Saturday 16 September 2017

Nepenthes From Seed

Growing Nepenthes From Seed

Preparation

None required for the seeds, just keep the pack sealed till you are ready.

Soil mix.

Low nutrient mix of peat, sand, perlite and spaghnum moss.

Pure coir works well too, as does a mix of peat and perlite.

Sowing

Dampen the mix, place it into the growing pot and press it down lightly. 
Sow the seeds on top of the soil, spreading them out as necessary.  The pot size need be no bigger than is necessary to allow the seeds to cover the soil.  Once sown on the surface, mist spray lightly and seal the pot in a ziploc bag or similar.

Place somewhere warm (25 to 30 Deg C) and check regularly for any signs of mould
which can be an issue, but one that is easily overcome if spotted in time.  Any pots showing signs of mould can be simply sprayed with bottle water (sterile) as chemicals are not advisable with these plants (if indeed you can get them now with allthe restrictions in force).

Germination will take from 8 to 52 weeks, it all depends on the species and the age of the seeds.  The average for seeds we sell should be 8 - 12 weeks or so.

Growing on

They can be grown on until the seedlings start to crowd out in the pot.  If they do not 'green up' within a few months, a couple of pellets of slow release food can be added to the pot and they should turn green quite quickly.
Within 6 - 12 months of germinating they will produce small functional pitchers.
Larger pitchers will form when the plants are adult, around 3 - 6 years from seed.

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