing in size . . .

Nepenthes villosa 31 May

28 June

 

[Heli]

Wow that's incredible David, how old are those seedlings? Im sure that by the end of the year those plants will be like 2" across.

 

[BigBella]

The plants are something on the order of fourteen months old -- slow-growing highlanders; and here's a shot of those four from last year . . .

Nepenthes villosa: 3 July 2011

 

[Whimgrinder]

Dave, I'm curious....do you have a control group for comparison? Its easy to assume the relatively quick growth is due to one factor (coffee) but without a control group, you can't say its the sole influence factor. (Not trying to be contrary, I just think controls are very important when measuring stuff like this)

Thanks for the update.

Paul

 

[BigBella]

A relevant question, Paul . . .

Last year I had a tray of some eighteen Nepenthes macrophylla seedlings from Trus Madi of similar age and miniscule size -- another glacially-slow and related ultra-highland species, that served as an informal control (and only because I didn't want to risk dumping coffee or fertilizer upon them until they had gained some size and produced something aside from cotyledons); and during the course of twelve months, they barely exceeded 7 mm in diameter.

A second, smaller group (six or so) was treated similarly to the N. villosa; and with, apparently, equal success:

Nepenthes macrophylla

In my view, the coffee probably works in a similar vein to the peat "tea" that growers, myself included, had used for years, in an effort to re-acidify the compost; and I would also rather smell brewing coffee than a fetid bog in my kitchen . . .

 

[JRFxtreme]

Earlier this month I bought a coffee press and some starbucks medium roast columbian that was on sale. I gave it to all my neps at roughly half strength and although I can't confirm any difference in growth size or speed just yet (or ever, since I have no control group), some of the plants have turned a deeper green. Additionally, it could just be a coincidence but one hybrid that I find difficult to pitcher has made it's first pitcher of this year and several mirabilis and a x leessii have decided to bloom. Prior to the treatment I had one mirabilis bloom with no signs of buds in the others, now I have about five more that have just put out flowers.

Like I said, it could just be a coincidence but things are looking good.

 

[Heli]

Thought I would give a little more evidence on this subject.
Nepenthes villosa's first leaf after coffee treatment. Not super dramatic but a nice size increase nonetheless.

 

[Veronis]

I did, however, dilute the coffee a bit, simply because my tastes run toward the pitch black with roughly the texture of gelatin.

lol same here, David. Nothing like a cup of bold dark robust coffee you could arguably consume with a fork..

Wow this thread has been around a while. Thanks for all the updates and info. This is very informative.

 

[Smitty]

I have finally succumbed to the French roast...

I felt I had to dilute the first pot I brewed because it was so strong the smell made my nose hairs retreat into my nasal cavity.

 

[mato]

Here are a few examples of plants exhibiting impressive new growth since I began using coffee at full strength a couple of months ago.


vogelii

singalana x hamata

sibuyanensis

veitchii x lowii

lowii x truncata squat

sanguinea

At the moment, I alternate bi-weekly between root flushing with urea free orchid ferts and root flushing with coffee. Nothing else has changed, save the cafe.

 

[Smitty]

you and bigbella have made me a believer for sure

I will start incorporating it as well into my fert program on a couple of specimens.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I've been told not to do it so much. I've been doing it once a month. I've done it twice so far. It's been three weeks and I got a bunch of new plants and I'm eager to do this again, as its helped out a ton with sphagnum. I always do a flush two days after. How does it sound if I did once every three weeks for six weeks, then I bumped it up to once every two weeks?

 

[mato]

I've been told not to do it so much. I've been doing it once a month. I've done it twice so far. It's been three weeks and I got a bunch of new plants and I'm eager to do this again, as its helped out a ton with sphagnum. I always do a flush two days after. How does it sound if I did once every three weeks for six weeks, then I bumped it up to once every two weeks?

I'd say once per month is more than enough to achieve the results you want. Unlike fertilizer, the results of coffee don't seem noticeable immediately after application, but seem to show up a bit later. However, if you're intent on doing it more, just make sure you thoroughly flush the media or else you're going to have some serious decomposition issues. I'm not sure if you've ever left coffee out too long, but it doesn't exactly take a long time for mold to show up. If you just want to see your sphagnum grow, why not separate some in a terrarium and only treat that biweekly?

 

[BigBella]

Here is the latest Nepenthes update, from last week:

Nepenthes villosa 28 June

1 August

 

[mato]

Seems to still be working wonders, David. I see that your pots are growing that green/carpet/non-sphagnum moss (don't know what it is); have you noticed an increase in it since using the coffee? I never had it in my pots until I began coffee fertilization and have been in the habit of pulling it out wherever it appears. Looking at your pots, however, it seems like it's sort of a non-issue.

 

[BigBella]

I see that your pots are growing that green/carpet/non-sphagnum moss (don't know what it is); have you noticed an increase in it since using the coffee? I never had it in my pots until I began coffee fertilization and have been in the habit of pulling it out wherever it appears. Looking at your pots, however, it seems like it's sort of a non-issue.

I have to trim / remove both the sphagnum and the other invading moss on a regular basis; had I not, you would not have been able to see much of the plants themselves. I don't think that coffee is any direct factor, since many of my pots that don't receive the same treatment (the flytraps, for example) seem choked with both . . .