Fly getting drunk on nectar.

Nepenthes produce "pitchers" to capture prey. They produce two types of pitchers, upper and lower. The lower pitchers are generally the larger of the two. Upper pitchers are generally elongated more slender versions of their lower counterparts. But not always, sometimes the upper looks nothing like the lower. As a general rule the tendril will come from the front of lower pitchers and the back of upper pitchers. The peristem (lip) of the pitcher produces a nector like substance that attracts prey. Unbeknownst to them its druged and soon they topple in. The inside walls are very slick and escape is impossible. Soon the liquid inside will become a nutrient slurry.

click for bigger pic

Some of the expensive/exotic Nepenthes you may need to grow in a mini-greenhouse, terrarium or other controlled environment. You may also have to set up a climate control for some of the more finicky Nepenthes. While not all of the Nepenthes we carry can be grown as house plants they are all very easy to grow with minimal care.

Thankfully not all Nepenthes are hard to please. Some Nepenthes can survive hanging in your home if you place them where they can get enough light. Just keep them away from hot/cold sources and anything that moves air around, such as vents and fans. You may find during the winter when the heat is running that you need to mist them once or twice a day to keep them happy. You may need to mist them a few times on dry summer days too. I don't find the need, but in Illinois it rarely drops below 35% humidity.

Nepenthes do not like moving around. Pick the spot you want it to grow in and leave it there. Give it a couple months to acclimate to its new environment.

You can top Nepenthes off (cut the top off) to help keep them from growing out of whatever you are growing them in. This also encourages more shoots to form which makes for a fuller plant. For details on how to do this please see the Nepenthes Propagation area.

Highland Nepenthes make up roughly 70% of the Nepenthes family. Highlanders get their name because they grow in the 3,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level range. At this elevation things are cool, moist and covered with clouds. Average days are around 70 F - 85 F and the nights are 50 F - 65 F or less. Humidity fluctuates, generally lower during the day (60% - 70%) and 85% + at night. Some Highland Nepenthes must be grown in these ranges, while others acclimate to Lowland settings with no problem. Most of the Nepenthes nurseries sell are easy to grow and growing range details are given in the descriptions. The vast majority can be acclimated to 35% during the day and 45% at night, or better.

Water - As with any carnivorous plant you should use bottled "sodium free" water, rain water or Reverse Osmosis water. Nepenthes do not like to sit in water logged soil. If you tray water let the tray stay dry for a day or three before re-filling.
If you don't want to use the tray method and/or you are using a hanging basket then gently water a couple times a week. You just want to keep the media moist, make sure it can drain excess water well.

If you grow Nepenthes in pots without drainage holes you are playing with fire. Un-drained containers should only be used by those experienced with Nepenthes growth.

Soil - Nepenthes need light airy soil. The mix can be as simple as 40/60 sphagnum peat moss/Perlite. Most Nepenthes would benefit from an additional 10% - 20% Vermiculite. Add to all this 1 part lava rock, one part long fiber sphagnum moss and you have the deluxe Nepenthes recipe.
My favorite Nepenthes mix is peat, charcoal, vermiculite, lava rock, coconut husk and medium perlite topped with long fiber sphagnum moss to aid with humidity around the plant. Keeping the lfsm moist raises the humidity around the nepenthes. They like growing in pure long fiber sphagnum moss too.

When you get peat moss you should get it in the dry bale form. The small bags of pre-moistioned peat is most often contaminated and can kill your plants. We offer smaller bags for those of you that do not want to pick up a bale of sphagnum moss at a time. Available in the Soil section.

Light - Most Nepenthes will grow in partial shade but they will develop more color in brighter light. Avoid bright direct light for long periods, 50% sun for several hours is best. N. Ventricosa and N. efflugent koto are a couple that do well in lower light, making them great windowsill candidates. If your nepenthes isn't pitchering or stops pitchering try increasing light before anything else, unless its outside getting plenty of light.

You can also grow them under fluorescent lights. Use two 4' cool white bulbs and put them on a timer to go on and off with the sun, roughly. Keep the bulbs within 18" of the plant. I have also had great success with a 100 watt (output, actually 23 watts) fluorescent light bulb. I put it in a clamp on light with a rear deflector shield. It shines down from app 16" above. I have grown a Nepenthes Rafflesiana under this light for just over 3 years. It has excellent color and good growth. Heat buildup doesn't seem to be a problem, a few in the same area probably would become problematic though.

Humidity - Highland Nepenthes generally require higher overall humidity than the lowland Nepenthes. Highlanders can usually take more of a fluctuation though. Humidity should never drop below 35% and should be higher at night, this should happen naturally in most circumstances. Some Nepenthes will need misting several times a day to produce pitchers while growing in the open. Low humidity can prevent pitchers from developing but thats usually caused by low light. If it's pitchering it's happy. Pitchers drying up suddenly can mean to low of humidity (mist more often) or lack of water. It can also mean something changed with the light and its no longer enough, like shorter daylight hours in winter. As mentioned, some of the Nepenthes do need higher humidity but you'll be amazed at how many can be acclimated down to 35%.

Temperature - Highland Nepenthes need lower temperatures at night. A drop of at least 20 degrees is best, some are more forgiving than others. For highlanders, this is more important than the humidity. Some of the easier Highland Nepenthes can be grown in Lowland conditions. Most hybrids are easier to grow too.

The care of Lowland Nepenthes is slightly different than Highland Nepenthes.
Everything is the same except for temperature and humidity.

Lowland Nepenthes do not require a nighttime temperature drop. They generally grow in the 70 F - 95 F range. Many will easily acclimate to most homes so long as they get enough light.

Never let humidity go below 35% and for the fickle ones try to keep it constant and above 50%. Low humidity will prevent Nepenthes pitchers from developing. If it's pitchering it's happy. If the humidity drops to far or the plant becomes to dry the pitchers can dry out, fast. Again, light is generally the cause of pitcher formation stopping, unless its in shock from being moved.

There is a large range of Lowland Nepenthes that grow fine in normal household temperatures/humidity. Some are less picky about humidity than others.

Some Nepenthes can be grown as house plants. Grow them in a hanging basket in front of a window that gets at least a couple hours of direct sun and indirect sun most of the day.

Do not place them over vents or in areas where there is a lot of air movement.

Most do fine with humidity of 35% +. If after a couple months it still doesn't start pitcher formation and your sure its getting plenty of light then try misting it. Mist a couple to several times a day and keep a moist top layer of sphagnum moss and most will do fine. I prefer a pump up pressure mister, sold at most lawn and garden centers.

Nepenthes grown out in the open may loose their pitchers during the winter. It just depends on your environment. Once summer hits they should start pitchering again. This is almost always do to the lower light levels. If you increase the light it gets it will grow almost as fast in the winter as it does in the summer.

Some of the acceptable "houseplant" Nepenthes are listed at the top. Nepenthes we sell that do well as house plants are labeled as such in their description.