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Carnivorous Plants/nepenthes ventricosa flower

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Expert: - 2/1/2009


Question
Hi, I have a N. ventricosa growing in a southeast window and yesterday it surprised me by popping out a little flower stalk. And since its the first time one of my nepenthes has flowered I had a few questions; Is their a way to keep the flower from reaching out and touching the window? Will the flower draw a lot of energy from the plant? If its male, how long can I store the pollen? And if its female, is it possible to get pollen.

Answer
Hello Jared,

Congratulations with getting a flowering Nepenthes, it means you are caring for the plant very well.

I use a length of twine or yarn to tie errant flower stalks back and just adjust the string to keep the stalk from contacting whatever object I want it kept away from.

Yes, flowering takes energy away from plants, but this is natural. The plant will slow down a little in leaf and pitcher growth, but this is not fatal as long as the plant keeps getting its regular care.

You can collect rhe pollen in a dry paper envelope and ziplock it in a baggie in the crisper of your fridge. That way it can keep for months. Make sure the pollen is ripe before collecting it. Ripe pollen will begin to fall on its own. Remove the rip flower and let it dry, then harvest the pollen immediately and place it in the refrigerator.

You can try carnivorous plant forums and sites online for people selling or trading carnivorous plants, seeds, and pollen. Just type in search terms like "Nepenthes pollen" and you should get plenty of links.

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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