FlyTrapCare Forums

They look so amazing to me, but they don’t seem to be as common as vft or sars. Most of my hanging plants are various pothos xD so not exactly complicated plants. Can you have them indoors without grow lights or is outdoors better?

I have a south facing sunroom that’s usually open with just screens and a near constant 70-80% humidity.

I generally prefer to grow everything from seed (I love baby plants) but 5 years seems a bit too long to wait

Nepenthes run the gamut from windowsill plants to plants that need special care conditions to merely survive.
Nepenthes 'Ventrata' and Nepenthes 'Lady Luck'(AKA Nepenthes 'Bloody Mary') are two commonly available reasonably priced clones that grow happily in average household conditions in your window.

I find Sanguinea, Ventricosa, and Maxima very easy nepenthe's to grow. Also hybrids with one of them as a parent are most likely a easy plant to grow. Keep in mind they are vines and will not be contained in hanging pot's with out major trimming.

I avoided growing Nepenthes for decades because I thought they were very hard to grow. I couldn't have been more wrong, and sadly missed out on decades of enjoyment with these plants.

Like @Shadowtski mentioned, there is a wide range of Nepenthes species. Some are pretty intense on their requirements, while others are very forgiving. Generally speaking, Nepenthes require low TDS water (same as your vft or sars), "higher" humidity (generally 60%+, although some species do fine with less), and good light (some prefer brighter conditions than others though).

Nepenthes fall into three general categories, based on where they are found in nature: Lowland, Intermediate, and Highland (although some divide Highland into Highland and Ultra Highland, but you get the idea). Lowland likes warm and humid temps typically (75-95 during the day), while Highland like cooler temps (65-80 during the day, and usually a 10 degree temp drop at night). Intermediates like something in-between. Most intermediates like household temps, which helps.

So yes, you can get a Nepenthes that is super picky (N. diabolica has a very narrow temp range at Highland ranges), but that doesn't mean all are divas. You can instead get a Nepenthes that is easy going and chill.

I got a Sanguinea to start with, which generally likes household temps. When it did well, I expanded to other intermediates.

I was thinking of getting a Nepenthes some day too, but the humidity in our house can go really low. In the summer, the humidity drops as low as 30, occasionally even lower. However, that's the humidity on the first floor. It could be higher on the second floor since moist air goes up. What is the minimum humidity a Nepenthes needs?

TrapsAndDews wrote:What is the minimum humidity a Nepenthes needs?

Depends on the Nepenthes really.

Some are more picky than others. Some Nepenthes will pitch a fit if humidity is below 80%, while others do just fine as low as 20%. There is even a guy that grows a Hamata (which has a reputation for being a picky plant, requiring high humidity) in Michigan indoors where the RH got down to 5% and it was doing fine. Although most regard that as more of a fluke than a standard.

Some Nepenthes will not pitcher at lower humidity (although I suspect this is most often not enough light, rather than not enough humidity). I know some that grow Nepenthes and just accept their low humidity home will not foster pitchering in the winter months. But they still do fine in the spring and summer months, pitchering up again.

I think you'll be fine with a nepenthes in those conditions, if you find one of the easy ones. My sanguinea was in my house without humidity control, 40-45% humidity, and it didn't skip a beat.

Look for a ventricosa, alata, sanguinea, or maxima. Check out nepenthesaroundthehouse.com, or look at the interactive guide (https://www.carnivorousplants.co.uk/res ... ive-guide/) and find a good intermediate plant.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

That’s awesome news. They look so neat I thought they’d be really complicated.

If they’re actually a vine, can they be grown outdoors on a trellis?

Cosmickitty wrote:If they’re actually a vine, can they be grown outdoors on a trellis?

If you live in the right climate, yes. You'll more often see photos of the plants turning into giant bushy monsters in hanging planters in Florida than you will as vining plants though. Don't know why. There's even a person on reddit that has an absolute monster of a Nepenthes growing in a 55 gallon trash can.
https://i.redd.it/j06u3s3qttx71.jpg

My mom lives in Florida and that legitimately looks like her pool xD but last I heard she killed the VFT I sent her for Mother’s Day and decided she had black thumbs.

I live in Texas, but on the coast so similar climate to my mom in Miami… I think our winters get a tad bit colder and she claims it’s hotter and more humid here in the summer. Otherwise known as the, I’m still growing tomatoes outside weather

"Texas" has a wide range of USDA hardiness zones, ranging from 10a along the southern coast, up to 6b in the North.

To put that into perspective, southern Florida is 10a, and parts of Connecticut are 6b.

Parts of Texas can probably weather outdoor nepenthes better than others. But, it depends on your specific location.

Yeah that’s why I mentioned comparable to Miami, I’m in 9b, but zones only tell how cold winters get, my region is subtropical

I want to ask some questions: How much water do Nepenthes need? Also, what kind soil and pot size should they have? How fast do they grow? (I'm asking about the easier Nepenthes species like ventrata, ventricosa, and others)

Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I just want to know more about Nepenthes if I end up getting one. I don't want to be clueless about the plants when I get them.

TrapsAndDews wrote: ↑Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:57 pm I want to ask some questions: How much water do Nepenthes need? Also, what kind soil and pot size should they have? How fast do they grow? (I'm asking about the easier Nepenthes species like ventrata, ventricosa, and others)

Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I just want to know more about Nepenthes if I end up getting one. I don't want to be clueless about the plants when I get them.

Don't leave them I'm standing water, only water then every once in a while (e.g. the topsoil dries out). Use an LFSM or LFSM/perlite soil mix, NOTHING else (Peat will most likely kill a Vent, and most plants that are not lowlanders (which are much harder to care for) ).

And there is no such thing as too many questions, ask ahead. Make big threads. That's why the forum is here, right?

MaxVft wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:01 am And there is no such thing as too many questions, ask ahead. Make big threads. That's why the forum is here, right?

Ok. Thanks.

Do they grow faster or slower than flytraps? As in, how fast do they put out new leaves?