- It is normal for the pots to dry out
- Only cut completely dried pitchers
- This will prevent premature drying out
- Never remove the liquid from the jugs
Some hobby gardeners are unsettled when the pitchers of the pitcher plant suddenly dry up and no longer look nice. This is a normal process for an otherwise healthy plant. What care do the dried pitchers need?
It is completely normal for the pots to dry up after a while
It is normal for the pots to dry out
With a pitcher plant that has a favorable location and is well cared for, it is normal for the pitchers to dry up. Depending on the plants, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a year for the pitchers to dry out.
The pitchers dry out prematurely or no pitchers form at all, the Nepenthes is too dark or the humidity is too low.
Only cut completely dried pitchers
Even if the dried pitchers don't necessarily look pretty, you shouldn't cut them right away. As long as there is still some moisture in it, the plant can get nutrients from it.
Therefore, part of caring for the dried pitchers is to leave them on the plant for the time being. Only cut them when they are completely dry.
Just cut off the dried pitcher itself. You must leave the sheet above it.
This will prevent premature drying out
If the pitchers of the Nepenthes dry up very quickly and actually too early, there can be several reasons for this:
- too dark location
- too much sun
- too low humidity
- waterlogging
- digestive fluid is absent
- too much fertilizer / insects
Place the pitcher plant in a bright spot where it doesn't get too much direct sun. The plant does not tolerate more than four hours of sunlight. Make sure the humidity is at least 60 percent.
Too much fertilizer is often responsible for premature drying out of the pitchers. Fertilize Nepenthes very carefully. Usually it is not necessary to fertilize a pitcher plant.
Never remove the liquid from the jugs
When the pitchers run out of liquid, they also dry up. If you accidentally spill the supposed water, you can refill some rainwater. This delays drying out for a short time.
tips
Nepenthes' pitchers contain liquid. This is not water, as is often wrongly assumed, but digestive fluid. It is required for processing insects caught in the cans.