This was written- "First, ephippiata is related to lowii, although not quite as montane. It does not like to remain wet. Let it dry out somewhat. It should be grown like an epiphyte, and not overpotted. Best to underpot".
Simply stated, what is the meaning of underpotting?
Explain underpotting as pertains to a Nep
Equilibrium
Nov 11, 2005
Having the plant in a container that's too small for it, basically.
Nepenthes should be treated like orchids when it comes to potting them. You select a pot based on the size of the root mass, not the leaf span of the plant. All too often people think that if they put their 5" leaf span Nepenthes in a 6 or 8 inch pot it will grow fast and large. Quite the contrary. Chances are the plant will lose roots due to rotting because the meager root system can't utilize the excess moisture around them and like orchids; Nepenthes roots need to breathe.
If after unpotting a Nepenthes in a 4 inch pot and there is a lot of growing medium that falls away, but the plant is very large, say 8 or 10 inch leaf span, that plant should go back into a 4 inch pot until the roots have filled the inside of the pot. As a rule all Nepenthes should be repotted every 2 years, but this doesn't mean they all need to be planted into increasingly larger pots if the plant itself has gotten bigger....only the roots.
Equilibrium
Nov 12, 2005
I've never heard the term underpotting before. My African Violets like to be down right cramped and root bound. My orchids seem to like to be repotted into new pots that are about an inch in diameter greater than their previous pot.
We're ok with the Neps it appears. Another horseshoe up his rear. He was potting in pots that were the same size because he didn't want to spend money buying new pots. I figured it was ok since the plants looked healthy and continued to grow.