Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 2/6/2012

Question
I live in Oklahoma and am growing a nepenthes copelandii, sanguinea, and ventricosa in a south windowsill which receives at least five hours of direct sun. The copelandii is too large for the windowsill so it receives a littles less light since it is away from the sill a bit. All of these plants seem to have stopped making larger leaves. The copelandii is moved away from the sill at night to stay warm and they are all watered with distilled water and in your nepenthes soil mix. They have leaves of varying lengths and the leaves all are healthy, they're just not any bigger than the leaves made earlier. The copelandii appears to be vining and about to make upper pitchers but has no leaves longer than six inches. They all just grow to be about the same size, the plants look completely healthy and the sanguinea even has good red coloration. Their pitchers aren't getting any bigger eiher. My sanguinea and ventricosa seem to be doing the same thing. Could this be due to the absolute lack of bugs in my house right now (I can't remember the last time I looked into a pitcher and saw an insect inside)?

Answer
Hi Jonathan,

Since your plants look good, and your growing conditions are good, food is probably what they need.  You can meet that need either by fertilizing, or by feeding them insects.  If your plants have pitchers on them, you could buy a few crickets at a pet store to give to them.  You could also give them a 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer once every two weeks.  Both will work fine, but don't do both.  Do one or the other.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com