- Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:19 am
#347585
Extensive Guide for Nepenthes Hybrids
Table of contents:
Forward
I) Introduction to Nepenthes hybrids
II) Specific reasons to grow hybrids
a) Vigor
b) Adaptability
1) Temperature
2) Humidity
b) Physical traits of hybrids
d) Cost
III) Selecting Plants
a) Easy to grow hybrids
1) Super beginner hybrids
2) Next level of easy hybrids
IV) Conclusion
V) Thank you and credits
Forward:
As a grower who has really gotten into Nepenthes, I wanted to write a guide on Nepenthes hybrids. Nepenthes hybrids are a great way to get some unique looking plants while also being very adaptable to due to their hybrid vigor. This guide is to provide information about hybrids to growers who are looking to get into hybrids or learn more about them. This is also a guide for beginners and also the general community. This guide will go into reasons to grow Nepenthes hybrids and talk about some unique beginner friendly hybrids to grow. I also am going to talk about what things to look for when selecting a hybrid to buy.
This guide hopefully will be helpful to people, but probably it will not apply to every grower. Each grower also has different conditions. What grows fast for owner may not be as fast for another, so it is a good idea to find out what set up works for you. If you are an experienced grower and own a greenhouse with lights and heater or a controlled terrarium environment or cost is not an issue, the reasons to grow hybrids may not be as important to you, but I hope that some of this guide may still be helpful in some way! However, if you are a beginner regardless of your grow set up that wants to know why someone should grow hybrids and what look for when selecting hybrids, then I hope that this guide can provides some guidance.
To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with growing Nepenthes species. If you own a species, you are contributing to the conservation of very endangered Nepenthes. This is going to have some focus on easier to grow hybrids. Everything that I say below is not going to apply to all hybrids, but more of a generalization that tend to be true of hybrids. I wanted to give some reasons and provide some guidance for why people could consider growing hybrid Nepenthes.
I grow both hybrids and species, but mostly hybrid plants. I am considered a newer Nepenthes grower compared to most people, but I have done my research, talked to other growers, and have visited a few carnivorous plant nurseries and talked to them also. All the experiences and information I learned is included with this guide. I really wanted to give back to the community that has helped me so much in growing these great plants. This is going to be a long guide, but I hope this can help someone in our wonderful hobby!
I) Introduction of Nepenthes hybrids
First, let us define what a hybrid is. Very simply put, a hybrid is the breeding between two or more different species. Complex hybrids can involve crossing two hybrids or more together to create fantastic plants. For nomenclature, the female parent is first followed by the male. For example, Nepenthes Alata x Petiolata has Alata being female and petiolate being male. Some hybrids will have names for the hybrid such as Nepenthes x Ventrata, which is just Alata x Ventricosa.
Hybrids of nepenthes tend to exhibit the most unique characters and traits from the individual parents in the cross. This applies to both the physical characteristics along with some growing characteristics of it.
a) Vigor
Hybrids usually tend to provide hybrid vigor which basically is a term that describes hybrids as usually being more vigorous and adaptable than their individual parents. Highland species are known to be slow growers usually taking them several years to mature. Some individual species can also be very difficult to grow, so growers may cross them for their hybrid vigor. The result is the plant usually grows faster Hybrids because of this tend to grow faster and sometimes A LOT faster than the parents and usually are easier to take look after. We can use the example of Nepenthes Lowii, a slow but fantastic looking plant. It has a tendency to be hard to grow due to the require colder nightly drop it needs. If you cross it with Nepenthes Ventricosa, not only does the Lowii tend to keep its shape, but it can also grow in a wider range of temperatures and tends to be an easy plant to grow. This even works with two very hard to grow species bred together. If we cross a plant from a highland area and one from a lowland area, they tend to be able to grow in lowland, intermediate, and highland environments. This is a generalization but tends to apply to most hybrids. They may prefer one environment more so than the others, but they tend to have a wider range of growing conditions. This makes it easier and more forgiving for sub-optimal growing environment. Even in my non-temperature-controlled environment, my plants are still quite vigorous. For growers with some greenhouse or controlled environment, they have reported that hybrids just tend to grow out of control and even grow like weeds that need to be cut back. This is why hybrid vigor is great for all environments.
b) Adaptability
I have touched a little bit on and adaptability, but I am now going to go into more specific examples and provide more contextual snippets about it.
