I see people asking do nepenthes pitcher plants need dormancy, a lot in the carnivorous plant communities I’m a part of. The most popular carnivorous plant is the venus flytrap and their dormancy period is very important. Most people associate these plants together since they are both fairly common carnivorous plants and assume a nepenthes tropical pitcher plant should go dormant. The phrase “pitcher plant” is also used to describe sarracenia which do need a dormancy period.
With that being said, to be clear, this article is specifically calling out Nepenthes pitcher plants not to be confused with sarracenia American pitcher plants. They do require dormancy and if you are inquiring about sarracenia and not nepenthes tropical pitcher plants, you may want to consider a different article!
Nepenthes pitcher plant dormancy is not actually a real thing. Nepenthes tropical pitcher plants do show different growth patterns in the winter time when the days shorten but it’s not in an actually dormant state. The growth of new pitchers will slow down and some of the older growth does tend to die off, which is why it’s commonly believed they go through dormancy. Growth will slow down a bit but they are still in an active growing state.
The best thing you can really do is just adjust the way you care for your pitcher plant during winter months where the growth may slow down a bit.
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Do Nepenthes Pitcher Plants Need Dormancy?
We will talk about some winter time care tips below but first lets talk about where nepenthes pitcher plants come from and why a dormancy period is not really needed with these plants.
Nepenthes pitcher plants come from tropical locations. These locations do have seasons but not like the seasons we experience. The seasons are typically pretty warm year round but may experience less light than normal For example, during a rainy season, a nepenthes pitcher plant is less likely to see more sun so they compensate by slowing growth a bit to conserve energy. This is not considered a dormancy as they are still actively growing.
A beautiful new pitcher on my nepenthes ventrata. Sitting next to my Venus Flytraps!
Most people do not live in the same conditions that the jungle has but we do share a common trait, shorter periods of light during certain seasons. When the days shorten during winter time your nepenthes tropical pitcher plant will sense it and start to slow down growth for the good of the plant.
During this time, you can help your plant in a few different ways, we will talk about them below in just a bit. With a typical dormancy the plant no longer needs light and can be stored at a certain temperature to be brought “back to life” when the weather starts to get warm and days long again.
A nepenthes pitcher plant cannot be treated the same way. You will actually want to do your best to accommodate it and provide it with some of what it’s lacking during this time.
Nepenthes Winter Time Care Tips
Lets take a moment and go over a few care tips for a nepenthes during winter time. Since they are not in a dormancy stage they actually require a little more attention from you in the winter time. Winter time induces more stress on your plant and you may need to give them just a bit more care.
Increase Humidity
Increase the humidity as much as you can. Winter time brings on less humidity and this can hurt your nepenthes a bit. Try to purchase a humidifier like the one below, they are affordable and having a little extra humidity in your home is always a good thing
- Dry Air Relief: Breathe better air as the...
- Cold & Congestion Relief: Balanced humidity and...
- Compact & Lightweight: Small and mighty, this...
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- 5-Year Manufacturer's Warranty: This BPA-free...
Last update on 2024-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Other things you can do to increase humidity for your plant are to mist your plant twice a day. Make sure you mist the leaves and the main stem of your nepenthes plant. This will give it a lot of extra humidity.
Nepenthes should never sit in water. However, you can get a tray fill it with aquarium rocks then put some distilled water in with the aquarium rocks. Set your plant on top of the rocks. This will help increase the humidity as your plant is sitting on top of a tray of water but not soaking in one.
You can also move your plant to a more naturally humid room in your home. The kitchen and bathroom tend to be more humid than other rooms. You can even bring your nepenthes in the bathroom with you while you shower. The warm humid environment will help it get a small dose of humidity! If you shower once a day, your plant will be getting a nice dose of daily humidity.
Increase Sunlight Or Use Artificial Light
Try to put your plant in a window that gets the most light throughout the day. Since it’s not getting as much in it’s current spot, maybe there is another window in your home that gets more light during the day.
If you don’t have an area to give it more light, you may want to get an artificial light for it. You can easily get a Sensi grow bulb along with a simple clamp shop light and you will have your very own grow light set up for your plant!
I leave my light on overnight so it’s not on during the day. My tropical nepenthes pitcher plants get their light during the night time. It’s kind of bright and can be kind of annoying during the day so I just flip it on during the night and turn it off in the AM. Check out my current setup for my hanging pitcher plants.
Our setup in our dining room. This light is only on overnight, we do not turn it on during the day.
Check out the bulb and clamp light we use below for this setup. The Sansi bulb has an E26 socket and it’s easy to find a standing or wall lamp to put it in. We use the affordable shop clamp lights below but you can shoot for something more aesthetically pleasing if you like.
Check out the lighting section in my Ultimate Nepenthes Ventrata care guide below, it’s for a Ventrata but the lighting applies to all nepenthes plants.
Ultimate Nepenthes Ventrata Care Guide
- 4000K DAYLIGHT: Imitate the solar spectrum,...
- SECONDARY OPTICAL DESIGN: PPF: 65.6 umol/s, PPFD:...
- PATENTED COC TECHNOLOGY: Chip on Ceramic, SANSI's...
- SAFE & RELIABLE: The lamp body is made of special...
- GUARANTEES: ETL listed, quality and safety...
Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- Multifunction: can be used as a table lamp in your...
- Material: 8.5inch aluminum reflector, 150W max...
- Function: the clip is firm and well fixed, 360°...
- Specifications: 8.5X4.25X10 inch, rated for up to...
- Package include: 1-pack 150W 8.5inch aluminum...
Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Other than the extra light and humidity just continue to care for your nepenthes pitcher plant as you did before. It isn’t going through dormancy but will need a little more attention during the shorter days in the winter months.
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Final Thoughts
Your nepenthes pitcher plant is not going through dormancy but its going through a much more stressful time. It will be important for you to watch and care for your plant more than normal. Looks for signs that it’s turning brown or yellow and pitchers are not growing or dying.
Don’t panic though, you just need to give it a little more humidity and more light. Make sure you keep your home around room temperature and your nepenthes pitcher plant will do just fine!
Make sure to check out my YouTube channel below and you can watch my journey with my personal nepenthes ventrata plants. Check out the video below to see a couple of my more exotic nepenthes plants I recently unboxed!
Also, if you are interested in carnivorous plant conservation please check out the International Carnivorous Plant Society for more info!
https://youtu.be/kKs0Y0Qak6w