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Carnivorous Plants/Nepenthes Ventricosa

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Expert: - 12/11/2008


Question
I've had my nepenthes for a couple of days and I have noticed that my plant's pitchers are getting weaker and softer is there anything I'm doing wrong ?

Answer
Hello Eric,

Your Nepenthes was probably bought from a place that grew them in higher humidity than you have in your current growing place. Place a clear plastic bag over the plant and punch a half a dozed 1/4 inch holes in the bag every three days. After two or so weeks, when you are sure the bag is full of holes and no longer holds in humidity at all, take the bag off. The plant should be adapted to you home humidity levels and should begin growing normally. Plants react to drastic changes in humisity by wilting and softening as their cells release too much water and are unable to reaquire enough water to pump them up again. Eventually this causes pitcher loss and drying in Nepenthes. If you react quickly you might be able to save the pitchers and keep the plant happy enough that it will keep making new pitchers. If you react too slowly to such wilting the plant will lose its pitchers and will refuse to make more for weeks or months.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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