How can I prevent my Nepenthes pitchers from drying out?

Question

I received what I guess is a Nepenthes last month, but the pitchers have all dried out by now. It starts with the lid drying up and once that happens it takes 10 days until the entire pitcher is all dried up. I cut it off before this happens.

I read that its soil may never dry out and that it needs much light but not direct sunlight.

What am I doing wrong?

1. I wait until the soil is almost dry and then give it lots of water. This is around each fifth day.
2. I placed it in a hanging pot in a window over the kitchen sink, where there is never any direct sunlight but occasionally are lots of non direct sunlight. (Sweden, so sun is not strong.)
3. I replanted it and gave it a bio-fertilizer that actually had a way expired date.
4. ?

Answer 1

First of all, you have a nice Nepenthes! Its a mythic plant :)

It looks like a Nepenthes ventrata, or a hybrid. It's not a Nepenthes ampullaria for sure.

• Your plant needs rain or demineralized water
  Water the plant when the surface of the soil is a LITTLE BIT dry.
• Your plant needs relative humidity of 70% or more.
• Your plant needs a 4-5°C temperature drop each night.

• Your plant needs very airy soil, like orchid mix (you can find this at Lowe's or Home Depot, or any gardening center in your area).

• Your plant does NOT need a fertilizer. If you are not experienced, you will kill your plant. The only fertilizer I use is insects. You can drop a little insect in a pitcher each week. If your plant lost all their pitchers, just wait for new ones.

A terrarium is an easy way to cultivate your Nepenthes. You can grow the plant as a normal plant, outside a terrarium, but you need to maintain a minimum RH% (40-50%+), so you would have to mist the leaves 5-6 times a day.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Never let a nepenthes sit in water it will kill the plant I use a small terrarium for my nepenthes with a sphagnum moss and foam mix although many other pourous draining soils with lots of air spaces works great. This soil type has helped has kept my ventricosa x Mira hybrid alive for years and if yours is a highland species it needs a nightly tempurature drop which I supply to mine by bringing it downstairs every night where it is about fifty five to sixty degrees then back up to my room which is about eighty degrees. Also you should allow it to dry out somewhat but always remain moist. Give it almost direct slightly shaded light and if it sits in water it is doomed to root rot so never do that. I hope I helped and good luck

Answer 3

I got some advice from a colleague, that says he kept one alive for 4 years. He said:

• It needs more than just get "watered"; It needs to "stand in water". He watered his everyday.
• He tried to use mostly distilled water, as his tap water contained too much lime, which eventually would clog the roots. (I will not waste my money on buying distilled water though.)
• Never mind the directions about non direct sunlight, because the sun is not too strong here anyway.

Answer 4

It sounds like humidity is the problem.

If I understand correctly, you are growing it in a pot in a window sill? In non-tropical climates, I have only ever seen Nepenthes growing in tropical greenhouses (I find they are common plants in public tropical greenhouses in both the US and UK).

In the days when I grew CPs myself, I never tried Nepenthes because the books said I would need a terrarium. The only time I have seen them not in a terrarium or greenhouse, was in Costa Rica where I saw one growing in a hanging basket as a 'pot plant'. They are actually native to SE Asia tropical rainforest, and not Costa Rica - but the tropical conditions were sufficient.

As they like rainforest conditions, keeping it out of strong sun (as you are doing) sounds like a good idea. However I bet you are missing the warm humid conditions. I would try a terrarium or give up.

If you want to grow pitcher plants in temperate conditions, then Sarracenia ("Trumpet Pitcher Plant") are worth a try. I managed to grow them from seed on UK window sills. The other common one in cultivation (Darlingtonia) is considered difficult to grow, although it has a striking pitcher. It is sensitive to conditions but is native to Oregon,US - so you might need an unheated terrarium!