🍔 How to feed a nepenthes? 🐛 What and How often should you fertilize your tropical pitcher plant?

[@dirty_diver]

I put one pellet in pitcher and the pitcher died. I now fertilise with seasol/powerfeed once a month in the soil. there’s huge pitcher size difference

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

You are the second person I know that fertilize by the roots... interesting!

[@dirty_diver]

@@WindowsillNepenthes Yes-- they seems to like it. I read through all the information from different growers and tried the soil. They also catch some fungus gnats, moths, and occasional flying termites.

[@HyeonsikLi]

I know some people fertilize with coffee. Do you have any experience with thaz?

[@richardboisvert9998]

Thank you ! Is that a or kid fertilizer?

[@richardleesl]

Feeding the old pitcher is a really good tip. Thanks for sharing.

[@itsbw]

I just recently got a nepenthes alata and i want to get a briggsiana but i feed mine any single bug i can find outside (except stuff like slugs and whatnot) and chop it up incase it has an exoskeleton or something of that nature and feed it to my plant

[@adamkesingland968]

I can't remember who said it, think it was Jacob or Jeff from Sarracenia Northwest. Think of "light" as macronutrients or energy. Think of fertilizer (or insects) as micronutrients or vitamins and minerals.

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Well said :)

[@Duragaro]

I feed mine only when I water them a bug per pitcher. Ants flies roaches. Never thought of putting nutrient for roots.

[@markcoutts1796]

I feed my carnivorous plants if possible mostly just insects because I keep tarantulas & centipedes etc. So I breed an assortment of insects like roaches, firebrats (a type of silverfish), mealworms etc. Recently I started experimenting with maxsea which I got really to use on some of my "tricky to feed" sundews like drosera Dichotoma giant which insects always escape from & drosera andromeda which always develops fungus on any insect fed to it which eats huge holes in the leaves (destroying whole leaves just from 1 tiny mosquito even!) - so I thought I would experiment with the maxsea but Iv had very mixed results with it. I think I prefer using insects to feed to my plants where possible, maybe as that's what I'm used to so I know roughly what I'm doing. I have a well fed bug to suit most plant's. I think maxsea might be good for very small seedlings in quite weak concentrations. It seems maxsea still isn't widely available in the UK yet, whereas bug's are...

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

If you raise insect feeders for your tarantula, those insects are probably well fed so it's probably better than maxsea ;)

[@pristineperistome5696]

It makes sense to me that plants who eat more have more nutrients and to utilize it would benefit from the higher end of their possible light spectrum. Right amount of food = more photosynthesis right?

[@OrchidboyTroy]

Remy, I have heard this a few times in various videos, that you can use diluted orchid fertilizer. But as an avid orchid grower (I actually got into CP because my orchid collection had pest) there are two types of orchid fertilizer. Standard and orchid bloom. It’s the orchid bloom fertilizer CP need because the NK are low and the P is high. In standard orchid fertilizer the ratio is usually 3:1:1 NPK. I hope this helps, because I was confused in the beginning as I deal with the standard MSU formula regularly but never the orchid bloom

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Interesting. :) I'm working on a different theory but I need to test it first. In fact the N could be what they want. I'm still learning all this NPK. ;)

[@OrchidboyTroy]

@@WindowsillNepenthes this is so exciting! I’m happy I stumbled upon the nepenthes world. Maybe also I am still misunderstanding using orchid fertilizer on nepenthes 🤷🏾‍♂️ regardless I cannot wait to see your video reveal of this theory!

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@OrchidboyTroy No, you are right, I followed blindly "what other said about MaxSea" but after A/B testing, I'm less convinced. And speaking with a french chemist Nepenthes grower it changed my perspective.

[@annahilberts8709]

Great video! I just feed my plants insects out of the house during the insect season in holland,, that is al..

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Insects are good. on spring, when the caterpillars attack the tree, I collect them and feed them to my plants :)

[@HelgrafFireHammer]

Quick question about feeding Nepenthes, specifically the one I have, Rebecca Soper. I woke up this morning to find a dead moth in the cup of water I keep next to my bed. After getting over the realization I could've drank the moth in my sleep, I took it out with some tweezers and dropped it In a half-dead pitcher for my nepenthes to get nutrients from. However, I realized the moth was covered in tap water from the cup. I know only distilled and rain water can be used for Nepenthes. Will this damage my nepenthes, or will it not change much due to how little water there was?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Nope it's totally fine 🙂 you did it right

[@arielbautista8218]

I found a millipede the other day and Feed it to my nephentes, I’m worried though cuz the pitchers aren’t really that big yet but also not so small but just scared it might not be able to digest the bug…

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

That's should be just fine. ;)

[@arielbautista8218]

@@WindowsillNepenthes awesome because I was worried I gave it something too big to eat lol , looking inside today it’s digesting the bug already Thank you for the response btw :) keep the vids coming

[@richardboisvert9998]

Love your vids! Thank you my name is Richard Boisvert ! Thanks again

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Thanks because that was one of the fist videos and the quality was... well I do better now 😅

[@richardboisvert9998]

@@WindowsillNepenthes it was fine ! Question ! Do you feed all pitchers at same time with fish pellets or just one , being the oldest one ? Thank you ! Do you sale mature plants?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@richardboisvert9998 For young nepenthes, it's betta fish pellet for everyone 🍻. For bigger ones, I use 1 Osmocote pellets per pitcher (except for the last/younger pitcher to keep it longer).

[@richardboisvert9998]

@@WindowsillNepenthes thank you ! How often ?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@richardboisvert9998 on young plants once a week, when I spray orchid fertilizer.

[@theocarabin1023]

hello and thanks for the video I watch them all! what season to put fertilizer is good ? Always or just spring ? Thanks a lot !

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Only when they grow well. For example if you have grow lights, they will grow all the time. But without lights they may slow down during cloudy months so maybe avoid fertilization these months. ;)

[@danfromcarniculture943]

Can you talk about live sphagnum

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Good idea! I'll put that on my list on video to do. :)

[@adamkesingland968]

Using Maxsea (difficult to get here in the UK) what is the TDS of what is used for foliar or in trap solution? Adam

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

I use orchid fertilizer diluted to 140-160 ppm. In my sprayer it's 7 drops. ;) More info here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4fSlJqIe7SGgtU

[@tironjr]

Hi Remy! I feed with Osmocote. Do you know what Pitchersize can handle Osmocote without dying?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

For a pitcher with a regular thickness (not paper thin like hamata) I put 1 osmocote in pitchers from 4 inches (10 cm).

[@tironjr]

@@WindowsillNepenthes Ok thanks!

[@le-auss]

I have found today that there is the little green slow fertilizer balls in my orchid bark mix that i use for my nepenthes mix, is it dramatic and i need To get my couple of nepenthes out of their pots To "clean" that, or it's not "that" dramatic and i can met my plant in their pots the way they are? Maybe flushing the pots with my distilled water every watering can help?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

If it's for orchid it should be ok ;) but don't feed more than that. And yes watering with pure water helps flush the excess of nutriments.

[@le-auss]

@@WindowsillNepenthes merci! Je me suis mis à paniquer un peux quand j'ai vue sa! Je tiens beaucoup à mes plantes (surtout ma nepenthes robcantleyi, j'y tiens énormément) donc sa ma fait un gros coup de stresse!

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@le-auss C'est sûr! Surtout que n. robcantleyi est superbe! Je pense aussi m'en prendre une au printemps!

[@giovannicole5561]

Hello! I do not have maxsea but I am planning to use a 20-20-20 fertilizer (which of course I will dilute even more than the 16-16-16 of maxsea). How often would you suggest to lightly spray the plant? Can you also use it in combination of osmocote in the older pitcher, or is it too much?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

I spray once a week and yes I will combine with Osmocote (1 per old pitcher).

[@giovannicole5561]

@@WindowsillNepenthes The speed of your replies are out of this world! Thank you so much!

