Ground level pitcher

**David Moses Heng** · 24th Dec 2009, 06:07

I am intending to set up another enclosure for mini crabs and after reading the various threads in the invertebrates section, I decide to fashion one with ground pitcher for them to hide in.

Questions i have in mind are
1) can i get them commercially locally?
2) What is the care and requirement of this plant?

I sincerely ask for inputs and guidance on this project as I intend to use it to teach my children and my students.

Awaiting all constructive advice and inputs.

**illumbomb** · 24th Dec 2009, 06:55

I hope these photographs of them in the wild helps......

**dkk08** · 24th Dec 2009, 09:39

Hi bro, may I direct you to another forum to post this question? As they're many more folks there with experience on plants.

www.greenculturesg.com

**lucasjiang** · 24th Dec 2009, 11:08

Hi altum,

i presume the pitcher plants u want will be nepenthes ampullaria? they produce lots of ground pitchers. however, one problem is that if u get a small plant that fits into your vivarium, the pitchers might not be big enough for any crabs to fight inside.

Nepenthes ampullaria is not a common plant to find in singapore nurseries (the 2 common ones being nepenthes ventrata and miranda). You can find it at 2 nurseries, the first one is Woon Leng (near Qian Hu, when you reach Qian Hu, go down the road a bit more), the other one is World Farm at Bah soon Pah road. I have a green ampullaria cutting for sale, but it doesnt have any pitchers yet, if u want, pls pm me.

Lastly, the care of the plant. Pitcher plants naturally grow in well-draining nutrient-low soil, although ampullaria can tolerate slightly wetter conditions. This means no dosing of ferts, which may be slightly problematic for your other plants. Furthermore, the type of substrate you use in your vivarium must be taken into consideration. what substrate are you using?

Hope all these helps you

. actually, IMHO, crabs, pitcher plants, and a vivarium may not go very well together. All the same, i encourage you to try.

**David Moses Heng** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:09

Originally Posted by dkk08

Hi bro, may I direct you to another forum to post this question? As they're many more folks there with experience on plants.

www.greenculturesg.com

i am also there but very inactive

**David Moses Heng** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:14

Originally Posted by lucasjiang

Hi altum,

i presume the pitcher plants u want will be nepenthes ampullaria? they produce lots of ground pitchers. however, one problem is that if u get a small plant that fits into your vivarium, the pitchers might not be big enough for any crabs to fight inside.

Nepenthes ampullaria is not a common plant to find in singapore nurseries (the 2 common ones being nepenthes ventrata and miranda). You can find it at 2 nurseries, the first one is Woon Leng (near Qian Hu, when you reach Qian Hu, go down the road a bit more), the other one is World Farm at Bah soon Pah road. I have a green ampullaria cutting for sale, but it doesnt have any pitchers yet, if u want, pls pm me.

Lastly, the care of the plant. Pitcher plants naturally grow in well-draining nutrient-low soil, although ampullaria can tolerate slightly wetter conditions. This means no dosing of ferts, which may be slightly problematic for your other plants. Furthermore, the type of substrate you use in your vivarium must be taken into consideration. what substrate are you using?

Hope all these helps you

. actually, IMHO, crabs, pitcher plants, and a vivarium may not go very well together. All the same, i encourage you to try.

wow! Lucas. you sure know a lot about pitchers. Can i visit you one of this days?

For this tank, I will be using a false bottom with a reservoir at the bottom follow by 1 inch of clay pellets and 3 inch of garden soil which is basically peat/burned soil. However, i am thinking of getting the forest soil sold by Pets Kampong.

For plants, i will be harvesting a lot of singapore moss below my flat and I also intend to use crypts for the shallow water portion.

Advice?

David Moses Heng

**dkk08** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:14

hahaha time to be active den

**David Moses Heng** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:15

Originally Posted by dkk08

hahaha time to be active den

i will try. By the way, my nick there is I love life

**lucasjiang** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:19

your nick in GCS is i love life? i will add you right away.

**lucasjiang** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:23

hmm, so i see that you will be using garden soil. when you say burned soil, what type or brand are you using? some burned soil have added fertiliser and are not suitable for growing pitcher plants. There is a brand of burned soil called indonesian burned earth that is very good for pitcher plants.

your plant choice is good as they dont require a lot of nutrients to survive and are suitable plant companions for your pitcherplant. However, the amount of soil may be a bit too little as most pitcher plants have deep root systems.

**lucasjiang** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:30

Here are some pics of my nepenthes ampullaria

Ground pitcher

Ground pitcher

Aerial pitcher

**David Moses Heng** · 24th Dec 2009, 15:51

may i ask where can i get the indon soil from? and where did you get your pitcher and cost?

how about lighting requirements?

**Shaihulud** · 24th Dec 2009, 16:54

I bought indonesia burnt earth/soil from Giant in IMM, not sure if it is the same.

**lucasjiang** · 24th Dec 2009, 17:44

Originally Posted by Altum_lover76

may i ask where can i get the indon soil from? and where did you get your pitcher and cost?

how about lighting requirements?

indo burnt earth can be gotten from world farm.

My pitcher plant was imported from a nursery called Borneo Exotics which is based in Sri Lanka. You can get the same species from Woon Leng or World Farm. Mine cost about $10

These species of pitcher plant, ampullaria, can adapt to lower light levels. otherwise, most species of pitcher plant require about 4hrs of direct sunlight a day.