Nepenthes Pitcher

Nepenthes Pitcher Plants look as though they come from an alien planet, with bright colors, and a peculiar scent. These looks aren't the only strange thing about them, because this plant is carnivorous! This plant survives by catching flies and other insects that fall into their Pitcher, and get stuck on the waxy inside. When watering, steer clear of tap, bottled or filtered water, for this can overload the plant with minerals, which is also why you should skip the fertilizer. Instead, use rain or distilled/de-ionized water, and keep the pot flooded with at least 2 cm of water during the growing season. Avoid watering this plant from the top, as that can damage the inside of the pitcher. Pitcher plants need full, direct sunlight during the growing season. During the winter, this particular houseplant needs colder temperatures, so consider sticking it in a garage or shed windowsill, or an unheated greenhouse, and the soil should be kept damp. As the temperature drops, the pitcher will begin to turn brown, and the plant will start to die back. This is normal, and it is safe to trim the dead parts away at this time. Since this plant is carnivorous, it will need to eat. If kept outside, it will catch more than enough food, but if indoors, we recommend feeding it with dried insects or crickets. However strange, this bug-eating plants easily the coolest plant we've ever seen!