Question
QUESTION: Hi there,

A few days ago, I purchased a Nepenthes Alata plant and placed it in my conservatory thinking that it would love the sun and the heat. However within the next day or two, some of the leaves started to turn brown, including the pitchers, as if they are drying out. My conservatory is concealed and I leave the windows closed for security reasons as I am away from work in the day and it does get very hot. The temperature in there with the sun on the plant, can reach 158 F and at the shady spot without the sun can be at 115 F. There is nowhwere else in my home where I can place it as there arent any window sills. Today, I have taken it out of the conservatory and hanged it under a tree. I would prefer it to be in the conservatory for me to admire with my other carnivorous plants who love the heat, like the Sarracenia purpurea. Would it be alright to be out of the sun light but basking in the heated environment of about 115 F or is it still too hot for it? Many thanks and love to hear from you soon.

ANSWER: Hello Eugene,

115 Fahrenheit is too high for most plants actually. Venus Flytraps and Sarracenias prefer temperatures within the 80-90 degree range and can tolerate temperatures up to 110 F at the most. The only reason they have not yet succumbed to the heat is you likely have high humity and keep them hydrated. Heat levels of 158 F would cook and dehydrate any plant rather quickly... other than a very few desert dwellers.

Tropical conditions tend to be humid and warm, about 80 degrees most of the time. Nepenthes grow in tropical climates. They prefer temperatures of around 70-80 degrees most of the time with temperature drops as much as 10 or 15 degrees at night. Some Nepenthes like your N. alata can tolerate less variation in temperature between day and night cycles and are more tolerant all around of humidity and temperature differences, if adapted slowly to them, than some more difficult to grow Nepenthes, however; they cannot tolerate temperatures over 90-95 degrees for long.

Best bet is to place a cooling system in your conservatory to keep it about 20-30 degrees cooler and keep the plants back away from the windows where sunlight is focused through the glass so much. Your Nepenthes would do well in the conservatory if you were to make those modifications. Most Nepenthes also cannot tolerate direct sunlight, so only give them partial sun like under a large tree where they get ambient light all day and good morning and evening sun for about 4 hours each time frame. Direct overhead sun would be a bit too much for most species of Nepenthes to tolerate as they do not develop as much ultraviolet resistance as other plants.

Another consideration. Are your temperate North American plants dormant now? Sarracenias, Venus Flytraps, and many sundews from North America and Europe require winter dormancy or they tend to expire within a year as they use up all their energy growing year round. They basically become annuals or biennials when they are actually perennials that can keep growing back each year for decades if they go through proper dormancy by feeling winter cold and low light photoperiods associated with winter.

Christopher

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QUESTION: Hi Christopher, many thanks for your prompt and helpful advice. I forgot to mention that I live in New Zealand and my sarracenias purpurea have been with me for about 5 years now and have seen them grown throughout the years. They have also flowered a few occasions now and have a healthy red color to it. And they have been left in the conservatory for most of the time but they too tend to dry out on the edges which is due to the heat. The summer months here are Dec to Feb and winter is from June to Aug.

1. Would you recommend me to place it away from the direct sunlight in the conservatory, so as to minimise the heat? Or would it be recommended to place it outside of my conservatory where it can obtain some sunlight but away from the confined heat in the conservatory.

2. If the Sarracenia purpurea is left outside, is it ok to be left out in the rain, with the water filling the pitchers, etc? I will still be leaving it in its pot with standing water.

3. The outside temp in the summer ranges from 55 to 85 F and the winter temp ranges from 35 to 60 F. With the winter outside temp, would it be ok to be left outside since there are often morning frost and occasional hail storms here? The hail stones are tiny pebble size here.

4. I do have a pot of Sarracenia flava as well and I think that due to the heat in the direct sun in the conservatory, it has never opened up its top before, hence its always growing the length of the pitchers but dries out the top before it is opened. Is it ok to be left outside in its pot, like the purpurea? And do they also like to have at least half pot of standing water like the purpurea as well?

5. Whenever the Sarracenia Flava starts drying out from the tip, can I cut away that pitcher straight away or do they return the nutrients back to the plant and probably wait till it is totally dried out? Would it be the same for the Purpurea as well?

6. With my Nepenthes alata which is hanging under a tree at the moment outside in my garden, will it be ok in the rain with the rain filling up its pitchers as well? Will it affect the soil if the plant is drenched with rain? There are holes in the pot below, so it won't be sitting in a pot of water.

7. Do I also have to take the Nepenthes alata indoors during winter months?

8. With some of the leaves on the Nepenthes Alata partially brown due to the exposed heat, can they be cut off straight away or to wait till its dried out totally?

9. During the winter months, do I still provide the Sarracenia Flava/Purpurea with the same amount of standing water or should it be lesser? They are currently sitting in about 2 inches of water all year round, which is only a quarter of their pot and thanks for your advice, now I know that they have to be sitting in more water.

Thank you so much again for your helpful and informative advice as there aren't many staff in the garden centres here that have the knowledge of carnivorous plants even though they do sell them.

Cheers,
Eugene


ANSWER: Hello Eugene,

Your temperatures outside your conservatory in both the summer and winter sound just right for most carnivorous plants. The arracenias and Venus Flytraps in particular will be better off where they can get direct, rather than diluted window, light. Even though the window light is diluted somewhat, it can also focus the light and create heat as you indicated. These plants tend to do better in real sunlight and open air.

Sarracenia purpurea relies upon rain to fill its pitchers with water.

You can place the plants where the effects of hail are minimized... perhaps a slanting sheild that lets in sunlight and reduces the impact of hailstones.

Dry and dead material can be removed from the plants immediately. Leave any green material. Your Sarracenia flava sounds like it is already suffering from low light levels and perhaps from the heat drying its leaf tips.

All Sarracenias like up to half their pot in water.

The Nepenthes will be fine so long as its soil and pot drain well. Rain will run through and create an even more healthy environment for the plant's roots.

Nepenthes alata and Sarracenia flava have lids over their leaf traps to minimize the incidence of rain falling inside the pitchers. Thoe plants tend to rely on their own digestive enzymes and preservatives more than the S. purpurea.

You can reduce the emount of water dormant carnivorous plants sit in during winter. It is often best to leave a tray under the pot and water them about like you do the Nepenthes. Just give them enough water to moiten the soil and barely drain out the bottom then leave them for several days or a week before watering again. So long as their soil remains moist all the time, they will be fine.

Nepenthes are tropical plants, so should be protected from cold weather below 50 degrees for the most part. You can bring the plant into the conservatory during the winter and ensure that it gets enough light without so much heat.

As with the Sarracenias, you can just clip off dead matter on their leaves as it progresses, leaving the green sections until they die off in time. You can also just wait until the entire leaf dies before removing it at your preference.

Christopher

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QUESTION: Many thanks Christopher. To increase the humidity and also to cool down from the heat in the day. Would you recommend misting the Sarracenia Flava and Purpurea? Would it be ok to mist them when the sun is shining on them directly? Or will it burn their leaves? And can I do it more than once a day?

Cheers,
Eugene

Answer
Hello Eugene,

Misting can increase humidity slightly for a few minutes in a localized area, but it would require continuous misting, like a humidifier can do, to really make an impact. In any event, So long as Sarracenias and Flytraps are not exposed to higher than 100-110 degree heat for long they will be fine. Increases in humidity are aided by a large number of plants in close proximity, large trays of water under or around the plants, and temperature ranges of about 70-75 degrees. Most carnivorous plants, like the species you have, can adapt to low humidity just fine provided they have a slow period of adjustment to progressively lower humidity levels over the course of several weeks.

During the hottest times of the day I would suggest a cooling unit or fan to keep the air moving. If an air conditioner is used it will lower the humidity, but can be aimed away from the plants just to circulate cool air. Best temperatures for your plants would be about 70-85 degrees in general.

Christopher