Two years ago I visited the garden center on my birthday with my kids. They wanted to buy me a plant since they know I really like plants. When we were there I spotted a unique and intriguing plant; a Nepenthes pitcher plant. That just had to be my birthday present.
Now, 2 years later, my plant is doing really well. I have multiplied it in several ways and all offspring is seemingly doing very well.
Propagation
After the first year I noticed a small new plant started growing next to the original one. The mother plant itself already consisted of three strong growth stems, so the plant was growing a bit too big for its pot.
So I separated two main stems from the third and 'migrated' the new shoot with the third stem into an individual pot. I suddenly had two pithcer plants and both plants are healthy and actively producing pitchers.
The second plant.
Pitcher development
This is the coolest part of this plant. Every year they form quite large pitchers.
One of the plants has already formed a large pitcher this year. As you can see on the photo, the lid is still closed. You can't really tell by the photo, but there is liquid inside. This liquid contains digestive enzymes that help break down insects that get trapped in the plant. The plant absorbs the nutrient and uses it to grow.
The other plant is a bit behind, but also forming pitchers now. They are a bit smaller, but they will get there eventually.
At the starting stage of forming pitchers they look very dry. But they aren't dead; they still develop and they often do turn out to become real pitchers.
Propagation attempts
One of the stems of 'the mother plant' had become a bit too long in my opinion, so I decided to cut it back.
I've placed the removed stem in placed in sphagnum moss to see if it would root. After a few weeks it still looks pretty healthy to me. I don't know if it is forming roots yet, but the fact that it still looks healthy and green is a good indicator I think. For now I'll leave it and wait.
Today I noticed a new side shoot has started to develop in the stem I cut back. This shows it is a really strong plant.
I also noticed another new Nepenthes plant had popped up next to the mother plant, just like it did last year. It shows how easily this species can produce new growth. I do have to give away some for adoption maybe since I might get a bit too much pitcher plants this way 😂
Caring
I often get questions on Hive whenever I post about this plant, especially about how it is cared for (
Nepenthes are tropical plants. They prefer a constant temperature around 20 to 30°C and a high humidity. They don't like tap water, so I use rainwater instead.
I keep them indoors, placed in a bright window where they get plenty of light. I also regularly mist them with a plant sprayer to keep the humidity a bit high.
Under these conditions they have been growing steadily for two years and they look healthy and they have been producing new pitchers and shoots every year.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to share your own experiences with carnivorous plants or propagation on Hive.
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