Nepenthes x ventrata is one of the easiest pitcher plants to grow. These are a carnivorous cross between N. ventricosa and N. alata and are native to the Philippines. Nepenthes are non-toxic and the pitchers are actually used for cooking in some cultures, however small reptiles that could get trapped in the pitchers should not be allowed near them for fear of them getting stuck inside and drowning. Sometimes frogs, anoles and bats can be seen living in some pitchers, but it is important not to allow baby reptiles near them that are too small to get themselves back out. These Nepenthes are a vine that produce long, wide leaves bright green leaves with a red/orange/yellow pitcher on a tendril at the end. They produce a sticky substance that attracts bugs that slip and fall into the pitcher where they get trapped and drowned in the liquid at the bottom, and then are broken up and absorbed by the plant for nutrients. Plants come in a 3.5 inch pot with pure long fiber sphagnum moss and do not need to be repotted immediately upon arrival, but they will likely need to be repotted some time this Spring/Summer, as these are considered large plants, despite not being full grown. In addition, these are plants that were grown from tissue culture and not a cutting from a larger plant, and while they may produce basal babies, they don’t have the cut end on the top like others grown from cuttings. These Nepenthes are intermediate and are cold hardy year round in Zone 11 and up and need to be indoors in bright indirect light when temperatures outside dip below 55 degrees. Normal room temperature inside is ideal. Easy to grow outside or in a window. If left outside they will catch everything they need. If inside, check pitchers and if there are no bugs in them, feed once a month or so by dropping a few beta pellets into a couple of pitchers. Moss should be kept moist at all times with reverse osmosis water, distilled water or clean collected rain. NO tap water! See our care guide for more detailed instructions. When plant arrives: When plant arrives, plant will be in a zip seal bag with paper tucked between the leaves and around the pitchers. Do NOT attempt to wrestle plant out of the bag, and simply cut the bottom and top off with a pair of scissors and then carefully cut bag down the middle and then open it up. It is very difficult to get the plants into the bag at this point because of their size and the pitchers can get hung up on the bag if you try to wrestle them out, so just cut it open and then remove paper packaging material Carefully remove paper that is tucked in between the leaves of the plants, and untangle the pitchers by following the stem on the bottom of the pitcher to the leaf to figure out the best way to untangle them without tearing the pitchers off. Replace any moss that has fallen out of the pot. Water ONLY with distilled water (but NO other types of bottled water), reverse osmosis water or clean, collected rain. NO TAP WATER! Tap water contains dissolved minerals that will slowly kill your plant. Neps can tolerate tap much better than other CPs, so if you are in a pinch and that is your only option, flush well with appropriate water once you have some to get any dissolved solids that have built up in the growing medium out. After cutting out of the bag and removing paper, water thoroughly until water runs out of the holes in the bottom. When not flushing, you can also catch the water that runs out and use it again the next time you water, but don’t let the plant just sit in a tray of water so the roots don’t rot.
