Expert: Christopher Littrell - 2/6/2008

Question
Hello i have three nepenthes sarencia. One is very small but continually producing pots.  The other two are very large, one has no pots at all, the other has three large pots turning brown but with no signs of new pots.  They both have healthy looking bright green leaves and and growing rapidly but with no pots.  All three are hanging in front of my house in the porch any suggestions? If it helps at all I live in Thailand

Answer
Hello James,

I have never heard of Nepenthes sarencia before. The pots you described are also called pitchers.

Nepenthes that have been moved around often stop making pitchers for a few weeks while they adjust. If you just bought them or moved them around, some of the plants might be adjusting to different sun or humidity levels. Make sure all of your plants are getting about 4 hours of morning sun and strong indirect light all day, or strong partial sun all day, like under a slightly shaded tree or porch. If they are getting that, then make sure they all have stable humidity. Many Nepenthes can live fine in lower humidity, but quick changes in humidity and temperature can make them get rid of their pitchers for a time. If the humidity, temperature, and light are good, then you might watch for new vines sprouting from the base of the plants or for flower scapes developing since those take energy from the plant and might cause them to slow down in pitcher growth as well.

The best bet would be to wait a month or two and see if the pitcherless plants recover. If they do not, then a very dilute solution of orchid fertilizer (1/8 to 1/4 normal mix at the most) can be used about once to twice a month until you see pitcher forming. Once the plants all have pitchers, stop fertilizing them and let them catch insects. If you notice leaf burn after fertilizing them, then dilute the fertilizer even more or stop fertilizing alltogether. It is easy to harm or kill carnivorous plants with fertilizer, but easier to have them live by not fertilizing at all. Only spray the leaves with fertilizer and make sure you do not drop any fertilizer in their soil.

I hope your Nepenthes begin to pitcher again.

Christopher