FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have a lot of seedlings and want them to grow faster. Would fertilizer do it? I know that CPs love very diluted fertilizer. Would it be a good idea to put some in their water dish?

Can be risky. I would suggest foliar feeding.

No, it's not for the roots, dilute fertilizer is for foliar feeding. either put some drops on the leaves or sprinkle some moistened fish food powder.

mouthstofeed wrote:I have a lot of seedlings and want them to grow faster. Would fertilizer do it? I know that CPs love very diluted fertilizer. Would it be a good idea to put some in their water dish?

Where did you read that cps like diluted fertilizer? there are professional products that can be used but doubt over the counter fertilizers.

I've been well some testing with maxsea unfortunately my seedlings got nuked dude to a totally different reason but two applications in (2 weeks apart) and they were going strong.

both neps have been getting treatment every other week also

1/4tea to 1 gallon water ratio

i wasn't talking about Maxsea. That's different. But you still need to be careful if you are new. Are you foliar feeding your neps?

riveraXVX wrote:I've been well some testing with maxsea unfortunately my seedlings got nuked dude to a totally different reason but two applications in (2 weeks apart) and they were going strong.

both neps have been getting treatment every other week also

1/4tea to 1 gallon water ratio

Fly Trap Hunter wrote:i wasn't talking about Maxsea. That's different. But you still need to be careful if you are new. Are you foliar feeding your neps?

riveraXVX wrote:I've been well some testing with maxsea unfortunately my seedlings got nuked dude to a totally different reason but two applications in (2 weeks apart) and they were going strong.

both neps have been getting treatment every other week also

1/4tea to 1 gallon water ratio

first was filling the pitcher about 1/5-1/4 of the way up, did a foliar feeding the next time I liked the idea of kind of painting it on the leaves I snagged from another forum to keep from soaking the medium. I don't plan on getting too crazy with it, I am going to do a couple test cultures of our live sphag both indoors and outdoors, one with an every two week spritz 1/4tea concentration, one 1/2 tea concentration and one just regular for a total of 6 small tubs

give the kid and I something to do and test more or less!

riveraXVX wrote:

Fly Trap Hunter wrote:i wasn't talking about Maxsea. That's different. But you still need to be careful if you are new. Are you foliar feeding your neps?

riveraXVX wrote:I've been well some testing with maxsea unfortunately my seedlings got nuked dude to a totally different reason but two applications in (2 weeks apart) and they were going strong.

both neps have been getting treatment every other week also

1/4tea to 1 gallon water ratio

first was filling the pitcher about 1/5-1/4 of the way up, did a foliar feeding the next time I liked the idea of kind of painting it on the leaves I snagged from another forum to keep from soaking the medium. I don't plan on getting too crazy with it, I am going to do a couple test cultures of our live sphag both indoors and outdoors, one with an every two week spritz 1/4tea concentration, one 1/2 tea concentration and one just regular for a total of 6 small tubs

give the kid and I something to do and test more or less!

cool. keep us posted.

Fish food flakes, grind them up fine and put a very small amount (not in a clump) on each plant.

Jaws wrote:Fish food flakes, grind them up fine and put a very small amount (not in a clump) on each plant.

this is what I am doing, only add a little distilled water and make a paste and feed them. I just started.

Jaws wrote:Fish food flakes, grind them up fine and put a very small amount (not in a clump) on each plant.

i've done this but it's hard not to drop clumps on them. it gets moldy and the seedlings die.

Fly Trap Hunter wrote:

mouthstofeed wrote:I have a lot of seedlings and want them to grow faster. Would fertilizer do it? I know that CPs love very diluted fertilizer. Would it be a good idea to put some in their water dish?

Where did you read that cps like diluted fertilizer? there are professional products that can be used but doubt over the counter fertilizers.

many sources mention very diluted fertilizers for plants that won't catch prey. maxsea is one...

riveraXVX wrote:I've been well some testing with maxsea unfortunately my seedlings got nuked dude to a totally different reason but two applications in (2 weeks apart) and they were going strong.

both neps have been getting treatment every other week also

1/4tea to 1 gallon water ratio

it really worked for you? you put it in their water?

why did they get nuked?

mouthstofeed wrote:

riveraXVX wrote:I've been well some testing with maxsea unfortunately my seedlings got nuked dude to a totally different reason but two applications in (2 weeks apart) and they were going strong.

both neps have been getting treatment every other week also

1/4tea to 1 gallon water ratio

it really worked for you? you put it in their water?

why did they get nuked?

other forums/reddit (and some folks here) on the neps I partially filled up the pitchers with the solution just be mindful not to fill above the digestion zone or you will burn the pitchers. I filled them about 20% of the way up if I had to guesstimate. with sarracenia just filling the pitchers as full as you want (just not too much to fall over!) the 2nd application on both neps (just basic ol x ventratas) I used a small brush and brushed the solution onto the leaves.

the seedlings got nuked because the container they are in, was kind of hidden behind a larger container I hadn't moved outdoors yet was blocking my view of it and I guess i forgot to check it and the medium had pretty much dried to a crisp, lost all the D. sessilifolia seedlings in one side, and then lost about 90% of the Capensis 'wide leafs' they were still really tiny, and the ones that were towards the center of the container have put out new healthy carnivorous leaves now however the ones closer to the edges where there was less medium as it curved up, those are nice and crispy now/done for.

round two of seedlings I'm starting this weekend when the ones in the fridge for cold stratification has hit the month mark

I'm growing all the seeds this time in batches in 2" pots to allow me to experiment easily with maxsea treatments / no treatments. I'll be jotting down all the results/conditions and making a thread here once it is all said and done!