#14, Pitcher Plant

I'm attempting to keep a Pitcher Plant.

The Pitcher Plant's actually a carnivorous plant, which is capable of releasing digestive enzymes to consume insects or even animals (if the pitcher is large enough). Water at the bottom of the pitcher & fine hairs along the inner side of the pitcher, to trap the insects, making it almost impossible for the animal/ insect to escape! How ingenious!

Some species of these plants even share symbiotic relationship with larvae of insects, where the insect eats the animals/ insects which fall into the pitcher, while the pitcher absorbs its excreta.

Hopefully I'll be able to keep the plant alive :P It belongs to the family Nepenthaceae, where the pitchers are grown from the tendrils at the end of the leaves.

[Edit] Apparently the pitchers are starting to sag a little (nooo flaccid cells), I sprayed water, but to no avail. I think I might need to feed some insects...? [/Edit]
Any advice?

2 comments:

TS said...

Perhaps its the soil u used? Pitchers dun show under nutritious soils.

Unknown said...

hmm, perhaps it's the soil, but it could be that the pitcher was not fed with insects, cos thats where it gets its nutrients mainly from? ha ha blame it on my baaad gardening skills.. my dearest pitcher plant has withered ): sob.