Nepenthes, 3.5in, Tropical Pitcher Plant

Pitcher plants are a highly sought after carnivorous plant that features pitfall traps at the ends of their long bright green leaves.  These traps allow the plants to capture insects which they absorb and use as nutrients.  Pitcher plants can also be kept outdoors on your patio during the summer months.

 

Attributes

Type: Tropical / Carnivorous
Height: 8in - 36in
Spread: 6in - 18in
Zone: 6
Pet Safe: Safe for pets

Care

General Maintenance:  Pitcher plants do very well as terrarium plants, but can also be kept as a regular houseplant as long as they are given an environment with adequate humidity.

Temperature: Thrives in normal household temperatures, between 15º-26º Celsius.   Keep away from drafts and drastic temperature changes.

Light:  Plenty of bright light is ideal to keep this plant thriving.  It can tolerate direct sun, but too much may cause the tips to brown.  This plant will not thrive in low light.

Watering:  Water as needed to keep the growing medium moist, but not soggy.  Pitcher plants thrive in high humidity environments, and do not like to dry out.  They are also more sensitive to chemicals in comparison to other tropical plants, so if possible you should use diluted or rain water.

Soil:  Pitcher plants do best in a mixture of perlite and phagnum moss.  They require an extremely well draining  growing medium.  Avoid general potting mixes, as they are too rich for these plants.

Fertilizer:  Fertilize once every 4-6 weeks, with orchid fertilizer diluted to half strength, during the spring and summer months.  Pitcher plants get their nutrients from the insects that they catch in their pitchers, and they only need a few insects each month.  If there are none around naturally, you can place a freshly killed insect into the pitcher.  But be careful not to overfeed, as carnivorous plants very low nutrient needs.