Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 5/24/2011

Question
Hello, I have a nepenthes ventricosa growing in a terrarium. I really don't like terrariums, but I live in Colorado and our humidity is really low. I was wondering if I took the plant out of the terrarium would it still grow in a window sill at my humidity?

Answer
Like you, I'm not a big fan of terrariums.  In my kitchen window, I grew a ventricosa for two years, so it is possible, even when the humidity is low.  The only issue is making sure the soil is properly hydrated and the plant is receiving the recommended sunlight.  You will also have to accept the fact that the pitchers will be smaller and less frequent than when the plant was growing in the terrarium.  Other than that, it is possible to grow it on a sunny windowsill.

When you remove it from the terrarium, you will notice that the leaves will curl slightly and some of the pitchers will die off.  This is a normal response when a plant goes from high humidity to low humidity.  The larger the difference in humidity, the more pronounced the effects.  You can reduce this from happening by exposing the plant to lower humidity gradually.  Usually this is a two week process.  You can search the database for instructions on this process as we've answered it numerous times in the past.  

In any case, once the plant is acclimated, the plant will grow well for you.  We have growers in other dry climates, such as Utah and Arizona, who grow Nepenthes in their windowsill.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin