So complicating...

[Parasuco]

Ugh. I've had one pitcher form completely out of the terrarium, and one formed half in it. It is fully out, and it is humid enough to produce copious amounts of nectar, but it is about three, coming four leaves behind in pitcher production... Once its current unfurling leaf unfolds it will have four leaves in a row that are not pitcherd, but two below these four have three inch pitchers...

WHY is htis happening? Should I mist? I don't have a big enough tank for the plant, so that is so out of the question I can't see it...

Heeeelp, this is so FRUSTRATING... Its like, wow, pitchers, I"m doing good, then, it haults... It's been quite hot lately, could that be it?

It's a ventrata, if that helps...

 

[carnivorous23]

I have a Ventricosa on a windowsill that pitchers entirely in spurts. It formed four at once, stopped for about three months, and now has about six forming. It's just kind of strange like that. Most of my other nepenthes don't seem to do that though. At one point it had about six leaves that hadn't even started to pitcher, now suddenly all of those leaves are pitchering. Not sure if it's been changes so much(it's possible) in the growing conditions, or if it just does that.

--
carnivorous23

 

[wickedthistle]

Mine stopped pitchering when I gave it an overdose of Superthrive...recovered after a few months. Had to flush it out a few times.

 

[Dyflam]

Misting couldn't hurt... could be low humidity. Didn't you see the HGTV show? They explained everything you could possibly want to know about CP's. Stick your plant in an undersized terrarium and mash the lid shut. Oh... that's right... you learned about toilettes. Sorry man.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Oh crud! That's what I missed! But I did get to see the guy on Discovery last nihgt explain about N.Rafflesiana and other Nepenthes, I taped it too!

 

[Parasuco]

So once the plant has grown leaves over the one with the tendril, it doenst mean that its done? The plant can go back and pitcher the empty tendrils?

 

[Dyflam]

I don't think so... I could be wrong. It seems all mine either form good pitchers or the baby turns black and doesn't form.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Generally Nepenthes will not go back and form the still juvenile pitcher. At least I have never had it happen. If the plant is going to make a pitcher then it should do it consecutivly with the other leave forming. Like for example on my Truncata: It has made a long tendril off the side of it's pot (about 4-5 inches long). The new pitcher on the end is JUST begining to sit upright in the air and the next leave is JUST begining to come up and decide which way it is going to go,so you can see everything is pretty much evened out with pitcher production and when,how,where they will be produced. Also you cvan have a really fast palnt that grows like the wind and forms pitchers slowly too, ex: Say an N.Ventricosa made 5 leaves in a growth spurt and in the mean time pitchers were forming on old leaves it had made like a week ago before, that could happen as the plant had a growth spurt and the pitchers were already growing. See what I mean? If the pitchers haven't grow or shown signs of any growth and about 3-4 new leaves have been formed above it generally it will not grow, but it very well COULD happen to someone.

 

[carnivorous23]

Occasionally, yes. If it turns black, then no, but that is usually only in low humidity. Sometimes the plant might just take longer to get started pitchering after producing a leaf. I've only had one nepenthes that does that, but it right now has six pitchers starting, and a couple weeks ago wasn't pitchering at all from any of those leaves. Of course, this is only one plant doing it, I grow about 10 nepenthes, the ventricosa is the only one to ever do that.

 

[Parasuco]

I'm pretty sure its Ventrata, so having ventricosa parentage do you think it will have this habit too? They are definatly not black, they are still soft, just not curving upward yet or anything. The leaves ARE coming out FAAST, but no motion toward pitcher production has even been made, otherwise i would just think its slow... I dont know why it wouldnt pitcher.

Could it be heat? Its been high eightes and nineties lately, with the exeption of the cooler day of about high seventy, low eighties....

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

How tall is the stem on it? Could be upper pitcher tendrils looking for something to grab onto.

 

[Parasuco]

The stem, not including the opening leaf is 3".

The span of the plant leaf tip to tip, not including the tendril, and at the widest point, it is 8.5", but of course, the leaves curve downward slightly... Not quite as bad as a McDonald's arch...

 

[swords]

Have you been using Superthrive or other fertilizer? I use 1/8-1/4 strength orchid fertilizer + a few drops of liquid trace elemnts every month or so (I flush their pots with it when I water) but too much can cause the plant to quit pitchering and just as you say - put out leaves like crazy. I've heard misting Superthrive directly on the leaves will also cause it to quit pitchering.

I've never seen a successfully grown nepenthes inside a house, only in greenhouses and terrariums. I know a few people who have tried and usually they just end up with a long vine plant, most houses are simply too dry even for the "tolerant" species.

 

[Parasuco]

My room's air is damp to the skin...... if i were to sit in there too long during the hot day i'de be discusted. Even if its not humid enough, i dont have anywhere to put it! Thing is tho. When it WAS cooler (ie. less humid), it made a pitcher that is only a bit smaller than the terrarium started pitcher...

I dont even have access to superthrive. I have orchid fertilizer, but I didnt dare use it on my nep...

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

OK, so how large is the terrarium it is in?

 

[Parasuco]

It's not in a terrarium. It was only in a terrarium for half of one if it's pitchers production... It has two pitchers.
Thats wuts so weird!

 

[mindmaze128]

I think that you just have to have patience.

The same thing is happening to my N x Coccinea right now, and I'm just going to wait it out. The worst thing that you can do is fiddle around alot with it. It'll make pitchers when it wants to.

Joel