- Pitcher plants are not plants for beginners
- The right location for the pitcher plant
- How to properly care for Nepenthes
- Never water with tap water
Pitcher plants are very popular ornamental plants because of their eye-catching pitchers. However, the exotic beauties need ideal environmental conditions and the right care to thrive. If no new pitchers are formed, this is mostly due to location and maintenance errors.
If the pitcher plant does not form pitchers, this can have various causes
Pitcher plants are not plants for beginners
If you want to get into the hobby of breeding carnivorous plants, you should first try simpler types of carnivores. The pitcher plant only thrives if the care and location are right. Otherwise no new cans will form or the cans will dry out prematurely.
The right location for the pitcher plant
As a tropical plant, pitcher plants need a lot of light. If there are no new pitchers, the plant may be too dark. Place them in a window where the pitcher plant is not exposed to too much direct sunlight. Favorable are east windows or north windows if it is warm and humid enough there.
How to properly care for Nepenthes
There are many mistakes you can make when caring for pitcher plants. When plants aren't producing new pitchers, it's almost always due to poor maintenance. Sometimes, though, it just takes a little patience for Nepenthes to spawn new pitchers.
- Keep substrate moist but not wet
- Avoid waterlogging
- increase humidity
- do not fertilize
- use soft water
A high level of humidity is the prerequisite for the formation of new pitchers. It should be at least 60 percent. Such humidity can hardly be maintained in a normal living room. It is easier if you keep the pitcher plant in a terrarium.
It often helps if you increase the humidity by spraying. Some experts advise spraying nepenthes that don't form new pitchers with rainwater several times a day. Placing bowls of water on the heater or next to the plants also increases humidity.
Never water with tap water
Never water pitcher plants with calcareous tap water. The plant gets rainwater best. If necessary, you can also water with distilled water.
tips
Nepenthes species are often offered inexpensively in hardware stores. These pitcher plants usually have a short lifespan and after a short time no longer form new pitchers. The carnivorous plants should therefore be bought in specialist shops or grown yourself.