1) Temperature
I grow in a highland to intermediate environment. In spring and winters, my temperatures tend to be more towards the highland side. However, in the summer and early fall, my temperature are definitely more intermediate and can touch 90 degrees. The genus of Nepenthes as a whole tend to prefer stable conditions as they are usually found near the equator where there are practically no seasons. When I talk to nurseries and ask them if I can grow highland species outside or in an uncontrolled environment in the summer, they tend to tell me that those species really require their highland environment and that growing it in intermediate environment even for a few months can really set the plant back and even damage the plant. They recommend that I really should grow hybrids because of their ability to grow in a wider temperature range. Most of the time, my plants not only do not slow down in the summer, instead they tend to grow more vigorously due to the longer daylight hours that summer provide. This doesn’t mean that you can stick a hybrid outside and expect it to survive above 100 degree weather nonstop for three weeks straight without a drop in temperature. Most Nepenthes except the lowland ones really need their drop in temperature. However, if the summer is too hot, most people can grow hybrids on their windowsills or near windows and adapt just fine. In the wintertime, my temperature reaches the low 40s upper 30s. My Nepenthes x Ventrata is still doing okay outside in these temperatures thanks to its hybrid vigor. I bring my other plants and grow them near my windows without any supplemental lighting. To my surprise, they continue to pitcher, but rather at a slow pace. This really shows off its adaptability and vigor despite the different changing seasons and temperature.
2) Humidity
One thing I also cannot provide my plants is the humidity that they experience in their natural environments. Nepenthes as a genus tend to want humidity between 90-95% as this humidity is one of the biggest needs in order to get nepenthes to pitcher. The science behind it is quite fascinating and if you want more information on this there are great articles out there! A lot of highland species NEED to have this high humidity in order to even pitcher. In fact, in a video from the nursery Predatory Plants talking about Nepenthes Jacquelineae, they talk about how some species with really developed peristomes need to have high humidity. This humidity is so important if you want pitchers to grow. Some growers have mentioned that their species plants refuse to pitcher below a certain humidity, but their hybrids pitcher just fine. A lot of hybrids especially the easier ones I have found can pitcher with humidity at 50-60% but preferably higher. Where I grow my plants I have found humidity drop into 20% for a week or two at a time with no real issues. Also, and this actually applies to Nepenthes in general is that they can develop small fuzzy hairs on their leaves, tendrils and pitchers, which help it retain humidity better. This can be noticeable on the new leaves that I developed after I received my plants from a nursery. The old leaves did not have hairs because it grew in a high humidity environment. This shows that these plants can adapt and tolerate lower humidity to a certain level. Peristome development really depends on humidity, but the lower humidity environments have not underdeveloped or warped my plant’s peristome in any way. The humidity tends not be a factor in the hybrids I grow, especially the easier hybrids.
This versatility of adapting to indoor and outdoor environments along with the changing seasons and lower humidity really make it easy for hybrids to thrive even in sub optimal places. This is why hybrids tend to be suggested for lots of growers including ones without a greenhouse or a new grower.
c) Physical traits of hybrids
We have talked about how there are Nepenthes crosses to help with vigor and adaptability. A very common reason lot of people breed hybrids is the offspring to inherit unique physical traits from its parents. A lot of nurseries pick plants that have great individual characteristics to breed. They do this with the hope that their offspring will have both of the physical traits that the parents have.
Some of the examples include peristome enhancement. Nepenthes Veitchii comes in a variety of forms, usually the differences in the forms are from the peristome. Some have striped peristomes, other can be quite flared. If a grower would like to add striping to a hybrid, they would they striped Veitchii and add it to Spectabilis what they want to cross with to get that nice striped peristome in the offspring later on.
One thing to look out and be aware of is that hybrids involving the same species may vary depending on the specific parent used. For example, Ventricosa x Spectabilis has many different clones even though the species used in the cross in the same. Let’s say we want to make to clones of this cross. If we keep the Spectabilis the same but use a different Ventricosa plant in the cross first and second cross, we could get two different looking Ventricosa x Spectabilis crosses. This provides great variability in the way hybrids look and is a reason people enjoy them.
Also hybrids can give the traits such as long lasting pitchers or allow it to hold lots of pitchers at once on the plant. This is another physical trait that usually may not be the case in the parent species, but as a hybrid can give it.
