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Non-pitchering Spectabilis

MasterGrower

not really...
Hi,
I got a N. Spectabilis in the mail a few weeks ago and was told by the growers that it had not pitchered in 9 months. N. Spectabilis is a finicky plant, so it has just started growing again. I don't have it in a terrarium, I grow it on my windowsill with my sarrs since I know it likes high light levels. I grow it in 35%-58% humidity. Might the air be to dry? I need some tips on making it pitcher. I has a lot of hooked pitcher buds but they don''t grow. I thought if it was hooked it meant it would make a pitcher. I provide the light and temps it needs, what's missing for it to pitcher?

Thanks,
MasterGrower
 
It needs time. Your humidity is low, but not too low. If you're patient, you'll get a very hardy plant as a result of not spoiling it. However, you might not see pitchers until the plant has had a chance to switch over to the thicker, waxier style leaves that protect against moisture loss. You certainly shouldn't expect pitchers until a month or two after you see significant new growth (IE a new leaf goes from tendril to full-grown and open) because until then, the plant is probably still worrying about whether or not it will have enough energy and resources to make it through whatever disruption it just experienced. You have to remember that it doesn't know that when it was boxed up for mailing, it was being shipped to someone who was going to give it all the light and clean water it could want.
Once the plant knows it's OK to grow as normal, it will start making leaves that are properly adapted to your conditions. Soft, thin leaves dry out easily and cause the plant to lose water fast. Neps need to be well-hydrated in order to keep their pitchers alive, so they know well enough to not try pitchers if they don't even have enough water for their leaves.
Pitchers use lots of water to make the digestive fluid and lots of energy to make the sugary nectar for luring bugs, and before that it takes a lot of work just to make the pitcher itself. Your plant won't want to invest all that time and effort unless it's sure that it will be healthy enough to make use of the pitchers for a long time. The hooked tendrils mean you're doing a good job - your plant is considering pitchers enough to get them ready - but you still have to wait. Plants are aware of the world on the scale of seasons and weather systems, not days. I know that at 10, two or three months seems like a pretty long time - I wish there was some way for you to fix it. This might sound like "old guy" talk to you, but in another 10 years, a few months will feel more like a week! Enjoy it while you can. :)
~Joe
 
Everything Seedjar said is spot-on. Most Nepenthes take their sweet time when adapting to a new environment, but once they're comfortable, it's smooth-sailing.

I actually have a N . spectabilis that I received about a month ago. I'm growing it outside, so humidity is low. Plus, I have it in an area that gets mostly indirect light for most of the day, which I'm sure takes getting used to. It's in suspended animation, and I expect it to be in this state for at least another month before it decides to really settle in.

This doesn't apply to all Nepenthes, though. I have an N. sanguinea that I received a few weeks ago and it didn't skip a beat, and that's even after a repotting. It has already put out a good-sized pitcher and has another leaf and tendril on the way.

It really depends on the species and how the plant was grown prior to you getting it. Just keep your N. spectabilis where it is and wait it out. It'll be growing and pitchering again before you know it!

Sidenote to Seedjar: How are all those Neps I sent you? I think it's been almost two years! I hope they're growing well.
 
Hi all:

One aspect not discussed by seedjar is the fact that clonal variation also influences the readiness of a spectabilis to pitcher. I have had mine for almost 3 years and it never pitchered. Even with average humidity of 50% during the day and 90%+ at night.
Only when the basals came, these produced pitchers. This is a plant from sinabung (MT)
I now have a spectabilis from BE and these produce pitchers in no time.

As you can see, there are a lots of factors in pitcher production by Nepenthes spectabilis

Gus
 
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