FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Good day all. I just came from my nursery and picked up more fertilizer pellets for my front garden. The marigolds there really took to it and are blooming well. Now I'm wondering if I pop a pellet each in a nepenthes pitcher (ventricosa, cecco, and according to Tom's carnivours a reinwardtiana) will this benefit them a deal greater other than the odd fly? The plants get about 3 hours of afternoon direct sun though the patio door they stand by and the rest is all what I would consider bright light.

Nepenthes are VERY picky about their fertilizer. MaxSea is generally ok, and some find success with osmocote pellets. I've fried pitchers with pellets, so generally try to steer clear. But osmocote contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, which is very different from the ingredients you have. I'd be cautious about trying any different kind of fertilizer, especially this one, as the risks generally outweigh any potential reward.

But, if you're destined to try it, take one pellet and put it in your least favorite (newish, large) pitcher and see what happens. If the plant dislikes it, the pitcher will burn, die, and rot back, but the plant will probably not die from it.

Would halfing the pellets help?

Id rather not risk it actually. Will stick to flies and insects. Thanks for your help. Always great to have someone's opinion.

I think the pickiness about fertilizer type is extremely overblown myself. It's difficult to predict what the plants will or won't like, though considering this product is made out of poultry manure, I wouldn't keep your hopes up.

People have really been hyping nutricote lately. Never tried it myself but I'm of the mind "If it ain't broke--". That and I have an industrial bag of osmocote.

Apollyon wrote:That and I have an industrial bag of osmocote.

I can't imagine. I have a normal bottle of it, and at one or two pellets per pitcher, I think I might use a quarter of that small bottle in my lifetime.

Are you planning on leaving it in trust, to be used and handed down by the next 5 generations to fertilize Florida's nepenthes?

If you really want to test something pick a pitcher that is starting to fade the plant will feed and the desiccation process will speed up.

Apollyon wrote:People have really been hyping nutricote lately. Never tried it myself but I'm of the mind "If it ain't broke--". That and I have an industrial bag of osmocote.

Yeah I just bought some myself. Regular Osmocote tends to burn Nepenthes pitchers for some reason (apparently if you soak them in water overnight they don't? Something strange about the coating I guess.) Nutricote does not burn pitchers. Unfortunately this is because the coating is made out of plastic so it's not even remotely biodegradable, which I unfortunately discovered after I bought and started using the stuff.

nimbulan wrote:Regular Osmocote tends to burn Nepenthes pitchers for some reason (apparently if you soak them in water overnight they don't? Something strange about the coating I guess.)

I hadn't heard that before. Interesting. Thanks.

Nutricote is the stuff you want for nep fertilization. Like nimb said, Osmocote tends to burn pitchers, but I haven’t had that issue yet with Nutricote. After feeding Nutricote I’ve seen amazing leaf jumps. I put the pellets in the pitchers as well as the soil. Here’s a link to the exact one I have-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265149803668?h ... SwyLlXo21f

Heck, for how much I promote this stuff they better start paying me .

Just curious, at what age do y’all begin fertilizing nepenthes with pellets? When they get adult pitchers? Have a couple small 1-2 year neps and was wondering.

Best

I start feeding mine ASAP, when they're maybe the size of a quarter (and when they have roots, of course).

Ahhh thank you, again!

Nepenthes0260 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 6:34 pm Nutricote is the stuff you want for nep fertilization. Like nimb said, Osmocote tends to burn pitchers, but I haven’t had that issue yet with Nutricote. After feeding Nutricote I’ve seen amazing leaf jumps. I put the pellets in the pitchers as well as the soil. Here’s a link to the exact one I have-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265149803668?h ... SwyLlXo21f

Heck, for how much I promote this stuff they better start paying me .

It only burns the pitcher if it's way too small. I use osmocote and it only killed the smallest pitcher