Expert: Christopher Littrell - 6/9/2011

Question
Hi, I just bought a pot of nepenthes 2 days ago during a vacation.
Because I am really really new on carnivorous plants... I had plenty of problem regarding the plant.
I don't want to harm / kill it. But the thing is, one of the pitcher looked deformed and deflated somehow. I can't do anything to it because it looks so flat and weird. During shipping I believe another pitcher was accidentally pressed on and so I took a stick to inflate it from the inside so that it's back to its shape. Now I'm scared that it's not what I'm supposed to do and that I have harmed it!

I see no juice in the pitcher and I was wondering if that's a bad sign. Also, the guides online said that we only put a tiny amount of fertilizer if the plant is not getting any insect/ feed the plant with insects.

The pitchers have no liquid in them. So if I feed them with insects, will it be digested? I know a few insects flying around the plant. How do I confirm that the plant has eaten... or not....?

Answer
Hello Soely,

First off, just treat it like a new plant and keep it in partial sun, watered every couple of days with mineral free water (make sure that if a tray is under the pot that only a fraction of an inch drains out and remains for only a short time, like maybe a day at most, as Nepenthes do not like standing water around the bottoms of their pots, and keep it in room temperatures and stable humdity levels until you know more about it.

Since we do not know what species of Nepenthes it is, a little research might help. If the pot contains information about the species, it might help. If not, you may need to contact the vendor or look for pictures of your plant online to determine its species. This is important so that you will know what conditions your plant prefers. Some Nepenthes like cold nights, some like more stable temperatures.

Forget about feeding the plant until you have it in stable conditions and growing normally. Feeding is the least of concerns with Carnivorous plants. The plant will trap insects when it is ready. Any damaged pitchers will die back eventually and new pitchers will grow to replace them so long as they have bright light. Nepenthes tend to grow under trees and in indirect or partial light conditions, so they like bright, strong light, but need only slight shading from the brightest sunlight in general.

Once you see new pitchers with fluid opening, you can go ahead and drop an ant or fly into the pitcher every few weeks if you want. That would only be necessary if the plant is not catching anything on its own. You can fertilize Nepenthes, but use only 1/4 or less strength orchid foliar feed sprayed or wiped with a cloth on their leaves lightly once every couple weeks at most. I never fertilize my Nepenthes and they obtain all of their supplemental nitrogen from trapped insects, the natural way. Fertilizing is fine too, but simply requires care and work that really can be done by the plant itself simply with insects falling in the pitchers.

Christopher