In this listing we offer 10 seeds of the carnivorous plant NEPENTHES RAFFLESIANA GREEN SPOTTED COLOUR, a variety almost three times larger than the classic Dionaea.
To understand how delicate the seeds are, we have included a photo of them as the third photo of the listing.
Nepenthes belong to one of the most fascinating and evocative genera of carnivorous plants. They are plants native to Asian tropical forests and some areas of Madagascar and Australia. In nature they appear in many guises depending on the species, all characterized by the particular sea squirt: they exist in the shape of beakers and carafes, wine glasses with a narrow neck and long, thin champagne flutes. There are small ones that look like extinguished lamps hanging on the tree trunks.
The capture strategy of this genus is similar to that of the Sarracenia. They attract insects thanks to the fragrance of the nectar, which then slide on the walls of the bag, made even more dangerous by the presence of a waxy scaled surface which hinders the grip of the legs, eliminating any possibility of escape.
As soon as an insect falls into the liquid, struggling not to drown, it causes a stimulus on the glands present along the walls of the waterskin, which begin to secrete a digestive substance. It is an acid so powerful that it reduces a fly to an empty shell in a few days, while a gnat can disappear even in a few hours. The mechanism is so efficient that not only the smallest insects are prey to these carnivorous plants, but also cockroaches, centipedes, scorpions and even mice and bats.
As we have said, Nepenthes plants require particular conditions which, in some aspects, do not correspond exactly to the standard rules of cultivation of carnivorous plants.
The fundamental factors for the cultivation of Nepenthes are:
1- TEMPERATURE
2- COMPOUND
3- WATERING
4- HUMIDITY
5- EXPOSURE
6- NUTRITION
The consideration on which we must base ourselves is the fact that Nepenthes are tropical epiphytic plants. From this it follows that the temperature must always be quite high, i.e. not lower than 20°C and not higher than 40°C. The temperature will have to remain within this time range throughout the year: this means that Nepenthes are not plants that can be cultivated outdoors in our temperate climate, especially in winter.
Pay attention to the compound used: nepenthes cannot grow in a compound based primarily on peat, as this, if in excess, inhibits their growth. Apparently the ideal compound seems to be made up of 2 parts orchid bark, 2 parts agri-perlite (or silica sand) and 1 part peat.
The compost must also be constantly moist but this must NOT be done with the traditional "water bed" method: it is therefore necessary to constantly water the plant from above, at least once a day in order to always keep the soil moist. We recommend using rain or distilled water.
A very important factor for the cultivation of Nepenthes is humidity: growing a Nepenthes in a dry and ventilated environment is practically impossible. Therefore it is necessary to provide a very humid environment with very low ventilation: this means an environment with relative humidity possibly not lower than 80% and very limited air circulation.
For this purpose, cultivation in a terrarium is perfect and, indeed, if this is large enough, it proves to be the best place for growing Nepenthes.
Cultivation in a greenhouse is also successful, as long as it is constantly heated even in winter and care is taken to keep the relative humidity high.
An outdoor cultivation of the Nepenthes, as already mentioned, is practically impossible, as long as it is not placed in a poorly ventilated place and is sprayed daily with a nebulizer.
As for exposure, Nepenthes require a good source of lighting but, certainly, not direct sun which could damage their foliage.
To conclude, a parameter that requires some in-depth analysis is that relating to nutrition. Also in this case, Nepenthes differ from other carnivorous plants: these can in fact benefit from some particular fertilization and nutrition treatments, although it is still to be ascertained how, when and what the best nutrition systems are.
For sowing it will be necessary to mix acid sphagnum peat and perlite in equal parts and place the mixture obtained in a jar. Let's get some dry sphagnum moss which, once crumbled, we will spread it on the surface of the mixture. If you don't have dry sphagnum moss available, just take some live sphagnum moss and let it dry in the sun for a few days. After spreading the dry sphagnum moss on the surface of the previously prepared substrate, we spray everything and place the Nepenthes seeds, trying to spread them evenly over the entire surface of the jar. At this point the ideal climatic conditions for correct germination of the seeds must include humidity and above all a lot of light: to obtain optimal results it is best to get a terrarium.
Germination is quite long, it should last approximately two months.
Wait patiently until the young plants have grown enough to repot them separately because a move in the first months of life could be fatal.
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IMPORTANT: the original description is written in Italian, we use Google Translate or the tools made available by eBay to translate. It may be that the translations are not perfect, we apologize for this. Regarding support, for the reasons set out above we do not guarantee responses in the original language of the request. We will try to do our best but this is not always possible.
IMPORTANT: each variety of seed supplied by us requires favorable conditions to germinate which are mainly based on certain factors such as the time of year (e.g. tomatoes do not germinate all year round), climatic conditions (suitable temperature and humidity), sowing method (not all seeds must be buried), quality of the products used (various, soil and aggregates above all). Our seeds have a very high germination percentage, but in order to be born they require perfect conditions. If these conditions are not present, birth and growth may be slowed down. WE DO NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY in case of errors or misuse of the product. Two other clarifications: on many products we offer a free guide in Italian that will help you grow, when available it will be specified in the description; some varieties have tiny seeds (e.g. sundew), in this case we insert a double bag for packaging (one made of paper which contains the seeds, and one made of plastic to contain the paper package).
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