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There are over 170 species of Nepenthes with more being discovered and described even today. The majority of these are found in Southeast Asia, in places like Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines. There habitat can vary greatly from misty mountainous regions to lowland jungles. Nepenthes species can be split into 2 main categories. Highland and lowland. There are also plenty of species that are classed as intermediate growers which will happily sit in the spectrum between these two conditions. There are plenty of fantastic free resources you can access that will tell you exactly which species prefer which conditions. So I will not go into detail about what every species requirements are I will just give a brief overview of general care.
Nepenthes pitchers are modified leaves that have adapted to attract and digest insects. They have nectar producing glands at the top of their pitcher which attract insects to it. These can then slip or fall into the pitcher which has a pool of digestive juices inside. The prey is then unable to escape due to the sticky pool at the bottom and the waxy sides of the pitcher which prevent the insects from crawling out. Some Nepenthes like Lowii have evolved to attract shrews. The shrews eat the sugary nectar on the pitcher lid and then defecate into the toilet shaped pitcher. And the pitcher then digests this Poo instead of insects. Ampullaria are a lowland species that sit on the forest floor. They have pulled back pitchers lids so they can catch falling leaf litter that they have evolved to digest.
Highland Nepenthes Growing Conditions
Although generally speaking Nepenthes are a little more complicated then other Carnivorous plants, many species and hybrids can be kept in windowsills in the house. The majority of Nepenthes will fall into the highland category. These in the wild inhabit cloud-forests that are above 3000ft. They tend to experience 10-12 degrees at night and 21-24 degrees in the day. These temperatures are pretty stable year round. In the UK these can happily be kept in a greenhouse year round as long as the greenhouse is heated to a minimum of around 12 degrees. This is how I keep mine. In the winter I don't heat the greenhouse in the day so the maximum temperature relies on any natural sunlight. Some days its 12 degrees both night and day. Most highland and intermediate species are fine with this, albeit they will slow there growth down during the winter. I also don't provide my plants with any additional lighting other than cuttings, seeds and seedlings. A lot of nepenthes are very tolerable and will adapt to their living conditions given some time. Many people keep their Nepenthes in the house in a bright windowsill. and some people keep them in a Grow tent and terrarium with artificial lighting, heating and humidity.
Soil, Water, Humidity and Temperature
As explained above different species prefer differing max/min temps. Generally speaking most species will be fine to go down to 12 degrees and will tolerate temps up to 28-30 degrees. Soil mixes vary greatly between species and growers. I use a mix of equal parts Silica Sand, Perlite, Akadama and Kanuba. I then top dress this with live sphagnum moss to increase the humidity around the plant. Most Nepenthes do better potted in a hanging basket which allows for adequate drainage when watered. As with all Carnivorous Plants, these should only be watered with rainwater (not tap water) or water with a low TDS reading. Watering for me completely depends on the time of year and and temperatures. During the summer I can be watering everyday when its very warm and in the winter it can be as little as every 10 days. It will also depend on your soil mix. Some mixes will hold a lot more water and need watering less frequently than others. Nepenthes will not tolerate being watered with the tray method (they don't like to stand in water). Therefore they should be watered from overhead and the pot allowed to drain. Also, beware in the winter not to water with freezing cold water as this can shock the roots. Always use water that is a minimum of 12 degrees. Nepenthes like very high humidity ideally above 85% all the time. However don't worry too much if you keep yours in the house. Natural humidity in the UK is usually very high anyway and most plants will adapt to the humidity you have as long as its fairly consistent. For example in a hot greenhouse in the summer the humidity will drop right down in the day and then rise again at night and the plants tolerate this fine. They like to be regularly misted although some species don't like water sitting on their leaves for extended periods of time. A lot of nepenthes like bright sunlight however, some species will burn given to much light. Again, in depth research on individual species can be done.
Some of the easiest hybrids of Nepenthes for growers are as follows:
- Gaya
- Bill Bailey
- Rebecca Soper
- Bloody Mary
- Ventrata