Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 10/5/2011

Question
i recently ordered a nepenthes sanguinea. the plant is about to inches wide and one inch tall. when i ordered the plant it was full of pitchers but they did off that week. i had the plant in a southwest window. i kept it there through the month of july. very slow leaf growth and no pitchers. because low light levels are a prochin i put it about 6 inches und a 60 watt normal curly light buld. not sure exact name of bulb but i know it is not the cool white kind just a normal one. still no pitchers it is on a metal grow rack with no sides. what should i try next i do not want to use a terrium because i cant afford it and i am afraid of fungis. oh one more thing i mist it often and fertilize every few waterings.

Answer
It's normal for Nepenthes to drop its pitchers when you change its environment.  This is especially true if the change is extreme.  All Nepenthes also grow relatively slowly compared to other types of tropical plants, and this too is normal.  In some situations it can take up to a year for Nepenthes to fully acclimate to its new environment.  This is particular true if you received the plant bareroot.  Bareroot shipping sometimes damages the roots, and the plant will need to spend time restoring its root system before it will produce new pitchers.

You mentioned about using a 60-watt.  Is this actual output or equivalent output?  It's important to use a minimum of 40-watts <em>actual</em> output to achieve the proper lumens for your plant, even if you're using the light to supplement natural sunlight.  So make sure the plant is receiving a couple hours of direct sunlight with strong filtered light during the rest of the day, or at least dappled sunlight during the entire day.  

When you make sure the lighting is optimal, it's simply a matter of time.  Again, it can sometimes take up to a year for Nepenthes to acclimate to its new surroundings, particularly if the plant was shipped bare root.  It can take that long for the plant to reestablish its root system.  Even for us, we sometimes see Nepenthes taking that long to acclimate when we receive plants from other growers.  Yes, growing Nepenthes isn't for impatient people.  Growers need a heavy dose of patience.

For general care information on growing Nepenthes, read our care sheet online.  I also recommend watching Volume 3 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series.  You'll get more details about lighting, soil and watering.
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

Good growing!
Jacob Farin