# nepenthes



## fishy332003 (Feb 15, 2004)

hi all,

where can i buy some nepenthes specues plants for cheap price.

thanks,
phil


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

*cheap place?*

honestly, I shy away from those "cheap" places as they only sell generic carnivorous plants. Then again, I'm a carnivorous plant freak and search out the more exception forms like the Burkeii form of the purple pitcher plant that has paler flowers.

You can find a number of Nepenthes in little domed pots at hardware stores and nurseries, most likely, Nepenthes ventricosa. They are about $5. I generally try to avoid buying rarer plants like Nepenthes and Sarracenia hybrids because they are difficult to propagate in tissue culture, and the majority die in the nurseries and hardware stores from maltreatment and improper growing instructions. All carnivorous plant habitat is being destroyed at an incredibly fast rate. Less than 95% of the original habitat for Sarracenia in the US is left. Its a shame to have so many die in the stores, so the best way to convince the store not to sell those is by not buying them.
Of course, there are a number of places you can buy them online for a decent price. 

Stick with a lowlander, or hybrids. Highlands will grow too slowly because they appreciate drops down into the low sixties at night. You can go with N. x "Judith Finn," which is commonly available. N. rafflesiana is another good one. Avoid truncata, they get WAY too big. Their traps could eat your frogs if not careful! They get pitchers up to 14 inches long!

A good "beginner place" is 
http://www.petflytrap.com

If you want something more specialized, you can go to http://www.flytraps.com
or http://www.californiacarnivores.com


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## Guest (May 19, 2004)

Rain Frog,

Actually, only less than 2% of sarracenia habitat remains.

-Spec


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

damn!


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

*Nepenthes*

Well, I got some at IAD from Balck Jungle. They are doing well. You can also get some from Chuck POwell at Frog Day. I got some from him many moons ago and he has a good selection of different species.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

*read up on species sizes*

Always read up on what species you plan on buying. Some of the cheaper plants like N. sanguinea, N. truncata, N. rafflesiana, etc, will start out small, and then grow into a giant, climbing vine within a few years. Most juvenile Nepenthes look small and delicate, as they do not begin to climb until they are at least 5 yrs old. Once they reach that age, oh boy. My N. sanguinea (which is one of the most common species available) has several rosettes about 16 inches in diameter, and almost two feet tall. It's already started to grow out of its terrarium, and that tank is 5 feet x 2 feet x 18" wide! 

Take into consideration on highland and lowlanders. Lowlanders are best. I highly recommend N. gracilis, it stays small and is easy to grow. N. ventricosa is a modestly sized highlander plant, but they prefer temperatures that drop into the sixties at night, or they will grow more slowly.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

*Cool*

N. sanguinea (which is one of the most common species available) has several rosettes about 16 inches in diameter, and almost two feet tall. It's already started to grow out of its terrarium, and that tank is 5 feet x 2 feet x 18" wide! 

That is cool, I'd love to see a picture of that. How are you keeping it?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

*pic*

Unfortunately, I hope to trade my plant for something else, as it is way too big and is suffering. It should have pitchers nearly a foot long, but has pitchers at a maximum of 3-4 inches because of the cramped living quarters and not cool enough at night. I should restart it from cuttings and give the mother plant to somebody. My ventricosa and N. x "Gentle" don't look bad, but they would prefer a greenhouse. My Gentle isn't that big, but it has chosen to climb, and I will need to prune it back as it is nearly two feet tall. A good plant for dart frog tanks I forgot to mention is N. ampullaria. They stay small, and rarely climb.


Here's a baby sanguinea









And here's the adult


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