There are hybrids that are also created is for mimicry. For example, Nepenthes Aristolochioides x Thorelii has some say that it resembles a very expensive plant. They say that it looks like a cheaper Nepenthes Klossii in one way or another! This obviously depends on who you ask but there are some similarities in both. They both have a side opening lid and an overhang on the top. This is not as common as the other reasons above for creating hybrids, but have seen done for that reason.
d) Cost
There are quite a lot of Nepenthes species are quite rare in cultivation and in the wild because they are very endangered. For that reason, the price on these species are usually quite expensive. An example of this that comes to my mind is Nepenthes Aristolochioides. Not only is it incredibly rare in the wild, it is rare online to buy because they can be difficult and slow to grow, few are readily available for sale. The last time I saw a seed grown for sale, it was over $150 on a plant that was less than two inches wide. However, there seems to be a lot of hybrids of this plant because of the vigor they provide when in a hybrid. These hybrids can start at less than $20 while it provides the attractive roundness that people want from that plant.
Another thing about hybrids is that they grow fast enough where rooted and establish cuttings of them are often for sale. This means it becomes an adult plant quicker, which grows faster than juvenile plants would. This is also great for breeders because they usually are fast to grow their flowers. One of the plants that I had gotten one time came with 4 pitchers. In a couple months it had 8 pitchers and started growing a flower! Breeders can use this and create their own hybrids that they want. The fast growing hybrids can grow inches and even feet per month. Growers in greenhouses can get a few feet on their plant quickly. They then cut these plants and create lots of cutting to either trade or even sell! You can take a vine and create 6 cuttings and have 6 close to adult plants! These are some of the ways hybrids can help save money and expand your assortment of plants by trading cuttings!
III) Selecting hybrids
With so many species out there, the availability of all different kinds of hybrids gives people a lot to choose from. I hope that the section here can help people make some choices from the long list of hybrids. Also if you want a more extensive list of hybrids of all types, there is a great website call Nepenthes around the house, which talks about the care and ease of all types of hybrids and species. There are way more easy hybrids and hybrids in general. The hybrids are listed for ease of growth and they may grow not the same for you in your environment compared to other growing environments. Also, different parent species have their own environments they prefer, so when they are bred together, the hybrid may have their preferred temperatures. To see what temperatures your hybrids could prefer, use the great interactive Nepenthes chart from Tom’s carnivores. It tells you an estimate of what temperature your Nepenthes may prefer.
These hybrids here are usually known for its ease and vigor. Some are also known for their physical appearance. The hybrids can really vary depending on where you get them as there are different clones that can be sold at different places. Look out for this and look at the pictures of it before getting them. This is not a complete guide of hybrids. These are just the hybrids that are easy to grow, as there are way more hybrids in general. In this are here are the hybrids that most people consider easy
1) Super beginner plants:
The two easiest and common hybrids are Nepenthes Ventrata and Nepenthes Miranda (Maxima x Northiana). These are usually gotten at hardware stores and garden centers They are the easiest to grow in lots of environments and are vigorous.
2) Next level of easy hybrids
Once you have gotten the hand of basic Nepenthes care, these hybrids are still super easy and nice to grow, but can look quite great.
Nepenthes Spectabilis x Ventricosa: Easy to grow still and very vigorous. This is a hybrid that can grow in highland to intermediate environments or areas. It also looks quite cool The speckled body and striped peristome are something people enjoy.
Nepenthes Ventricosa x ampullaria: Easy to grow still but may grow better in the intermediate to lowland environment, but some have in highland environment. This has a great open lid and have a nice color to it
Nepenthes Spectabilis x Spathulata: This one can vary in the speed of growth which can be slower to vigorous depends on the setup and who you ask. It is still an easy hybrid that can tolerate the lower
humidity. It can be grown in intermediate to highland environments. There are many clones of this, but all have a nice body and peristome.
Nepenthes Lowii x Ventricosa Usually a very hard to grow species, nepenthes lowii are some of the most coveted species out there. The Lowii usually requires a very low nightly temperature and has reputation to be hard to take care of. This is not the case when bred with Ventricosa as a hybrid plant. When bred with Ventriocsa it becomes a very easy plant to take care of while it keeps it lowii shape.
Nepenthes Aristolochioides x Thorelii: This plant is quite tubby and may look like klossii. This plant grows vigorously and is tolerant. It is a lowland and highland crossed together, so it may grow great as a lowland. For me it has grown quick in intermediate to highland enironment.
Nepenthes Ventricosa x Ramispina: Easy to grow in highland to intermediate environment and are vigorous. They have a nice black body to it.
Nepenthes Spectabilis x veitchii: This is another cross where the growth is going to depend your setup. It is a widely adaptable species with great traits. It grows from intermediate to highland environments. It has a nice striped peristome and a large body that can some in different colors.
There are a lot more hybrids that are easy to grow than this. There are way more hybrids than this in general. These are just some common hybrids that are easy to grow. They are quite tolerant of lots of conditions and it really comes down to what you want to grow in your own environment.
V) Conclusion and credits
Thank you for reading all of this. This comprehensive guide on hybrids was meant to be an informative one. There are so many reasons to grow hybrids. We have talked about hybrid vigor and adaptability. This makes hybrids easy to in lots of conditions. There are also the physical traits of hybrids! There are great unique crosses because of hybrid traits. There are so many different types of reasons to grow hybrids. There is also the cost aspect as they tend to be cheaper and come as adult plants. I hope that this guide was useful to some of you and gave you some reason to consider growing hybrids of nepenthes. Species are great also, but I wanted to give some reasons for hybrids as they tend to be overlooked a lot. Thank you for everyone that has read this far, and hope you got something from the guide. It has been quite fun to write and give back to the growers that have helped me get into this wonderful hobby that we are in.
Credits
Thank you to the community. Your support in helping a beginner has been helpful and truly super thankful and grateful for everything that you have done for me. I also want to thank the website below for their information. They are fantastic growers and a great part of this community in their contribution to it. Thank you to the readers as this was a really long article. I appreciate all the help and encouragement. Thank you everyone again for all the help you have given I am really very thankful. Grow on!
Website to read about hybrids:
Nepenthes around the house:
http://www.nepenthesaroundthehouse.com/
Tom Carnviores:
https://www.carnivorousplants.co.uk/
Predatory Plants video that was referenced:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgKJk7IpVuk
Links to places that I learn about Nepenthes:
Brad Greenhouse
https://www.youtube.com/user/Icatizp
Sarracenia Northwest
https://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/default.asp
Thanks to the great people and growers at Predatory Plants and also California Carnivores. At the actual store that they have, they have given some great advice for growing!
Table of contents:
Forward
I) Introduction to Nepenthes hybrids
II) Specific reasons to grow hybrids
a) Vigor
b) Adaptability
1) Temperature
2) Humidity
b) Physical traits of hybrids
d) Cost
III) Selecting Plants
a) Easy to grow hybrids
1) Super beginner hybrids
2) Next level of easy hybrids
IV) Conclusion
V) Thank you and credits
Forward:
As a grower who has really gotten into Nepenthes, I wanted to write a guide on Nepenthes hybrids. Nepenthes hybrids are a great way to get some unique looking plants while also being very adaptable to due to their hybrid vigor. This guide is to provide information about hybrids to growers who are looking to get into hybrids or learn more about them. This is also a guide for beginners and also the general community. This guide will go into reasons to grow Nepenthes hybrids and talk about some unique beginner friendly hybrids to grow. I also am going to talk about what things to look for when selecting a hybrid to buy.
This guide hopefully will be helpful to people, but probably it will not apply to every grower. Each grower also has different conditions. What grows fast for owner may not be as fast for another, so it is a good idea to find out what set up works for you. If you are an experienced grower and own a greenhouse with lights and heater or a controlled terrarium environment or cost is not an issue, the reasons to grow hybrids may not be as important to you, but I hope that some of this guide may still be helpful in some way! However, if you are a beginner regardless of your grow set up that wants to know why someone should grow hybrids and what look for when selecting hybrids, then I hope that this guide can provides some guidance.
To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with growing Nepenthes species. If you own a species, you are contributing to the conservation of very endangered Nepenthes. This is going to have some focus on easier to grow hybrids. Everything that I say below is not going to apply to all hybrids, but more of a generalization that tend to be true of hybrids. I wanted to give some reasons and provide some guidance for why people could consider growing hybrid Nepenthes.
I grow both hybrids and species, but mostly hybrid plants. I am considered a newer Nepenthes grower compared to most people, but I have done my research, talked to other growers, and have visited a few carnivorous plant nurseries and talked to them also. All the experiences and information I learned is included with this guide. I really wanted to give back to the community that has helped me so much in growing these great plants. This is going to be a long guide, but I hope this can help someone in our wonderful hobby!
