Thinking of getting a Nepenthes ampullaria

[Wolfn]

I'm thinking of getting a Nepenthes ampullaria "green". I read that they thrive in shadier conditions than other Nepenthes.

Are these difficult plants to grow? What are some basic cultivation techniques?

 

[carnivoure12]

Hi ahmad,

Ampullarias are pretty easy growers, you can treat them like a Bicalcarata, warm, humid environment it will thrive, they also need less light than other neps but I would still give them as much light as i
can. They are pretty nice neps, so good luck!

 

[billylh]

I will say that they definitely seem to be pretty easy. I know that moving the plants from outside to inside just before winter time really did a number on the plants. Maintaining a constant level of humidity and watering the plants everyday seems to do the trick for me. i have mine on a rack that runs 12 hrs on/12 hrs off and has 3 basals growing. i use 2:1 LFS/orchid seedling bark.

~billy

 

[Capensis]

Amps are one of the easier Lowlanders. Just give it lowland conditions and it'll thrive.

 

[Wolfn]

Amps are one of the easier Lowlanders. Just give it lowland conditions and it'll thrive.

I guess it'll thrive outdoors in a place like Florida (where I'm located)

I'm considering growing it on my south-facing windowsill. Would this be a good idea?

 

[Capensis]

No, it's best to have it in a North-facing window in Florida. I'm in Central-Florida and right now, the sun is too much north for my south-facing window. And it's like that until Fall and winter. So. I recommend a terrarium or have it in a shady spot outside where it won't get TOO hot or too much sun. Being exposed even for a few hours each day might get it sunburned kind of badly. Get shading cloth if you have to.

 

[Wolfn]

No, it's best to have it in a North-facing window in Florida. I'm in Central-Florida and right now, the sun is too much north for my south-facing window. And it's like that until Fall and winter. So. I recommend a terrarium or have it in a shady spot outside where it won't get TOO hot or too much sun. Being exposed even for a few hours each day might get it sunburned kind of badly. Get shading cloth if you have to.

My south-facing window only gets one or two hours of direct sunlight a day, the rest of the time is bright shade. This is because there's a large tree right outside my window.

 

[Capensis]

Ok, but later on in the summer, your window won't get much sunlight. Right now, my window doesn't get much sunlight and there's nothing in the way. When I got my N. sanguinea, it turned into a bronze color. Now it's just green, and I moved it to my terrarium where it probably gets more light.

 

[Wolfn]

I'm having trouble finding them for sale. I found one place that sells them when they are 8 inches across (which is a little too big for me).

Can I trim them somehow to make them smaller?

 

[billylh]

you could take that plant and make a couple of cuttings to get it back down to manageable size...?

~billy

 

[Ant]

um, or you could just look for another type. I personally like spotted more then green.

 

[Wolfn]

um, or you could just look for another type. I personally like spotted more then green.

Personally, I like pure green plants instead of red ones. For example, I like green Cephalotus instead of the maroon ones, and green Sarracenias instead of the heavily red ones, etc.

It could have some red in it, like on the lip or something, but I would personally prefer the plant to be green.

 

[Ant]

my spotted isn't really all that red. Here is a pic when I got it, and it lost some of that coloration on its newer pitchers. Also it is one of amps many natural colors. Just my opinion though.

 

[swords]

N. ampullaria are very nice, once the main stem gets long you'll start to develop lots of offsets around the base to keep the "carpet of pitchers" keep movingthe plant to a wider tray. if you cut off the vine stem then one (or more) of those offsets will start to elongate into vines but if you leave the main vine alone you will just get more and more rosettes. I had the green form it was a great grower but I always wanted the all red one or the all green with the red peristome! The vine cuttings from mine did not root easily but the basal offsets did. The basal offsets are awesome 1/2" leaves with 2" pitchers!