FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

My Nepenthes Ventrata has been growing out a little basal shoot the past few months, complete with little baby traps that are really cute, but I noticed the main trap isn't really growing any new traps. The growth point is still active, and it keeps opening up new leaves with the little trap hooks on them, but none of them are really growing into full pitchers.

Do basal shoots eat up the energy the plant uses for growing pitchers on the main plant?

I have the plant sitting in a south facing window with a small growlight above it giving it some extra lighting.

I’m curious about this too- anyone have experience that leans one way or the other? Growing conditions could make a difference but for healthy and happy plants does a basal draw enough energy to affect the main or does the plant not basal unless it has excess energy to support both?

If you search on YouTube for Windowsill Nepenthes, I think Remy did a video on this. I know he has one where he cuts the basal off, and another where he leaves the basal with the main roots, and then cuts the vine and compares how the plants do.

Among my plants, it is species dependent. Plants that produce a lot basals like gracilis and ampullaria do not seem to have their main stems affected. Most other species have the main stem slows down a bit temporarily when basal starts to emerge. Some others like northiana is likely to weaken the main stem once the second basal appears. The main stem will die after some time if the basal is left to grow. I usually make northiana basal cutting as soon as it is large enough. Ventrata seems to be ok with basals as long as the main stem is strong and healthy to start with.

Most likely

The thread title immediately made me think in my head "Does absence make the heart grow fonder?"

Anicdotal evidence at best, but most of the time for me when a basal first pokes it's head out I don't notice a difference in growth from the main plant. But as the basal starts getting "established" the growth on the main plant slows down, and it will often stop producing pitchers. I've noticed that on a sangunea (a few times), a hamata x burkei, and a gracilis over the past few months.