vraev
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Posts: 171
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Post by vraev on Dec 5, 2007 21:27:03 GMT
Hi guys, I am soon going be the owner of a nepenthes argentii. ;D . I have done my regular searching through....but its good to know direct info. People who grow this plant: - How is this plant in comparision with other highlanders? I know its slow.. but what about difficulty? - Would u classify this in the difficulty level of RAJAH / Ramispina or in between? - Is it very finicky? - Apart from giving it a wide pot to thrust its tendrils, can a LFS media with bark in sparing amounts be sufficient? - The plant size I might be getting is like 3 inches or so. So a size 1 specimen. Any special needs? thanks, Varun
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Post by Dave Evans on Dec 6, 2007 4:04:35 GMT
Every single N. argentii I have seen was being attacked by spider mites, regardless of owner or location of plant. So, yeah plants being attacked by spider mites are slow and easy to kill. However, remove the mites and it is a fairly easy species to cultivate. It is an intermediate highlander. Meaning it wants warm days and cool nights.
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Post by phissionkorps on Dec 6, 2007 5:13:51 GMT
HARD! I had one. Never again. I've never grown ramispina, but I can't imagine it being difficult at all. Rajah isn't hard if you give it at least halfway decent conditions, so...argentii is harder than both combined IMO. I don't know if its "finicky"...unless you want to define finicky as: doesn't do a single thing for 5 or 6 months. Well...it did do something...2 leaves died Your media sounds like it would be fine. A smaller plant might be harder to deal with. Mine was about 5 inches, which I guess is flowering size for the species? Dave, Do spider mites make kind of a web looking thing? My plant looked perfect for about a month, and then when looking closer, there was webbing around the growth tip, and some blackness set in after I noticed it. I sprayed with insecticide, and it seemed to kill whatever that was after a few applications and really working it in there (argentii has a tight rosette). The plant "recovered" though, as the tip unfurled with a new one underneath, and "growth" continued. At this point, I traded it away. Way too much of a headache for me. I find the infestation strange, since the only insects I have ever had in my grow area is one incident of scale attacking only 1 of my plants, and that was about 18 months ago....
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vraev
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Posts: 171
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Post by vraev on Dec 6, 2007 5:33:51 GMT
By finicky I mean like a bical....change conditions...leaves and pitchers going jet black. Also finicky as a hamata....little less humidity and leaves wilt away. rajah is definately NOT A hard plant to grow at all. It just seems to be very slow to show progress after a root disturbance. By hard I am attributing pitchering ability of the plant. My rajah has wonderfully got back to its initial size and is sporting healthy leaves. What I don't know is "what is responsible for the no pitchering?" Growth-wise it just seems like a slow nep that hates to have more than 6-7 leaves at once. Hmmm...Dave! That scares me. In a enclousure like mine...an infestation can cause devestating results. Now just in case, how do u notice spider mites on a nep and how do u get rid of them if u do find them? I personally like small compact neps and argentii fits the bill perfectly. I found this pic of argentii being grown at Cascade carnivores. Such a cute nep
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Post by stevestewart on Dec 6, 2007 12:54:06 GMT
phission,
Spidermites are not insects so insecticides will not control them. Typically the spray will break the webs and make the grower think they are under control. A spray that has spidermites listed is needed to control them. Preditory mites can also be used.
Steve
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Post by Not a Number on Dec 6, 2007 13:34:28 GMT
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vraev
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Posts: 171
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Post by vraev on Dec 6, 2007 17:42:50 GMT
thanks sooo much.
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wadave
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He don't know me vewy well do he?
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Post by wadave on Dec 8, 2007 3:20:46 GMT
Thanks for posting that link, now I know for sure what I'm looking at.
Dave.
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vraev
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Posts: 171
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Post by vraev on Dec 8, 2007 21:37:18 GMT
Hmm.....what do u guys think about the efficiency of predatory mites? ? it seems interesting. Spider mite like predator mites which don't in-fact eat your plants...but prey on your plant's enemies. Being a supporter of using biological controls in problem situations, it seems to be an interesting option. Has anyone tried them yet??
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Post by stevestewart on Dec 8, 2007 23:23:19 GMT
Hmm.....what do u guys think about the efficiency of predatory mites? ? it seems interesting. Spider mite like predator mites which don't in-fact eat your plants...but prey on your plant's enemies. Being a supporter of using biological controls in problem situations, it seems to be an interesting option. Has anyone tried them yet?? I have used them with mixed results. If you have a good supplier and get live predatory mites to begin with, it makes the process possible. I used them in a College greenhouse, and once I had a good population going and got to know which mites were which, I could move plants with good mite populations around the greenhouse to spread to problem areas. I never had to worry about mites once the greenhouse had a good stable population. In a house plant situation and or a production greenhouse that has no stable plants for beneficial populations to exist on, it is expensive, unless you find a local College greenhouse source of beneficial mites to harvest from. Just buying or trading plants with growers that use beneficial insects has added rewards, if you know what to look for. Take care, Steven Stewart
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vraev
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Posts: 171
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Post by vraev on Dec 9, 2007 0:28:03 GMT
hmm....that sounds good. I guess I will bring it up on my local OCPS board and see what they have to say. I remember reading that if you dont have any mites to prey on, the predators try to move away. Now, the issue being I don't know if I do have any mites in the first place. I hope I don't ! Thanks for the opinions. bye. V
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Post by Aidan on Dec 9, 2007 1:11:15 GMT
Biological controls are just that...controls. Once the target organism population falls below a certain density, the predator will die out and the pest reestablish and as Steve points out there are few domestic situations where biological controls are likely to prove effective.
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vraev
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Post by vraev on Dec 9, 2007 2:28:18 GMT
well...thats the same with chemical controls. Infact, if u tackle bugs using chemical warfare and end up with a resistant population.... they will cause havoc in the crop. Its like for every single superbug, there is a bacteriophage to parasatise it. Similarly with insects as well. I guess thats why its good to do multiple treatments to maintain efficiency. Intermittent, strong doses are always good...either with drugs/chemical controls or with biological controls. The strategy of pharmacology. BTW Aidan.... I lost all the seed I bought from ya. Syble got them at her place..she sent them out... I haven't recieved it yet. Been two weeks. I guess it got lost in the mail.
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Post by Aidan on Dec 9, 2007 2:32:53 GMT
well...thats the same with chemical controls. This is getting rather off topic but no, it is not. Resistant pest populations are mostly down to improper usage of pesticides. Appropriate usage under domestic conditions will eradicate pests. Seeing growers recommend over-dilution of insecticides so as not to harm plants make me cringe. It is exactly this type of behaviour that may lead to the development of resistance. Sorry to hear about the seed.
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vraev
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Posts: 171
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Post by vraev on Dec 9, 2007 2:50:54 GMT
Resident pest populations might be due to a left over SINGLE insect or so inspite of the utmost care taken by a grower. Consider WHY most foods are now grown without any chemical fertilizers? Do u mean all those generations of farmers were using those chemicals improperly?? "Life finds a way." Jurassic Park, Whenever a stress is placed on a living species. For the most part it will cope with it. OF COURSE if you entirely wipe out your indoor collection's pests at once making sure everything is properly treated and then u grow it in sterile conditions....YES! You will not see any reinfections. But thats the same with biological controls... use the controls WELL...it will also boil down to your same advice "USE IT PROPERLY" and "THOROUGHLY" and based on what most of the irrigation and agricultural "sects" are turning towards.... "Biological controls are the way to go". Yeah! its really unfortunate. I really wanted some of the VFT red cultivars from UK and was looking forward to them. Well! it wasn't meant to be for now.
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