Help with Nepenthes problem.

Louisville, KY

I have over the past few years been growing Nepenthes in the greenhouse under mist and in a section that is hard to reach so that I do not fertilize them. I am about to add a fertilizer injection system to the mist this will slowly release fertilizer into the mist itself and I am wondering what kind of effect it will have on my larger plants as well as my smaller ones. Will this be deadly or will the plant stop producing traps? If so is their a way to prevent this while still using the mist? I am would like to grow these right along with my orchids and other things on this rock wall I have built but am now worried sense this fertilizer will be in the water. I have not fertilized in so long that my other plants are depleted looking the nepenthes love it but thousands of other plants hate it so I need to switch to this new system. Any advise would be great. THANKS

Here is the new area for them on the rock wall. Will this work??

Thumbnail by bwilliams

That's a really beautiful set up.

There are people who grow Neps who most assuredly must fertilize them with a diluted foliar orchid fertilizer but I just don't know anyone who does because there have been trials out there and Neps simply didn't seem to like to be fertilized. About all I can think of would be to purchase a clear plexiglass squirrel baffle and hang it over your Nep otherwise I'm afraid you might have some issues. What they are would be beyond me but chemical burns come to mind. I read recently on the list serve that there was somebody out there who was using a few granules of slow release fertilizer and claimed there were no issues. I think they used Osmocote but I haven't a clue which species of Nep they were fertilizing. I wouldn't use that on any of my Neps but somebody did. I've always been told that highland species and epiphytic Nepenthes simply didn't like being fertilized. I just don't know much about the effects of fertilizers on highland or epiphytic Neps let alone lowland Neps. Really sorry about that but I've been led to believe that fertilizing them with anything is like a CP cardinal sin because it could reduce pitcher size or kill the plant. Best to go on line and see what you can find about this. Have you tried the Nepenthes University site? There's got to be somebody out there recommending fertilization of Neps.

http://www.cpjungle.com/nepenthesuniversity.htm

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