Expert: Christopher Littrell - 7/1/2011

Question
Dear Sir,


N. alba (Highland)
N. chaniana x veitchii (Highland)
N. ventricosa x talangensis (Highland)

All growing but each time a pitcher starts to develop it turns black and dies. Leaves stay green and seem healthy. I have switched lighting intensities and locations. Used a little orchid fertilizer, treated for aphids because I had that problems with my North American pitcher plants etc. Each plant is planted by themselves in large hanging baskets and are being grown outdoors. One I had to replant it in one of the small pots they were sent in to try to save it because it was dying off completely. They do not received direct sunlight except for about 2-3 hours a day. Early morning and late evening. They get indirect sunlight  all day. I live in Houston, TX. Any ideas?

Answer
Hello Robert,

All of the plants you listed require somewhat cooler conditions than Houston provides. Some of them, like the N. ventricosa x talangensis would prefer lower night temperatures. The humidity in Houston is likely fine, but if you can lower the overall temperatures to around 75-80 for the Nepenthes you listed, they should do better. If they still have a few problems pitchering, you will need to modify humidity upwards. Just keep changing one element at a time and see what happens over the course of a few weeks. Some of those you listed are quite slow growing as well, so patience is in order once you have altered a condition. You might simply need to bring them indoors, install some shop lights that provide 12000 to 18000 lumens of cool white florescent light for them, and keep the conditions more controlled so that you can see what is occurring and change things as you need to get the plants on track. Nepenthes in general tend to have problems in temperatures over 90 degrees and highlanders often need lower temperatures at night as much as 10-30 degrees lower than day temperatures according to species.

I live somewhat further South of your location and the temperature is even higher here. I grow my Nepenthes indoors and have no trouble, but I tend to grow hardier species that can take higher temperatures at night as there is not much of a temperature drop here.

Christopher