[@giovannicole5561]

@@WindowsillNepenthes I also have a ppm meter. If I measure the dilution of the fertilizer with this, what ppm should I aim for?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@giovannicole5561 usually mine is between 140 and 160 ppm. :)

[@BlaisZeroni]

My rebecca soper made 3 pitchers in quick succesion and the last one was much smaller than the two before, like only half the size. I don’t feed them, so was this because the plant was short on energy? I breed my own mealworms though, I could feed them to the plant for sure... what is the correct dose of mealworms per plant? XD And is it better do dry them, ground them up, mix with water and inject in set ml amount? Or feed them whole?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

A change in light or temp?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

In would give 1 per pitcher and see if the pitcher die or not.

[@BlaisZeroni]

@@WindowsillNepenthes no not at all, temp and light are very stable (I supplement with a light on cloudy days)

[@BlaisZeroni]

@@WindowsillNepenthes thank you, I will try!

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@BlaisZeroni well I don't know... let's see if the next one is still small or back to normal ;)

[@dalerobertson5424]

Actually all carnivorous plants still need fertiliser without it they will perish. They get extremely small amounts from the substrate and that is enough to sustain life barely. If you re going to fertiliser Nepenthes a organic seaweed fertiliser will be your best option half strength directly in the pitchers and watch how fast they grow also the pitchers don't die as fast as with bugs.

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

I never "not feed" any of my plants so I don't know if it would die. But you are right, liquid fertilizer is great to keep pitcher.

[@monke1919]

They wouldn't die lol. If that was true then there would be no such thing as a venus flytrap cultivar that makes no traps. And nepenthes that can't make pitchers because of low humidity or something like that don't die. This is a stupid comment.

[@monke1919]

And osmocote would be better

[@dalerobertson5424]

@@monke1919 Cultivars with non functional traps still get nutrients from the substrate they can also have foliar feed from spraying fertiliser directly onto the traps.

[@monke1919]

@@dalerobertson5424 I don't fertilize and my plants are healthy. And I can't remember the last time I saw a bug in my pitchers. My flytraps always have a trap closed tho

[@theocarabin]

Bonjour J'ai une Lowï aussi et je me demandais si je pouvais la nourrie vu que je n'ai pas de petit rat pour faire caca dedans ^^ merci

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Haha 😄 pas besoin d'un "regime" special pour lowii

[@littlegardenbygarima]

How often we feed carnivorous plants?

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

I’m using small fish pellets to feed my nepenthes. All the pitchers. How many pellets should I put in each pitcher? I was thinking 3 pellets each pitcher every 2 weeks? I suppose put nothing in any new pitchers.?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Nothing in new ones, yes. And for the number of pellets it depends on the pitcher size.

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

@@WindowsillNepenthes All of my pitchers are about 3 inches tall.

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

@@DeadlyPlants2024 so 3 better fish pellets every second week should be a problem ;)

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

I just fertilized my nepenthes with Max sea a couple of days ago I do it the first of every month. Should I not put bugs into the pitchers just yet wait a month because I don’t want my plants over fertilized or does it matter?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Once a month is very little. You can still feed the pitcher. How many PPM was your fertilizer diluted?

[@DeadlyPlants2024]

@@WindowsillNepenthes my TDS meter says 242. Is that too high?

[@sameerpadalkar5847]

How often should you feed the pitcher? How much of dried worm.

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Just a few, less is better. Too much will rot the pitcher.

[@monke1919]

My nepenthes is pretty small and young. Is it okay to give it half of a osmocote pellet a month until it gets bigger?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

You can try :) I personally go lazy and get Betta Fish Pellet ;)

[@monke1919]

@@WindowsillNepenthes alright

[@katyanewman1942]

How often do you feed pitchers? Only once? Or every some weeks/months?

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Usually once a week. Except Osmocote (when the pitcher start dying, I put 1 Osmo and then a month later another one).

[@omarvela3154]

when ever i have an ant problem in my kitchen or bathroom i simply put my nepenthes right next to their trail and within minutes the plant is absolutely gorging itself on ants.

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

You know what? I will try this summer!

[@adamkesingland968]

Just thinking, if you had a rat or a hamster as a pet could you feed a lowii rodent poo? Adam

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

I guess it's possible 😆

[@buakawred903]

I stopped feeding my nepenthes insects because the pitchers die faster when fed

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Yes, that is why I only feed old pitchers that start to die ;) Check the interview #3, Gianne does the same.