Question

Nepenthes mutation?  

Different angle   Hi,
I bought a Nepenthes Ventrata about a year ago from a local retailer. Throughout the winter, it dropped all of its old pitchers but continued to vine, and is now making much smaller pitchers as the weather improves. They sit on a windowsill with at least 3-4 hours of sunlight and are damp with distilled water in Sphagnum moss. I noticed that one of the plants had a strange growth coming out the side, like a second vine. Is this normal? Should I expect more healthy pitchers from this plant?
Thanks in advance!

Answer
Hello Taewoo,

Nepenthes are tropical plants that can and will continue producing pitchers through winter if you maintain longer photoperiods with florescent lights and keep them warm enough.

No, your Nepenthes is not a mutation, it is simply producing vines. You will really see this behavior when you prune it. Each leaf has a growth node just above its connection point on the main vine. These growth points will naturally begin to swell and vine out periodically. This will cause the plant to fill in and become a bit bushy in appearance.