Nepenthes from seed

It's been a while since I updated this blog. I've been finishing a book manuscript (not at all related to plants, alas) and haven't had much time. But I'm back online now and have a lot of catching up to do.

First off, my inorganic media experiment failed. The kanuma simply couldn't hold moisture long enough and without daily watering the plants quickly suffered. But I've been adding it to my usual mix of LFS/perlite, which helps to cut down on the amount of LFS I use.

Back in April, I acquired some Nepenthes seeds from a cross between N. "Helen" (spathulata x spectabilis), named after Helen Mirren, and N. spectabilis.  

Those two pods yielded enough seed to fill six 4" pots! This would be my first serious attempt growing Nepenthes from seed, so I followed an ICPS growing guide. I used LFS for three of the pots and a peat/perlite mix for the other three. I placed plastic bags over the pots to keep them humid and stuck them under fluorescent lights at the bottom of my grow rack. The key to growing Nepenthes from seed is patience: in June, about two months since I sowed the seed, I began to see some germination.

spes et patientia vincunt

 The seedlings are now beginning to produce their first true leaves:

I microwaved the media before sowing the seeds, so haven't had major problems with moss or algae, although you can see some algae growing in the above picture. I hope that the seedlings can outpace it! 

On the subject of Nepenthes, I thought I'd share a few recent pictures of pitchers.

This is N. glandulifera x burbidgeae. I just cannot get enough of this hybrid. It has all the scruff and dewiness of N. glandulifera, plus the beauty of N. burbidgeae.

This is N. maxima x aristolochioides and N. spathulata x spectabilis, growing side by side. Both are extremely fast, vigorous growers and would make great plants for someone who is just getting started with Nepenthes.

Here's a little one; a seed-grown N. albomarginata from Gunung Jerai. I never really wanted to grow lowlanders, but when a plant mislabeled as N. reinwardtiana turned out to be an albo, I was hooked. This species grows quite well in my intermediate conditions and doesn't seem to mind the cooler winter temperatures, either. So when I had the chance to get this beautiful red form, I couldn't pass it up!

Finally, N. peltata. This is another small one and the first pitcher under my care. The plant itself is very attractive. The upper surface of the lamina is a deep burgundy color, while the underside is dark green.