Pot size for neps
 

Anyone knows if pot size and depth is important for the growth of neps, given that the soil media is the same? Some planters says that growing neps in bigger pots are better than smaller pots bcos it gives them the space to grow bigger. One knowledgeable guy say that given the nature of carnivorous plant, neps tend to grow better and grow more cups if planted in smaller pots especially if they have more than one plant in a pot bcos they tend to compete with each other for space and growth and by having more cups, they will have more nutrients to grow well. I have 2 pots of nep grown with small pots but yet grows to 10 feet high, so ithe smaller pot theory might be true although I prefer bigger pots because they look nicer. Can someone shed some light on this?

Re: Pot size for neps
 

It may be true, but, I never heard or read about smaller pot theory.

So far, I just know that, once the plant grow bigger, we need to provide them a bigger pot. And we dont over pot it at a pot that too big...

Re: Pot size for neps
 

What I know is some nep is sensitive to root bound like N. bicalcarata... the plant will stay small if the pot is small.

For most nep, I don't find it as sensitive. I also found smaller pot will tends to dry out faster hence promoting the formation of basals. Other than that, IMHO as long as it's proportional to the size of the plant, pot size it's not that crucial to the well being of the plants when compare to other factors such as amount of light, type of media and watering frequency.

Re: Pot size for neps
 

I always changed my neps to a bigger pot whenever I get a new one which usually comes in a smaller pot bcos I also always feel that a biiger pot will retain moisture better. My version of a bigger pot is those of a larger diameter but about the same depth type, more horizontally shaped rather than the vertical shaped ones.

Re: Pot size for neps
 

I'm a big fan of small pots. The most important reason is because the substrate dries out faster and so fungis won't like this substrate and you are on a bit more safety side concerning root rot. I've never lost a plant because it didn't got enough water but several because of root rot. Sure it is also depending on how big the roots of your plants will get but even for raffs and globosas this works for me. For highland plants, epiphytes and lytophytes you can really go for small pots.
Also you don't need so much substrate and space.
I'll post tomorrow some photos of some of my plants which have really small pots considering their size.
Edit:
I read that you've got also hydroponics if you grow your plants in nutrient free substrate like burned clay, sphagnum or whatever we use and give the plants the needed nutrients via watering. Plants grown in hydroponic systems are mostly faster growing because they get their nutrients controlled in shorter intervals. So the smaller the pots the shorter are the intervals of watering. So in theory the plants should even better growing.

Re: Pot size for neps
 

I was a bit lazy today and only repotted my lowii x truncata. There was no chance anymore that the pot keeps standing without leaning the plant against the wall. Nevertheless it was growing very good in the past months. The plant was for over two years in this pot. The sphagnum still looks good and no bad smell. Here are the pics:

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/lowii_truncata_repot01.jpg

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/lowii_truncata_repot02.jpg

Re: Pot size for neps
 

From what i have observed, some neps like Mirabilis need larger area because they have big root system.So bigger pots will help.Some neps like Truncata have smaller root system,so small pots will do.

Re: Pot size for neps
 

yes ... that's what i wanted to say ... that it's very depending on the root size. But most neps will like it to be potted in small pots .... even my bokorensis is in a quite small pot with its huge roots. Another thing is bical ... what a sensitive baby .... after repotting it's still in argony after 6 months. So there is no multisolution. It's very depending on the species but most come very good along with small pots.

Re: Pot size for neps
 

i often let the neps overgrown on their original pot. There are tell tale signs when we need to repot ( or divide the plant if there are one or more ground offshoots). If plants are healthy let them continued to grow in their own pot.But that was just me.

Re: Pot size for neps
 

I think it's agreed to say that neps grows OK with small pots. It should not be harmful too if planted in bigger pots.

But question remains if there is a real difference in the growth and health given the same neps breed, media, watering and weather conditions are same.

Or it boils down to one's preferences?

Re: Pot size for neps
 

All I can say, it all depends on your growing environment and condition and no 2 are alike. So what worked for me and others don't mean will work for you... :smile:

I grew all my neps outdoor exposed to natural cycles of seasons (in Peninsular Malaysia is only dry season and monsoon season). I'm more worried about rainy season as when it rain, it rain non stop for days on end. For this reason, media with high organic matter will tends to hold too much moisture for it to evaporate naturally fast enough and it may cause root rot in severe cases. This effect will be compounded if you use bigger pot as it's volume is directly proportional to it's ability to how much moisture it can hold. Bigger volume (pot) will take longer time to be evaporate naturally and vice versa.

In simpler words, since I grew my neps outdoor exposing to natural rainfall. I want my media and pot to be able to dry out faster during rainy season and that's my only main concern (I can't control when and how much it rain). If it's dry season, I just have to increase the watering frequency and this is what I can do.

For me, media too wet will cause more problems than good. The key is to keep it moist (sometimes some dry out period will be good as long as the plant is not dehydrated) but not wet yet at the same time have good air circulation so there's no "dead" spot in the media that may cause unwanted growth of harmful fungus and bacteria.