Expert: Christopher Littrell - 10/18/2007

Question
Im wondering if my nepenthes are just slow at growing.  How fast should it take for these plants to produce a newleaf 1.Ventricosa 2. Truncata, 3. sanguinea, 4. petiola, or is it the time of year where they grow more slowly?

Answer
Hello Howard,

With winter coming you will see a slowing in your plants' growth, even for the tropicals. This is particularly true if you are giving them sunlight (like in a window or slightly shaded patio) since the shorter days will affect their growth patterns.

In general, most Nepenthes will take a month to generate a new leaf complete with pitcher. This will vary slightly according to how much light each individual plant gets, how many insects they have caught, if pests are attacking them, how much water they have, and by species. Most of the species you have grow relatively fast for Nepenthes (all Nepenthes are a bit slow growing for plants in general). For instance, I have an N. sanguinea that produces a new leaf complete with mature pitcher about every 3 weeks. The slowest grower you will likely see in your collection is the N. petiolata. I would expect all of your plants to produce a new leaf every 3-5 weeks or so, but give them some leeway in winter as it might take a week or so longer to get a new leaf going.

So long as your plants are growing and producing pitchers, they are healthy and like the environment you have set up for them. If you have them growing under florescent lights, give them 12 hours in winter and 16 hours in the growing seasons. 12000 lumens 5-8 inches from their leaves would work well.

Keep up the good care with your Nepenthes.

Christopher