I) Introduction of Nepenthes hybrids
First, let us define what a hybrid is. Very simply put, a hybrid is the breeding between two or more different species. Complex hybrids can involve crossing two hybrids or more together to create fantastic plants. For nomenclature, the female parent is first followed by the male. For example, Nepenthes Alata x Petiolata has Alata being female and petiolate being male. Some hybrids will have names for the hybrid such as Nepenthes x Ventrata, which is just Alata x Ventricosa.
Hybrids of nepenthes tend to exhibit the most unique characters and traits from the individual parents in the cross. This applies to both the physical characteristics along with some growing characteristics of it.
a) Vigor
Hybrids usually tend to provide hybrid vigor which basically is a term that describes hybrids as usually being more vigorous and adaptable than their individual parents. Highland species are known to be slow growers usually taking them several years to mature. Some individual species can also be very difficult to grow, so growers may cross them for their hybrid vigor. The result is the plant usually grows faster Hybrids because of this tend to grow faster and sometimes A LOT faster than the parents and usually are easier to take look after. We can use the example of Nepenthes Lowii, a slow but fantastic looking plant. It has a tendency to be hard to grow due to the require colder nightly drop it needs. If you cross it with Nepenthes Ventricosa, not only does the Lowii tend to keep its shape, but it can also grow in a wider range of temperatures and tends to be an easy plant to grow. This even works with two very hard to grow species bred together. If we cross a plant from a highland area and one from a lowland area, they tend to be able to grow in lowland, intermediate, and highland environments. This is a generalization but tends to apply to most hybrids. They may prefer one environment more so than the others, but they tend to have a wider range of growing conditions. This makes it easier and more forgiving for sub-optimal growing environment. Even in my non-temperature-controlled environment, my plants are still quite vigorous. For growers with some greenhouse or controlled environment, they have reported that hybrids just tend to grow out of control and even grow like weeds that need to be cut back. This is why hybrid vigor is great for all environments.
b) Adaptability
I have touched a little bit on and adaptability, but I am now going to go into more specific examples and provide more contextual snippets about it.
1) Temperature
I grow in a highland to intermediate environment. In spring and winters, my temperatures tend to be more towards the highland side. However, in the summer and early fall, my temperature are definitely more intermediate and can touch 90 degrees. The genus of Nepenthes as a whole tend to prefer stable conditions as they are usually found near the equator where there are practically no seasons. When I talk to nurseries and ask them if I can grow highland species outside or in an uncontrolled environment in the summer, they tend to tell me that those species really require their highland environment and that growing it in intermediate environment even for a few months can really set the plant back and even damage the plant. They recommend that I really should grow hybrids because of their ability to grow in a wider temperature range. Most of the time, my plants not only do not slow down in the summer, instead they tend to grow more vigorously due to the longer daylight hours that summer provide. This doesn’t mean that you can stick a hybrid outside and expect it to survive above 100 degree weather nonstop for three weeks straight without a drop in temperature. Most Nepenthes except the lowland ones really need their drop in temperature. However, if the summer is too hot, most people can grow hybrids on their windowsills or near windows and adapt just fine. In the wintertime, my temperature reaches the low 40s upper 30s. My Nepenthes x Ventrata is still doing okay outside in these temperatures thanks to its hybrid vigor. I bring my other plants and grow them near my windows without any supplemental lighting. To my surprise, they continue to pitcher, but rather at a slow pace. This really shows off its adaptability and vigor despite the different changing seasons and temperature.
2) Humidity
One thing I also cannot provide my plants is the humidity that they experience in their natural environments. Nepenthes as a genus tend to want humidity between 90-95% as this humidity is one of the biggest needs in order to get nepenthes to pitcher. The science behind it is quite fascinating and if you want more information on this there are great articles out there! A lot of highland species NEED to have this high humidity in order to even pitcher. In fact, in a video from the nursery Predatory Plants talking about Nepenthes Jacquelineae, they talk about how some species with really developed peristomes need to have high humidity. This humidity is so important if you want pitchers to grow. Some growers have mentioned that their species plants refuse to pitcher below a certain humidity, but their hybrids pitcher just fine. A lot of hybrids especially the easier ones I have found can pitcher with humidity at 50-60% but preferably higher. Where I grow my plants I have found humidity drop into 20% for a week or two at a time with no real issues. Also, and this actually applies to Nepenthes in general is that they can develop small fuzzy hairs on their leaves, tendrils and pitchers, which help it retain humidity better. This can be noticeable on the new leaves that I developed after I received my plants from a nursery. The old leaves did not have hairs because it grew in a high humidity environment. This shows that these plants can adapt and tolerate lower humidity to a certain level. Peristome development really depends on humidity, but the lower humidity environments have not underdeveloped or warped my plant’s peristome in any way. The humidity tends not be a factor in the hybrids I grow, especially the easier hybrids.
