Question
I have two n. ventricosa and one n. ampullaria that I have been grow in my garage under fluorescents in wet sphagnum. I mist them regularly and have made a makeshift greenhouse for them. The temperature has dropped to 50 degrees and 45 percent humidity. The ampullaria is doing great but the ventricosa appears to be struggling. Some of its pitchers are turning black and the new pitchers aren't growing. I am thinking about moving them indoors before it gets too cold. Will this help them grow better and how can I acclimate them to the indoors? Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Dustin,

Whenever pitchers turn black, I always check the lighting.  So your might not be adequate for N. ventricosa.  Of the two species you listed, N. ampullaria can tolerate slightly lower light conditions, but N. ventricosa always wants it fairly bright.  You didn't state what type of fluorescent lights, their wattage, daylight hours or distance, so I can't comment on your lighting at this time.  

Another potential issue is the sphagnum moss.  I'm going to assume you mean dried sphagnum moss rather than live sphagnum moss.  The dried version retains a lot of moisture and may require additional ingredients to improve its aeration and drainage.  Signs of poor aeration is blackening pitchers and declining new growth.  So if you're using 100% dried sphagnum moss, repot your plants using 1 part dried sphagnum moss and 1 part perlite (or pumice).

Since you're moving your plants from a cool environment to a warm environment, you won't need to acclimate your plants.  You can immediately place them in a terrarium or in a south windowsill.  There might be some acclimation issues, but it'll be minimal.  For now, increase the lighting and improve the soil drainage.

For more information about lighting and soil, read our care sheet for Nepenthes online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin