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Old 8th August 2009, 11:26 AM
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David David is offline
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Join Date: Tue Dec 2006
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Default Re: Inorganic media for Nepenthes

Ok, finally found some time from work and family to do this. I will be testing this media on my N. albomarginata x gracilis instead of my N. sp. viking. My N. sp. vikings aren't to healthy lately.

Anyhow here's the plant in its original media...
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Taken it out of the pot. It was potted in a mix of coconut peat + coconut chips + sphagnum moss. I noticed the coconut chips has turned into a mush and its roots aren't growing into the sphagnum moss. It has been stagnant in growth for some time now. About a year the least. The second picture shows the amount of roots on the plant.

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Name:  bare root plant.JPG
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I did a mix of clay pellets + polysterine foam (those that can absorb water) + polysterine + silica sand. The silica sand is to add some weight in the pot so it does not get blown away in strong wind. Anyway, I was thinking since I have so much, why not dump it in. The polysterine foan was broken into smaller pieces.


polysterine foam...
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Clay pellets...
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Polysterine broken into small round pellets...
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Black silica sand...
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Below is a picture of the media mix...
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Placed some stones at the bottom of the pot to prevent the media from flowing out...
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Potted plant in the new inorganic media. I shall place it in my terrarium for a couple of days before placing it back in it's original location outside my apartment window where it gets direct evening sunlight. I will be placing it in a deeper water tray to make sure there is always water in the media. I may just place a thin layer of s. moss on top the media to lock in moisture. However, been thinking of somethings else that I can use besides s. moss.

Name:  potted.JPG
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I will report back in this thread in a few months time to give the results and my cultivation practice for this plant in its new inorganic media.
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