- Feed pitcher plants when insects are absent?
- Feed pitcher plants with meat
- How to fertilize the pitcher plant
The pitcher plant (Nepenthes) is a carnivorous plant. It is therefore often cultivated in the house as a natural insecticide. However, you do not necessarily have to feed pitcher plants. If there are no insects, the plant takes care of itself via substrate and leaves.
If the pitcher plant is hanging outdoors, feeding is not necessary
Feed pitcher plants when insects are absent?
In the wild, the Nepenthes has enough insects to ensure the supply of nutrients. The prey is lured into the conspicuous pitchers by scents and remains trapped there. It is digested by the digestive fluid that forms in the pitcher.
If pitcher plants are grown in the apartment, there are often not enough insects, especially if the household is very clean and the windows are covered with fly screens.
Feed pitcher plants with meat
Of course you can put mosquitoes or flies you have killed in the cans, but it is not absolutely necessary. Like all plants, the pitcher plant gets its nutrients from the leaves. Seen in this way, insects are just an additional treat.
Feed insects that are still alive if possible. You should never feed more than one or two specimens at a time. The insects must be able to swim in the digestive juice.
Please note that there must be liquid in the jugs. This is not water, but the digestive secretion. If this was accidentally poured out, the pitcher plant cannot digest insects. The pitchers die off quickly afterwards.
How to fertilize the pitcher plant
Pitcher plants require fewer nutrients than most gardeners think. They are pulled from the plant substrate or taken in through the air. Fertilizing is therefore generally not necessary if you repot the Nepenthes regularly.
If you don't want to do without fertilizer completely, you have to be economical, because too many nutrients are not good for the Nepenthes.
Orchid fertilizer is suitable as a fertilizer for Nepenthes. Some gardeners swear by long-term fertilizer that is added to the cans in the form of pearls. However, this form of fertilization is controversial among experts.
tips
If you choose to feed your pitcher plant caught insects, keep in mind that unpleasant odors can result from the digestion process. In the worst case, the Nepenthes smells like an uncleaned toilet.