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What is going on with this thing?

I bought this N. x ventrata back in February and hung it in a window in my bathroom, it has been growing vigorously and more than doubled in size since the purchase,however the mother plant will not produce any new pitchers.  The new leaves have tendrills which look like they should produce pitchers but don't.  The funny thing is, since purchasing it, it has sent up a couple of basal shoots that have pitchered, but they don't look anything like the mother plant pitchers, they are rather hairy and about 1.5 inches tall is this normal.  The pitchers you see have lasted over 4 months.  Any suggestions on getting the mother plant to pitcher?

Thanks,

Jason


Mother Plant

ventrata.jpg


basal pitcher

ventrata1.jpg
 
Jason,

Conditions probably aren't right for the main vine to pitcher. You'll get pitchers from basal shoots in less than required conditions due to their proximity to the medium and the associated higher humidity. Often those pitchers are first 'triggered' whilst the tendril is still under, or just on, the soil, so air conditions are less important.

As for the difference in the lower pitcher, basals can throw out pitchers that are closer in characteristic to seedling pitchers. This is what you're seeing in that photo. As more pitchers form on the basals, they will be more like normal lower pitchers.

Hamish
 
Thanks for the reply Hamish. Will the main vine eventually aclimate and produce pitchers, or am I going to have to change conditions? Other than not pitchering, the plant is vigorous and healthy. I'm guessing it's lack of humidity if anything, it recieves a good deal of light but the humidity is somewhere around 40% is all. I was hoping to be able to grow this plant as hanging window plant.
 
My 2 ventratas went throught the exact same thing. The vine with the curling tendrils are finally starting to produce pitchers. It took a few months to aclimate I guess.

Good luck on yours!
biggrin.gif
 
Given the type of hybrid it is, if it hasn't acclimated itself within 6 months, I doubt it will. If you've still no pitchers in September, I'd move it somewhere with higher humidity.

Hamish
 
One other thought: You say it's in the bathroom window...How much light does that mean? What direction does the window face? North, south, east or west? I find that sometimes light is a more important factor than humidity (within reason).
 
It's in a west facing window, so it recieves indirect light until about1:30 PM and then recieves direct sunlight from about 1:30 to 6:30 PM and then again recieves indirect light until dark.
 
As you've stated that humidity is around 40%, I would say that is too low for pitchering if it remains that way for any period of time. As a general rule, average humidity of around 50% would be needed for easier species and hybrids.
 
Syd, that general rule seems to apply to x 'Ventrata.' Though I grow several neps that pitchered happily in humidity in the 30's. Even a spotted ampularia, if you can beleive it! Also, the coccinea and miranda.

This is not to say that they didn't prefer the higher humidity, but they did manage to function in the lower. All I can say is "darn electric heating." Glad it's summer now.
 
  • #10
How long did that 30% humidity last, was it constant, including at 2 or 3 am? I've had plants pitcher having experienced very low humidity, but when averaged over 3-6 months is always around the 50% mark. Periods of warm, dry weather lasting for more than a month have always stopped plants from pithcering outside.
 
  • #11
Syd, it was for about three months in the middle of the winter before I got my humidifier.  Even at night the humidity only went up to the low 40's.  I tell ya, some of these suckers are a lot tougher than we give them credit for....though I don't purposefully go around trying to proove it....I just seem to be absent minded enough to occaisonally test the fortitude of one plant or another.
 
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