Useful information

Orchid companions. Insectivorous plants. Nepentes

In recent years, in shops and horticultural centers, you can often see strange plants with jugs hanging down. These indoor plants can be large, and their jugs are correspondingly huge, up to 20 cm, can be small with 10 cm long jugs.

Nepentes and Phalaenopsis

The jugs are formed at the end of the leaves and are themselves an extension of the leaf. For a long time it was believed that they serve exclusively for the accumulation of moisture. You can drink from them if necessary. But it turned out that these are traps for insects that the plant feeds on. It is called Nepentes(Nepenthes), comes from warm countries, India, Australia, as well as Southeast Asia and Madagascar. Typically, hybrid plants are currently on the market that combine the traits of many of the species involved in crossing. These hybrids are well adapted to the average conditions of greenhouses and even indoor windowsill. With them, you don't have to try to recreate the climate of Madagascar or Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo at home. You just need to understand what Nepentes is and follow the simplest rules when growing it. The nepentes that appear in our stores are uniform in shape.

It is mainly a climbing liana, rather compact, and several jugs hang from below, sometimes half dried up.

Liana is a thin stem, from which pointed leaves of a light green color extend. The leaves are curved, slightly bent down. As the vine grows, it is necessary to create a support so that the stem does not fall, but has a beautiful appearance. Thus, new shoots coming from below have the opportunity to develop freely. Within a few years, Nepentes will turn into a lush liana, completely hung with jugs. There is one little trick: for better development of jugs when growing them in the house. So that the jugs at the ends of the leaves that are just beginning to form do not dry out, place them inside the plant under other leaves. The jugs themselves at Nepentes differ into lower and upper ones. The lower jugs are considered indicators of the species and have all its characteristic features, for example, narrow or wide, curved or straight, has a waist or rounded shapes. The color of the jug also plays an important role.

The upper ones can be so different that sometimes they are mistaken for a different look. As a rule, the lower jugs are much larger than the upper ones. In our case, acquiring Nepentes, one can only guess from the jugs what kind of ancestors a given plant had, and what conditions it needs. When Nepentes is in the house, do not rush him.

New jugs.

Nepentes ventricosis hybrid

(Nepenthes ventricosa hybrid)

transplant, give him time to overcome stress and get used to your conditions. He grew quite well in his pot and even formed jugs. First, decide where it will grow. Although this plant is a passionate sun-lover, do not place it in direct sunlight, as it can burn immediately in the form of red and yellow spots on the leaves. This will aggravate the stressful situation. Hang it in partial shade, in diffused light. In addition, you must immediately inspect for pests. These can be worms, thrips, aphids, ants. It is better to immediately wash the plant with warm water and treat it with insecticides. Although in nature the Nepentes live in complete harmony with ants, it is still better not to have them in your home. In addition, it is necessary, as is the case with any plant that is brought from the store, to see if the kivsaki appear after watering. Often they jump out of the pot and look for new shelter in panic. Look carefully for snails, which may be immediately invisible.When the plant is clean, washed and found its place in the house, it is necessary to water it thoroughly, since the Nepentes cannot stand dryness, and spray it. The water for this plant should not contain salts and chlorine. Many people advise for the Nepentes to purify the water, put a device for osmosis (purification of water from salts), but ordinary tap water is quite suitable for hybrid plants from Dutch and Danish greenhouses, unless, of course, it is oversaturated with salts. Watering is often necessary in warm weather, so that the substrate in which the plant is located is constantly moist. In the cool season, make sure that the plant does not overcool, water a little less, but do not allow the substrate to dry out. This mainly refers to the off-season, when the temperature is dropping and the heating is not working yet. If the plant hibernates on an insulated balcony with a temperature of 18 ° C - 20 ° C during the day, 13 ° C - 15 ° C at night, then it is necessary to ensure that the water does not stagnate and the plant does not stand with “wet feet”. When the temperature drops below 10 ° C, the plant, being in a wet state, may die. During the daytime, it is good to spray the plant to increase moisture. Typically, for Nepentes, a humidity of 60% - 70% is recommended. For hybrid forms, a humidity of 40% is quite suitable, with a periodic increase to 70%. If you reduce the moisture content to a constant 35% - 40%, the plant stops producing jugs. The plant ceases to produce jugs also during the adaptation period and during the flowering period.

Nepentes blooms in spring or summer. In species plants and in hybrid forms, these can be male or female flowers. The peduncle is usually short. Many tiny buds are collected on it, which then open and show us the floor of the plant. The flower is unremarkable, except for the male has yellow fluffy balls, the female has green tiny petals. The species Nepentes blooms in good lighting, while the hybrid can bloom even being in partial shade with rare hours (2 - 3 hours) of diffused sunlight. If the plant is on the north side and is dimly lit, you can arrange for additional lighting for it. For this purpose, fluorescent lamps are suitable, usually Osram Fluora of various colors. It is especially useful to supplement the lighting in the autumn-winter period or if the plant is constantly in partial shade. Species plants growing mainly in tropical climates are, of course, in comfortable conditions, since there the light period is equal in duration to the night. It's 12 noon and 12 noon. In other conditions, where daylight hours differ from season to season, backlighting is necessary for species plants in order to lengthen the daylight hours. For hybrids, backlighting is essential on the darkest and shortest days. As soon as the acquired Nepentes passes the adaptation period, place it where it can receive the maximum amount of diffused sunlight, at least 2 - 3 hours a day. But accustom to the sun gradually, because even for such a passionate lover of heat and sun, direct sunlight can be destructive. There are two main types of species of Nepentes - they are plants of humid tropical lowlands, where the sun is much less, and alpine species, preferring full sun, warm during the day and cool at night.

Hybrid Nepentes from our stores, grown in greenhouses, where day and night, the amount of light, humidity and temperature on schedule, each day is little different from the previous one. No shocks, good, calm existence. Of course, in greenhouses, no one specifically catches flies and other insects in order to feed each

Insect in a jug

Nepentes

plant. At home, it is recommended to feed the already opened jugs with caught flies, small moths and even mealworms. Each adult jug contains a special digestive juice.Moreover, in some species it is produced constantly, in some there is, as it were, a signaling system. As soon as the insect falls into the jug and tries to get out along the slippery walls, juice appears, gradually dissolving, for example, an ant. In nature, jugs are often filled up to 1/2 and even up to 2/3 with rainwater. These supplies have often proven useful for explorers and adventurers who have lost their way. For example, Hugh Low, during an expedition to Borneo near Mount Kinabalu, drank water from Nepentes jugs. Jugs were often used as water cups. The second name of the Nepentes "Monkey cups" is the result of the fact that monkeys sometimes drink water from them.

A sterile solution from unopened jugs was used to rinse the eyes as a sedative for coughs. The leaves and stem have been used to treat intestinal colic and dysentery. Roots to reduce fever and itching. The local population uses large jugs for cooking rice and other dishes. But, naturally, the plant itself uses jugs for the sole purpose of nutrition. Some authors advise, instead of flies and ants, to feed the Nepentes with highly diluted fertilizers, pouring them into jugs. Others write that fertilizer poured into jugs upsets the balance, leading the plant to depletion. It is proposed to feed dried flies, pieces of sausages, shrimps, meat, fish food. In conditions when the seasons change - summer - winter, this task is easier to solve.

New jugs with an open lid

In spring and summer, you can feed flies and other delicacies, and in winter and autumn keep the plant on a diet, which reduces the production of jugs. The more jugs food gets, the more of them appear. Those. the plant, receiving an ever-increasing amount of food, begins to produce more jugs that deliver this food to the plant itself. Those. on dark days with artificial lighting, the plant should not be depleted by the production of jugs.

It is best to fertilize Nepentes on the leaves in spring and summer, diluting the fertilizer for orchids in half.

Nepentes is transplanted as rarely as possible, using special substrates:

1.Bark of medium fraction - 5 cm - 25%

2.Bark of fine fraction - 25%

3. Sphagnum moss - 50%

Perlite and vermiculite can be added.

1 sphagnum moss

2.Coal

3 bark

A mixture with peat in various proportions is also used. Nepentes sold in our stores, as a rule, grow in a substrate with peat.

The mixture should be breathable, lightweight, and non-caking. Usually not recommended for planting in clay pots covered with glaze. Typically, plastic containers are used. When transplanting, a high drainage is often made at the bottom of the pot so that water does not constantly flood the roots of the plant.

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