New for me

Anyone ever have this happen to them? This is a fairly newly rooted cutting of N. thorelli x aristo, it has yet to even form a pitcher yet and now has a flower stalk. Definatly new to me.

Wolf

I see that happen fairly regularly with certain hybrids in my collection. Many growers feel it is due to some type of stress the cutting experienced during the rooting process but yours look very healthy and mine as well...have always been healthy. It won't hurt the plant any if you let it develop, but if you aren't planning to use it for breeding I would cut it off and let the energy go into pitchers.

I've never ever had any of our Neps send up a flower stalk. Lucky you! If you don't nip it, take photos to share.

I do tend to disallow plants from flowering, particularly all of the VFTs and almost all of the Sarrs. Our Neps don't belong to me so this would have to be my son's decision to nip or not but I would have to assume that Neps, like other plants, use a tremendous amount of energy in that process. I'm no breeder and never will be so I want my plants to develop strong root systems and nice pitchers and traps.

Well I would love to allow it to develop and try and find a female somewhere that is in bloom, but that always seems to be a problem. I will continue searching for someone who has a female that will be in bloom soon. If I do not find one snippity snip!

Snippity snip? Are you sure you want to take such drastic measures ;0 ;) ;0

Seriously, what about the Nep pollen bank?

Wolf, I have an absolutely superb female spectabilis in spike getting ready to flower soon. It is the one that Exotica Plants uses for their crosses. Robin Hurst is sending me pollen from his aristolochioides and if you like I'll use some of your pollen as well...if you like. It should make for a really pretty hybid.

I would love to send you some pollen to use. It has been a few years since I have been able to get ahold of any nep seeds. I will most definatly save all the pollen I can get and send it to you as soon as it is viable. What would be the best method for sending it? Thanks Phil..

Wolf

Wait until you have a good ripe supply and you can either tap it onto a piece of wax paper or cut the flowers off the spike individually. In either case you should first wrap the pollen grains and/or flowers in wax paper, then again in tin foil. Get yourself a cassette mailer or insulated bubble mailer and post it to me.

I also have a big female campanulata in spike as well. It has 3 flower spikes on it, one of which is flowering now. The other 2 should be in bloom in a few weeks. I can cross your pollen onto this as well if you like. Pollen can be stored in the freezer for a few months and still remain viable just in case your pollen ripens before my females bloom.

It's fun to grow from seed. I do it every so often when I get that wild hair up you-know-where LOL!

Thanks for the info I will harvest when ready. I have no idea how long it will be for this is the first time I have had a nep flower in my posession. If you would like to cross it with the camp I would be more then thrilled. It would let me try 2 different crosses, and maybe one of us will end up with something looking nice in a bout 7 years.

Well the flower bud is progressing quite nicely and is getting quite tall. I assumed that they flowers would have opened by now but they still havent. Hopefully soon. I was looked at the three cuttings of this hybrid and I noticed that another one is developing a flower bud. I snipped this one off to see if it helps the plant produce pitchers faster.

Wolf

Photos please!

Any photos yet?

Just for you Lauren. I moved the flower closer to my lights so that the flowers would open and in the process I burnt the top half of the flower. Oops, but I only need some of the pollen so I am good. The bottom flowers have opened and you can see the yellow pollen. About halfway up some have opened but the pollen is still red, and at the top the flower still havent opened yet. I tapped the bottom flowers to see if any pollen would come off, but none yet, still must not be ripe.

Hey, did you get any pollen yet?

Yes ma'am pollen collected and sent to a nice attractive female who just so happens was ready to mate.

What a lucky lady, the Daddy is known! What flavor will the babies be?

The babies will be N. spectabilis X (thorelli X aristo) if the crossing takes.

That's going to be interesting!