This versatility of adapting to indoor and outdoor environments along with the changing seasons and lower humidity really make it easy for hybrids to thrive even in sub optimal places. This is why hybrids tend to be suggested for lots of growers including ones without a greenhouse or a new grower.
c) Physical traits of hybrids
We have talked about how there are Nepenthes crosses to help with vigor and adaptability. A very common reason lot of people breed hybrids is the offspring to inherit unique physical traits from its parents. A lot of nurseries pick plants that have great individual characteristics to breed. They do this with the hope that their offspring will have both of the physical traits that the parents have.
Some of the examples include peristome enhancement. Nepenthes Veitchii comes in a variety of forms, usually the differences in the forms are from the peristome. Some have striped peristomes, other can be quite flared. If a grower would like to add striping to a hybrid, they would they striped Veitchii and add it to Spectabilis what they want to cross with to get that nice striped peristome in the offspring later on.
One thing to look out and be aware of is that hybrids involving the same species may vary depending on the specific parent used. For example, Ventricosa x Spectabilis has many different clones even though the species used in the cross in the same. Let’s say we want to make to clones of this cross. If we keep the Spectabilis the same but use a different Ventricosa plant in the cross first and second cross, we could get two different looking Ventricosa x Spectabilis crosses. This provides great variability in the way hybrids look and is a reason people enjoy them.
Also hybrids can give the traits such as long lasting pitchers or allow it to hold lots of pitchers at once on the plant. This is another physical trait that usually may not be the case in the parent species, but as a hybrid can give it.
There are hybrids that are also created is for mimicry. For example, Nepenthes Aristolochioides x Thorelii has some say that it resembles a very expensive plant. They say that it looks like a cheaper Nepenthes Klossii in one way or another! This obviously depends on who you ask but there are some similarities in both. They both have a side opening lid and an overhang on the top. This is not as common as the other reasons above for creating hybrids, but have seen done for that reason.
d) Cost
There are quite a lot of Nepenthes species are quite rare in cultivation and in the wild because they are very endangered. For that reason, the price on these species are usually quite expensive. An example of this that comes to my mind is Nepenthes Aristolochioides. Not only is it incredibly rare in the wild, it is rare online to buy because they can be difficult and slow to grow, few are readily available for sale. The last time I saw a seed grown for sale, it was over $150 on a plant that was less than two inches wide. However, there seems to be a lot of hybrids of this plant because of the vigor they provide when in a hybrid. These hybrids can start at less than $20 while it provides the attractive roundness that people want from that plant.
Another thing about hybrids is that they grow fast enough where rooted and establish cuttings of them are often for sale. This means it becomes an adult plant quicker, which grows faster than juvenile plants would. This is also great for breeders because they usually are fast to grow their flowers. One of the plants that I had gotten one time came with 4 pitchers. In a couple months it had 8 pitchers and started growing a flower! Breeders can use this and create their own hybrids that they want. The fast growing hybrids can grow inches and even feet per month. Growers in greenhouses can get a few feet on their plant quickly. They then cut these plants and create lots of cutting to either trade or even sell! You can take a vine and create 6 cuttings and have 6 close to adult plants! These are some of the ways hybrids can help save money and expand your assortment of plants by trading cuttings!
III) Selecting hybrids
With so many species out there, the availability of all different kinds of hybrids gives people a lot to choose from. I hope that the section here can help people make some choices from the long list of hybrids. Also if you want a more extensive list of hybrids of all types, there is a great website call Nepenthes around the house, which talks about the care and ease of all types of hybrids and species. There are way more easy hybrids and hybrids in general. The hybrids are listed for ease of growth and they may grow not the same for you in your environment compared to other growing environments. Also, different parent species have their own environments they prefer, so when they are bred together, the hybrid may have their preferred temperatures. To see what temperatures your hybrids could prefer, use the great interactive Nepenthes chart from Tom’s carnivores. It tells you an estimate of what temperature your Nepenthes may prefer.
