Around 15 years ago, probably, I gave my mom a rooted cutting of a seedling plant of Nepenthes burkei x truncata (purchased in 1995 as a seedling from Tom Kahl). The plant grew and pitchered beautifully in my mom's kitchen window for years--a North-facing window in the SF Bay Area. The pitchers were sizable (8 inches?) and chunky, and while not spectacular it was a was a very attractive plant.
I've cut the plant back at least a couple times. Recently it seems to have shifted over to upper pitchers (I assume). Sorry this is not the best angle:
The plant itself has gotten big, diameter-wise, and is not pitchering at the moment. My mom is complaining it's borderline too big, and I expect it wants to get bigger, not smaller. So I have few problems cutting it way back. Unfortunately I don't have good measurements on the size of this plant.
So the goal here is to get back a plant of smaller diameter, with big, presumably lower pitchers. I assume somehow getting it to produce basal shoots is ideal.
Here's a closeup so you can see how it's been cut back in the past, with the current and previous directions of the vine indicated 1, 2, 3 chronologically. The original stem (1) lies nearly horizontal, and it's almost surprising the roots are in the soil.
One option would be to give my mom a rooted cutting and do "whatever" to the original plant. I have a couple rooted cuttings left, and I guess all of (3) has grown since I took those.
So "whatever" could involve cutting the plant back as far (or farther? than before), or somehow trying to grow it up--perhaps it would make a decent parent for pitcher size and overall vigor if it were given conditions for blooming (sex unknown)?, try to put it outside (the parents don't strike me as the best bet for my cool, but frost-free climate). I'm open for suggestions and open to all options.
I've cut the plant back at least a couple times. Recently it seems to have shifted over to upper pitchers (I assume). Sorry this is not the best angle:
The plant itself has gotten big, diameter-wise, and is not pitchering at the moment. My mom is complaining it's borderline too big, and I expect it wants to get bigger, not smaller. So I have few problems cutting it way back. Unfortunately I don't have good measurements on the size of this plant.
So the goal here is to get back a plant of smaller diameter, with big, presumably lower pitchers. I assume somehow getting it to produce basal shoots is ideal.
Here's a closeup so you can see how it's been cut back in the past, with the current and previous directions of the vine indicated 1, 2, 3 chronologically. The original stem (1) lies nearly horizontal, and it's almost surprising the roots are in the soil.
One option would be to give my mom a rooted cutting and do "whatever" to the original plant. I have a couple rooted cuttings left, and I guess all of (3) has grown since I took those.
So "whatever" could involve cutting the plant back as far (or farther? than before), or somehow trying to grow it up--perhaps it would make a decent parent for pitcher size and overall vigor if it were given conditions for blooming (sex unknown)?, try to put it outside (the parents don't strike me as the best bet for my cool, but frost-free climate). I'm open for suggestions and open to all options.