Nepenthes seeds

[ryrycochinco]

Hey! I just received some nepenthes seeds via ebay (the seller is legit) and have a few questions..

- Is there any way I should prep the seeds before sowing them?

- Can I use Kelpmax? I just treated my orchids and have some of the mixture left in my sprayer. I'm curious as to what it would do to the seeds and I'd rather not waste it.

- Is there an easy way to distill water or lower the ppm below 100? I know carnivorous plants like a low ppm. I live in a college dorm without the proper kitchen supplies to distill water with the ice/pot method. I tried using my clothing steamer but that took ages. My brita filter only takes the ppm down to the low 100's. A few weeks ago I placed the pots into plastic bags with a few inches of water on the bottom, but I doubt the humidity saturated the sphag enough.

- Does anyone have experience growing nepenthes from seed? I'd love to hear from you

Thanks and happy weekend

[Subrosa]

100 ppm is totally fine for all but highland species of Nepenthes. 200ppm is totally fine, but you would probably want distilled or ro on hand to keep pitchers topped up. Worry about something important, not your tap water.

[ryrycochinco]

Oh believe me, I'd love to just throw tap water on the seeds but many sources say they are particularly sensitive. It seems to be a necessity more than a luxury treatment. I really want them to germinate. My brita gets my tap water to between 110-130ppm.

---------- Post added at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:17 PM ----------

desperate lol

[Fishkeeper]

Pick up a few gallons of distilled water from the grocery store. Should be able to get 3 gallons for about $2, and it won't take much to keep the seeds wet. 3 gallons should last you a long time.
Once they've sprouted, you can start slowly acclimating them to the water from your filter, as long as you flush the pot now and then to help remove any accumulated TDS.
Nepenthes seeds can take a long time to sprout, up to a year for some species, but aren't very difficult. Just keep them damp and let them do their thing.

[estación seca]

Nepenthes seeds are very thin, long and slightly curved. They look something like pale tan eyelashes.

Many people sow them on the surface of moist long-fiber sphagnum moss kept wet in an enclosure. Sphagnum is less likely to mold than other media during the time it needs to stay wet, before the seedlings have much size.

Depending on how many seeds you have, a plastic restaurant take-out food container with a transparent top works just fine as a container.

Be sure the seeds are pressed against the sphagnum so they stay moist.

Many people pre-treat them with a hydrogen peroxide solution. See the link below. I did not do that when I sowed mine and I got good germination. My seedlings have all survived, so far.

A gallon of distilled water at a market will cost you about a dollar, and will last quite a while.

This thread has the most detailed Nepenthes sprouting information I have found. The thread has other threads from other people who are not as compulsive as the first poster. The first poster describes his method for minimizing plant loss. The other posters are less compulsive and more willing to tolerate seed loss.
How I germinate and grow Nepenthes from seed | Carnivorous Plants in the tropics