Question
My Nepenthes put out 2 long (each about 12 inches long)'sprouts', the end of which resemble a stalk of tiny bananas.  The stalks never bloom, simply turn from green to brown and dry up. When dry, they look like seed pods with thread-like seeds inside.  Are these in fact seeds?  Can you grow more plants from them and if so, how?  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Vicki,

From your description, I'm not certain if they are actually seed pods.  In order to get seeds, you will need both a male and female plant in bloom at the same time.  Nepenthes doen't self-pollinate like other carnivorous plants.  The plant you have is likely a female plant.  If you have another Nepenthes that flowered recently, and it was a male plant, then you could likely have seeds if insects were around to transfer pollen from the male plant to the female plant.  If you recently acquired the plant, then it's possible that the flower stalk was pollinated previously.  If either of these situations were the case, we can assume that the thread-like material is Nepenthes seeds.  

To sow the seeds, sprinkle them on a layer of moistened peat moss.  Press them firmly on soil.  Avoid covering them up.  Mold is a common problem in germinating carnivorous plant seeds, so spray the soil with a sulfur-based fungicide.  Keep the pot in a warm location.  Within 4-8 weeks, you will see tiny plantlets emerge.  

If you could upload a clear digital photo, I could help you determine more accurately whether or not your plant had produced seeds.  Make sure the pods show up clearly in the photograph.  

To see what a male flower looks like, take a look at the Nepenthes video on our main website:
http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=5&chapter=0

The photograph occurs near the end.  For additional information on how to grow Nepenthes, read our care sheets online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin