FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello, first time poster here. I've got a pitcher plant that has been growing really well for maybe a couple years now. Its an indoor plant and sits on the window seal, I occasionally turn it around every so often so it can receive direct morning sun on both sides (as pictured in the window seal pics). Besides a few hours in the morning it doesn't receive any direct sunlight, just indirect and kitchen light. The only water used is distilled and its in peat moss.

The plant is getting a bit lanky and ive tried to use some chop sticks to keep it propped up but it its getting a bit heavy because the pitchers are growing bigger. You can see how it topples over to one side when the stick is removed in one of the pics below. You can also see a close up of the 3 stalks at the base of the plant. I originally thought there was 3 different plants, but when I replanted about 9 months ago I tried to separate them and it seemed as thought it was all one plant!

Questions:

-Is it normal to be so lanky at the stalk?

-The stalks also look brown in certain areas because old leaves have dried, is this normal?

-Can the plant be topped to ease some of the weight? And if so, can the plant be propogated to start a new plant?



Thanks for your responses in advance, I will post update pictures down the road!

I'm not a Nepenthes expert, but I can see one issue right away. You need to get it out of that terra cotta pot. Minerals get leached out of the terra cotta by the water and slowly kill the plant. Neps and Sarrs can withstand a higher mineral content, but only for so long.
Look at the exterior base of the pot and you'll see the mineral build up that has leached out and re deposited.

What you're seeing is normal for it to be that lanky,Nepenthes vine as they mature. The brown stem below where the leaves have died is also normal.
You could take stem cuttings but I would not recommend it, it looks like you have a ventricosa to me and ventricosa doesn't vine much, and it is still relatively short compared to how it could get. I would get a bamboo pole or something similar and use zip ties to secure it to the pole.

twoonine wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:31 am
Questions:

-Is it normal to be so lanky at the stalk?

-The stalks also look brown in certain areas because old leaves have dried, is this normal?

-Can the plant be topped to ease some of the weight? And if so, can the plant be propogated to start a new plant?

Answers:

Yes

Yes

Yes

ChefDean wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 12:10 pm I'm not a Nepenthes expert, but I can see one issue right away. You need to get it out of that terra cotta pot. Minerals get leached out of the terra cotta by the water and slowly kill the plant. Neps and Sarrs can withstand a higher mineral content, but only for so long.
Look at the exterior base of the pot and you'll see the mineral build up that has leached out and re deposited.

I love terracotta personally. It is a very nice planting pot. I keep sarrs, darlingtonia, and some sundews in terracotta.

How?

I soak the pots repeatedly in low TDS water. This removes the minerals. For more sensitive plants, I paint the inside of the pot.

That said, for beginners, and nepenthes, I would be cautious, perhaps monitor your plant or switch to glazed pots.

Nepenthes don't like wet feet eighter, so don't have them sitting in water. they love a good watering but allow it to drain away freely.