N. ventricosa "porcelain form"

[Aliamyz]

Very nice peristome and thanx for the story.I heard that nepenthes only have lifespan of 20 years.How come this one has grew for 50 years?

[rsivertsen]

Originally Posted by Aliamyz

Very nice peristome and thanx for the story.I heard that nepenthes only have lifespan of 20 years.How come this one has grew for 50 years?

I have a N. dyeriana that was originally created over a hundred years ago. Nepenthes have no finite lifespan, and as long as new cuttings can be taken, and rooted, they can go on forever! This N. ventricosa "porcelain form" may be older still, as it originated from Kew Gardens, perhaps from the very first discovery of the species! Too bad that the location data was lost in WW II when London got bombed by the Nazis. It's also ironic that this plant has been incultivation longer than any other form, yet it is still very rare in collections today. I have never seen it flower. Only Geoff Mansel has been able to get it to flower, although the other forms flower profusely for me. - Rich

[marvin1997]

So nice and cute!

[rsivertsen]

Ghan, this is more picky about what it grows in as well, and I've found that it doesn't do well in peat mixes, as it gets too acid and stays too wet too long. Longwood Gargens had them growing in orchid bark with a little LFS mixed in to keep it a little more moist. I have mine growing in cedar bark mulck with chopped tree-fern fiber, perlite, LFS and some charcoal on the top in about equal parts. I also added some NJ Pine Barrens sand recently to see if it helps. It's still just emerging from dormancy, and is in very slow growth now.

When it's in full growth, and producing pitchers, I'll give it some mild applications of fish emulsion fertilizer, with a few drops of liquid iron in the mix which also has many other trace minerals and elements. Fertilizing them when they're dormant and not actively growing can be diasterous, and I have lost a few plants thinking that a shot of fertilizer should give it a kick start, only to see it collapse in another month or two. I'll also spray in some of this fertilizer into the pitchers when they open.

There is an "alba form" which is very similar in shape and color, but doesn't get as large, perhaps they're from a similar region. - Rich

[Ghan3sh]

Thx for the info! Im gonna follow your advice and see if i get better results. Ill keep you posted.