Plants obtain their energy through photosynthesis, even if they have meaty appetites! Insects for carnivorous plants are more like multivitamins - they provide the nutrients they need to build structures, but without the real fuel from photosynthesis, they can't build anything at all. If your plants are not pitchering, low light and humidity are likely culprits. |
If your plants aren't pitchering, the second likely culprit is humidity. Most Nepenthes need high relative humidity to produce their flamboyant pitchers. I am lucky to live close to the Ocean (literally a block away) and in the "fog belt" of the Northern California coast, so my indoor humidity is naturally quite high (around 50% without any interventions). To boost it further, I make "humidity trays". I fill large propagation/seedling trays with about an inch of black lava rock (far cheaper by the big bag!) and simply place the pots on the rocks. The trays catch the overflow from regular watering and the lava rock provides a porous surface for evaporation, increasing local humidity for the plants. This plus misting every morning and evening keeps humidity between 55-95% (depend on if it's on the windowsill or in a terrarium). Drenching at night is particularly beneficial for humidity loving plants like Nepenthes - the cool temperatures at night allow the humidity to remain at higher levels for longer periods of time, and I definitely noticed an increase in pitcher size and longevity after I started this practice. I monitor both humidity and temperature with SensorPush, which brings me to the third most important factor...
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