FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Ok, so I talked with a guy who is sending me some seeds for free from Malaysia for N. Sanguinea "Candy Stripe" which will take a bit to get here, but in the mean time I am trying to figure out the ins and outs of how I will germinate these seeds. I'm looking for an effective yet very affordable solution for starting these indoors, as I am not even sure if these are possible to start outdoors here in SC (90's F today lol). I'm sure I may need some sort of heating mat and a lighting solution that aren't going to cost me hundreds. I do have an old aquarium or can use ziplocs for humidity. Any help is much appreciated!!

When they arrive they'll most likely past their shelf life already, even they're fresh. Unless you paid for super fast international shipping.

Ziploc bag under lights will do you just fine depending on how warm your area is (80s is ideal). Think tropics. Lighting could just be t8 tube lights and those should work fine.

Shelf life should be fine despite what was said above. I usually receive international seeds in about 1 week depending on the sender. Case in point, I got seeds from Bulgaria to Hawaii: 05/15 sent 05/22 delivered.

Shipping from Malaysia to the US has taken 3-5 week IME.

Sakaaaaa wrote:When they arrive they'll most likely past their shelf life already, even they're fresh. Unless you paid for super fast international shipping.

Nah they'll be fine. Even notoriously short shelf life lowland species like N. bicalcarata can still be viable after international shipping and intermediate and highland species definitely last longer.

In any case, I sow Nepenthes seeds on chopped LFS (important so it's easier to separate them later) and keep them at high humidity. I spray them with water every morning to keep the moisture level as consistent as possible. Keep them in conditions similar to what mature plants would experience, though a bit less light. Germination should take anywhere from about 3 weeks to 2 months, though it can take longer. Once the seedlings start developing true leaves, I stop spraying and water carefully around the plants instead since the growth points are prone to rotting at that size.

On another note, mail from Malaysia to the US generally takes 3 weeks, though it can be as fast as 2 and as slow as 5.