Pananep,
You'll be happy to know that Borneo Exotics uses MirAcid on their Neps. Especially their seedlings. This is the one:
http://catalog.ehgriffith.com/images/Miracid.jpg
Personally, I don't fertilise my adult plants except for flowering females. The reason is simply because I want my plants compact. However, I use MirAcid for very young seedlings...right when they have their first 2-3 carnivorous leaves. It gives them a boost in growth. I used to lose 90% of my seedlings because they grew so slowly and eventually died from fungus attack. Not anymore.
People who swear by having good results from the use of fertilisers often leave out the following points which are essential to not killing the plants from overdose. They don't do it deliberately but because the questions asked by the others are always directed at the concentration/frequency of fertilising etc, they only gave answers to those.
1. Their growing area has got very good light. In fact, more than ample light. The fertilisers are utilised when plants photosynthesise.
2. You might have seen this statement "Do not fertilise during winter" on certain websites on Nepenthes cultivation. That's because the light level can be pretty low or when the weather is too cold, the plants are not able to utilise the fertilisers. So application becomes useless and worse still, can kill the plants.
3. They flush their pots with water thoroughly after fertilising. Or their plants are in the open and receive lots of rain, to the same effect. Accumulation of fertilisers at the root region is the main cause of overdose. It is harder to kill a plant via foliar feed 'cos you can see once something go wrong.
4. The media they are using. Currently, I use burnt earth for potting up some of my plants. The amount of salt build-up is so much that I can literally collect thin pieces of crystals. For such a media, I wouldn't risk adding on more fertilisers. On the other hand, the other plants I have are in sphagnum moss and perlite. In the long run, these two are not going to provide sufficient nutrients for healthy growth. So addition of fertilisers once in a while helps to put things on the right track.
Neps are tolerant of most fertilisers if the above points are taken in consideration. The variation in N:P:K might make some difference but there isn't sufficient studies done. So a general one with 1:1:1 with trace elements would be sufficient.
It is neither bad nor good to fertilise Neps. The main thing it does for the plants is to encourage larger growth. And since the pitcher is the modified leaf and the leaf is the petiole itself, larger growth means both will get large at the same time. For someone with a big growing area or nursery, it is necessary to fertilise. Otherwise, what is there to show? But for me, I hope the plants stay small and bonsai-like, as long as they are producing pitchers. I have sold away many plants because they grow too large too fast.
My philosophy on fertilising Neps is "Give me a formula that produces large pitchers and tiny leaves. Otherwise, I won't be spending my time and money on it."
Pardon my long-windedness.
