Monkey Cups (Nepenthes) Care Guide

Light Requirements

Know the correct lighting requirements for your plant. This will be the difference between growing and THRIVING!

Nepenthes need DAPPLED / FILTERED SUN.

Most Nepenthes enjoy very bright, diffused light. They are very happy growing on a windowsill that gets a few hours of morning or late afternoon sun. Avoid direct afternoon sun though, as this will burn your plant. If growing outdoors, a bright patio or verandah is ideal. They will also thrive in a shade house growing under 40 to 50% shade cloth.

For more info on light types, refer to the HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page

Acclimatization

When you bring your new babies home, help them to acclimatize by following this simple step.

Considering the “stress” the plant has gone through during shipping, placing them in an area that gets bright dappled light or morning sun only for a week before moving them to their new spot is always advised.

The pitchers themselves will start to brown from the top down, but you can cut this off as it dies to keep the plant looking good. This is quite normal and they will grow new pitchers when they acclimatise. This way, although pitcher death still occurs, it’s not as severe and a lot less stressful on the plant.

Upon receipt, your plant will benefit if you place a little bit of pure water into the pitchers. Just about a teaspoon fill. (Do not overfill the pitchers).

I always spray a little Novion onto the leaves and into the pitchers to give them that extra little boost. (A free sample vial is sent with every order to assist with acclimatization and ease Abiotic stress.)

Watering Requirements

ALWAYS USE PURE WATER such as Rain, Distilled or R.O Water.

Nepenthes do NOT like to be waterlogged, so avoid leaving the pots in trays of water. This will cause crown rot and the plant will die.

Rather water overhead allowing the water to run freely out the bottom of the pot, saturating the soil. Depending on the soil mix and temperatures of the day, you can water every day or every few days. Soil must be damp at all times, but never allowed to dry out completely.

For more information on Watering refer to our HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page.

Potting Media Requirements

A nutrient-deficient soil is a must for all carnivorous plants.NEVER use soil with fertilizers.

Nepenthes prefer loose, airy soil that remains wet to moist but never water-logged. They are tolerant of a wide variety of soil mixes providing the mix drains easily.

I find the best mix is 1 part normal carnivorous soil mix, 1 part long fiber sphagnum moss, and 2 parts perlite or akadama stone. This creates a nice water-retentive mix but allows for maximum oxygen to the roots.

Carnivorous soil mix for Nepenthes can be purchased from the Accessories page.

For more info on Soil & Potting refer to the HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page and my BLOG ON REPOTTING.

Feeding Requirements

Carnivorous Plants are formidable hunters and do not need to be fed, but if you REALLY cannot resist...

When grown outdoors they will catch all the food they need. (Sunlight is more important than food as they get most of their energy from Photosynthesis.)

They will also benefit from a mild foliar fertilizer spray like Novion, which can be sprayed directly onto the leaves. If you get too much liquid on the soil, flush with pure water from overhead a day after application

Novion can be purchased from the Accessories page.

Drop live, fresh dead bugs or freeze-dried mealworms into the pitchers. Avoid feeding fish pellets as this not only takes a long time to dissolve but also tends to cause white mould growth in the pitchers.

It is natural for the pitchers to brown and die over time as the plant ages, just like leaves will die over time. This is normal and new pitchers will grow on the new leaves. The more the pitcher feeds, the quicker it may die, so avoid overfeeding.

Pest Control

Just like any other plant, Carnies are sometimes prone to Pests and Diseases. However there are very effective ways to help them.

The primary pests of Nepenthes are thrips, scale, mealybugs, and aphids.

Isolate the plant to prevent infecting others and spray with a mild Insecticide.

I recommend Rosecare 3 by Efekcto. This utilizes both a systemic and contact insecticide.

This needs to be sprayed on the plant every week for 3 weeks, and this should solve the problem. Avoid spraying in the pitchers if possible.

Temperature Tolerance

Some like Warm Sunny Days, others prefer cool night time temps.

All Nepenthes are tropical plants, divided into 3 categories. Lowlanders, Intermediary, and Highlanders. It is important to know which range your plant is from.

Lowlanders come from low elevations in tropical Southeast Asia where they have constant temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, with high humidity levels. Lowlanders are NOT tolerant of low temperatures. Night temperatures must not drop below 20 degrees Celsius.

Highlanders do best with day temperatures around the 30-degree Celsius range but require a night-time drop in temperature of around 10 to 15 degrees Celcius. Ideal nighttime temps should therefore be in the low 20’s. Highlanders can tolerate high temperatures, but need to be watered more frequently and have higher-than-normal humidity levels.

Intermediary Nepenthes tolerate any temps in between these and are more tolerant and forgiving if requirements are not met 100%.

A really good guide to identifying your Nepenthes category is listed below. This will give you a great indication of which category your plant falls into.

Nepenthes Category Guide
(Click on Sort by Name to get an alphabetical listing of the plant names)

All nepenthes require high humidity levels and are not tolerant of frost.

Winter Dormancy

While some plants grow all year round, others need that Winter Snooze. For some, its an absolute necessity.

Nepenthes do not require winter dormancy and can be grown year-round. However, they are not very frost tolerant, so if you live in an area with extreme cold, and are growing your plants outside, it is best to bring the plants indoors during winter to protect them from the cold.

Even then, you may still notice reduced plant growth during winter, but they will still bounce back when it warms up and actually get a boost from the winter rest.

Refer to my blog for more info on Winter Snoozes.