These hybrids here are usually known for its ease and vigor. Some are also known for their physical appearance. The hybrids can really vary depending on where you get them as there are different clones that can be sold at different places. Look out for this and look at the pictures of it before getting them. This is not a complete guide of hybrids. These are just the hybrids that are easy to grow, as there are way more hybrids in general. In this are here are the hybrids that most people consider easy
1) Super beginner plants:
The two easiest and common hybrids are Nepenthes Ventrata and Nepenthes Miranda (Maxima x Northiana). These are usually gotten at hardware stores and garden centers They are the easiest to grow in lots of environments and are vigorous.
2) Next level of easy hybrids
Once you have gotten the hand of basic Nepenthes care, these hybrids are still super easy and nice to grow, but can look quite great.
Nepenthes Spectabilis x Ventricosa: Easy to grow still and very vigorous. This is a hybrid that can grow in highland to intermediate environments or areas. It also looks quite cool The speckled body and striped peristome are something people enjoy.
Nepenthes Ventricosa x ampullaria: Easy to grow still but may grow better in the intermediate to lowland environment, but some have in highland environment. This has a great open lid and have a nice color to it
Nepenthes Spectabilis x Spathulata: This one can vary in the speed of growth which can be slower to vigorous depends on the setup and who you ask. It is still an easy hybrid that can tolerate the lower
humidity. It can be grown in intermediate to highland environments. There are many clones of this, but all have a nice body and peristome.
Nepenthes Lowii x Ventricosa Usually a very hard to grow species, nepenthes lowii are some of the most coveted species out there. The Lowii usually requires a very low nightly temperature and has reputation to be hard to take care of. This is not the case when bred with Ventricosa as a hybrid plant. When bred with Ventriocsa it becomes a very easy plant to take care of while it keeps it lowii shape.
Nepenthes Aristolochioides x Thorelii: This plant is quite tubby and may look like klossii. This plant grows vigorously and is tolerant. It is a lowland and highland crossed together, so it may grow great as a lowland. For me it has grown quick in intermediate to highland enironment.
Nepenthes Ventricosa x Ramispina: Easy to grow in highland to intermediate environment and are vigorous. They have a nice black body to it.
Nepenthes Spectabilis x veitchii: This is another cross where the growth is going to depend your setup. It is a widely adaptable species with great traits. It grows from intermediate to highland environments. It has a nice striped peristome and a large body that can some in different colors.
There are a lot more hybrids that are easy to grow than this. There are way more hybrids than this in general. These are just some common hybrids that are easy to grow. They are quite tolerant of lots of conditions and it really comes down to what you want to grow in your own environment.
V) Conclusion and credits
Thank you for reading all of this. This comprehensive guide on hybrids was meant to be an informative one. There are so many reasons to grow hybrids. We have talked about hybrid vigor and adaptability. This makes hybrids easy to in lots of conditions. There are also the physical traits of hybrids! There are great unique crosses because of hybrid traits. There are so many different types of reasons to grow hybrids. There is also the cost aspect as they tend to be cheaper and come as adult plants. I hope that this guide was useful to some of you and gave you some reason to consider growing hybrids of nepenthes. Species are great also, but I wanted to give some reasons for hybrids as they tend to be overlooked a lot. Thank you for everyone that has read this far, and hope you got something from the guide. It has been quite fun to write and give back to the growers that have helped me get into this wonderful hobby that we are in.
Credits
Thank you to the community. Your support in helping a beginner has been helpful and truly super thankful and grateful for everything that you have done for me. I also want to thank the website below for their information. They are fantastic growers and a great part of this community in their contribution to it. Thank you to the readers as this was a really long article. I appreciate all the help and encouragement. Thank you everyone again for all the help you have given I am really very thankful. Grow on!
Website to read about hybrids:
Nepenthes around the house:
http://www.nepenthesaroundthehouse.com/
Tom Carnviores:
https://www.carnivorousplants.co.uk/
Predatory Plants video that was referenced:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgKJk7IpVuk
Links to places that I learn about Nepenthes:
Brad Greenhouse
https://www.youtube.com/user/Icatizp
Sarracenia Northwest
https://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/default.asp
Thanks to the great people and growers at Predatory Plants and also California Carnivores. At the actual store that they have, they have given some great advice for growing!
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