Are low fertiliser levels OK, or is a low level too much?

[bil]

Greetings from sunnny Spain in the Cadiz region. I'm firstly an orchid keeper, but as the conditions aren't too different, I decided to try my hand at a couple of Nepenthes.



I run an RO unit for the orchids, and I use an ultra low level of fertiliser. It's a low K (potassium) one, and it is applied as a foliar and root treatment at 25 ppm Nitrate. Question is, is that too strong to spray down or water Nepenthes, fly traps or sundews? Should I stick to plain RO water for them? Only I read that spraying RO water can cause problems with Nepennthes leaves.





Thanks for any feedback you can give me..

[peterhewitt]

Nepenthes yes, sundews no. repeated spraying of Nepenthes leaves and sundews for that matter is not good. but a foliar feed will do Nepenthes no harm. Sundews should not need to be fed, and other than Drosera Regia, are sensitive to fertilizers

[Not a Number]

Actually many growers regularly foliar fertilize their Drosera. Among them myself, Peter D'Amato and Lois Ochs.

A sprayed or misted liquid fertilizer beats grinding up freeze-dried bloodworms or fish food pellets for sheer ease. My indoor grown Drosera catch next to nothing so feeding is a must.

Here is a brief article on the subject by the late Bob Hanrahan who had one of the first, if not the first, commercial CP nurseries in the US.

www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/articles/CPNv15n2p53.pdf

[adelea]

I just add NPK pellet fertiliser in my nepenthes soils, I found it easier than adding it to my misters, the misting leaches the nutrients into the soil for me and allows me to control how much goes to each species (as I found some, such as veillardii and campanulata don't like much whereas mirabilis loves it.
Drosera, in my experience, hate any chemical fertiliser's, but love fertilising such as proteins (fish food or insects).

[peterhewitt]

yes, Most sundews can be foliar fed, but not at the rate you might use for Nepenthes. they also feed tyhemselves quite well so I usually dissuade people from fertilizing them, although it can be done.

[bil]

OK, thanks for that, much appreciated.