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Post by burkei on Jun 3, 2008 4:26:18 GMT -10
Greetings. Are any of the dedicated hybridizers out there working with an eye towards developing small compact plants that would be more easily grown in a home situation?
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Post by rainforest on Jun 3, 2008 17:42:03 GMT -10
Many hybrids have been produced and or will make a public appearance soon. Exotica plants is introducing their N. lowii x campanulata which should be a nice compact grower with very wild pitchers. Leilani has a beautiful N. ventricosa x campanulata and a reinwardtiana hybrid that is nicely compact as well.
Are your conditions more suited to warm growing kinds or cooler?
This can help choose a hybrid group suited to your climate ability.
M
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Post by burkei on Jun 4, 2008 10:07:42 GMT -10
<<Are your conditions more suited to warm growing kinds or cooler?>> More a rhetorical question than anything. I've been growing Nepenthes, with fluctuating levels of commitment/ collection size, since the late '60's and basically graduated from an indoor terrarium to a couple different sized "hobbyist" greenhouses. I generally kept my collection in check size wise, concentrating mainly on the available species of the time ('70's/80's). A few years ago I retired to Colorado and gave away almost everything to some local orchid growers. The few cuttings I brought west were estabilished in terraria and since the HOA where we now live won't allow a greenhouse I've expanded my light garden set up and am "getting back into it". Viewing the forums and the various growers/ retailers sites I was struck by: 1) the number and variety of species now available (as opposed to in the '70s/'80's) and 2) the concerted hybridizing effort going on. I also noticed that the hybridizing seemed geared to "bigger is better". Don't get me wrong, the resultant beauty of the new crop of hybrids far surpasses, IMHO, any of the "classic" Victorian hybrids. Was just wondering, given that the large scale nurseries speciallizing in hybridizing are commercial enterprizes - maybe an erroneous assumption given my just "getting back into it status - wouldn't a shift to smaller plants (with all the cosmetically desireable traits - color, flaring peristomes etc. - ba a viable direction to go from a commercial perspective. As an example imagine a 6" diameter fully mature x dyeriana with maybe 3 inch. mature pitchers. Would sure be easy to maintain a diverse collection indoors. Not to mention the cost of maintaining a greenhouse in a temperate climate to house some the "monsters" being developed  . <<This can help choose a hybrid group suited to your climate ability.>> PS: personally I'll stick to the species/ nat. hybrids. They're easier to keep under control under lights  |
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Post by phissionkorps on Jun 4, 2008 10:53:30 GMT -10
There are a few bellii/talangensis/aristo hybrids floating around that stay pretty compact.
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Post by unclemasa on Jun 4, 2008 13:53:59 GMT -10
Hello burkei ..... Welcome to Da Forum! I have yet to see a hybrid that gets smaller than the parent plants. Even bellii and some of the more diminutive species seem to gain size when crossed with another species. ep has more experience and could better comment on this. Another matter ..... people sometimes ask this question but, when it comes to buying a plant, far more seem to what something that gets large. I have often tried to talk people that are growing these plants in chambers or smaller areas into going with the smaller species but almost invariably they want a truncata or bical.  I tend to think that growing a smaller or more common species to maturity is far more rewarding than growing a large plant stunted by confinement or growing a very rare plant that will need to be chopped before ever making uppers. Still, people want that big rajah or bical that they saw in some particular picture even though they oftentimes know that they have no chance of growing to the proportions that attracted them in the first place. More mature and experienced growers, like yourself, learn and gain an appreciation of the smaller species and hybrids but, in general, the public likes it big and flashy. |
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Post by rainforest on Jun 4, 2008 15:33:58 GMT -10
Another consideration is that only until recently with all the advances of fertilizing and creating growing conditions that suit nepenthes, do we find plants that can flower and thus pollinate for seeds. A big stigma created by previous voices concerning nepenthes cultivation and the way it should be grown has stunted further development of this genus. It is only recently that many diminutive species have flowered. Even small species grow huge. N. aristolochioides while producing small pitchers can make vines several meters in length up into the canopy of trees creating liane networks throughout.
There are cultural methods at keeping something at bay. Hard pruning (yes, even before a vine dips below the pot rim to make a cut to increase proliferation of basals) is one way. Stunting plants in a small pot. Francois has the most outstanding red pitchered tank raised N. bicalcarata I have ever seen. While one of my goals is to selectively raise bicals to be grown in small conditions, I often find them to quickly jump light years ahead creating monsters when the root room opportunity arises.
It will still be many moons ahead before we see more diminutive species flower and observe how they behave with what species creating hybrids with minimal space requirements.
M
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