Question
I have 3 neps saved from Lowes. Have no idea what they are. I have them in a mixture of orchid bark, peat moss and perlite topped dressed with lfs.They were in my house recieving about 3hours sun and the rest of the day bright indirect light. They seemed happy, new growth, new pitchers. About a week ago I put them outside. Now they get about 5 hours of direct sun and the rest of the day indirect bright light. Well, one night it dropped down into the upper 40's. It had been warm, highs in the mid 70's lows around 55. I noticed the leaves have developed a pearlescent yellow/orange tint and the pitchers are browning. Is it too much sun or did it get too cold that night? It affected all 3 plants about the same.

Answer
Hi Lisa,

The change in color is usually associated with very bright light and/or very cool nights.  Your growing conditions seem just fine, and I wouldn't worry about the color change.  Our growing conditions for most of our Nepenthes are also similar to yours, and many of our plants have a slight yellow tinge because of the amount of sunlight they receive. Our nighttime temperature in the greenhouse also gets as low as 55癋.

Some growers prefer large, dark green leaves associated with lower light, but the risk is not giving the plant enough light.  In your case, keep the plant where it is.  You may need to shade it a bit when the temperature rises above 80癋, otherwise it'll do just fine.

I'm also assuming you're growing Nepenthes 'Alata'.  This plant is actually a hybrid, Nepenthes alata x ventricosa.  It's a fairly tough plant and grows well in a variety of conditions, including full sun.  We've experimented growing this plant in full sun during the summer months.  While the leaves were distinctly yellow, the pitchers were deep red.  It was actually a nice contrast, though we sometimes associate yellow leaves with unhealthy growth.  The plants continued to grow just fine in fall and winter.  

If you need more information about growing Nepenthes, make sure to read our care sheets online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin