Question
Nepenthes ventricosa
I bought a N. ventricosa from you two years ago along with a N. sanguinea. I
put both in a SW windowsill in the Seattle area. While the sanguinea seems to
be doing fine, the traps on the ventricosa are very short lived. Nice traps
form but the lids turn brown rather quickly and the traps die back from the
top down. Also, the leaves seem smaller than when I got the plant. I thought
maybe the humidity was too low, so I moved it to an open topped terrarium
surrounded by moist moss with artificial light. The leaves also seem
yellowish. Any suggestions?
thanks.
AnswerHi Dave,
Thank you for uploading your photograph! Your plant actually seems to be growing just fine. The pitchers don't last as long as N. sanguinea, so this is completely normal. Your plant will also produce smaller leaves when you grow it in brighter light. The yellowness is also related to bright sunlight. (In general, smaller leaves with a yellowish tinge means that a plant has ample sunlight for photosynthesis.) Judging by your photograph, your plant is growing fine. It looks healthy, and the pitchers are bright red. Many first-time growers would be envious.
I recommend placing the plant back in your window and simply shading it with your other plants. Check the pitchers to see if there are any bugs in there. If not, go outside and capture one and give it to your plant. Sometimes yellow leaves could be a sign of nutritional deficiency, and bright sunlight can mask the symptoms. Although nutritional deficiencies occurs infrequently with carnivorous plants, we should at least rule this out. A bug a month is all you'll need if you don't see any in the pitchers.
Also trim off the dying pitchers. Make the cut near the tip of the leaf. Cut off any pitchers when you can't stand looking at them anymore.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
