Nepenthes are separated in lowland and highland species. The magic boundary is about 1000 meter altitude, as the night temperatures in the mountains ranges between 10-20 degrees, whereas most lowland locations have around 23 degree Celsius. The daytime temperatures are actually also quite hot in the highlands, especially many of the highland Nepenthes grow on exposed rocky mountain summits.
Since most of our customers are from NCR, Cebu and other hot sea level locations, most of our plants are lowlanders and the few highlanders that we offer for sale, are also ok with warmer temperatures, but might make smaller pitchers when it gets really dry or hot. People always think that Nepenthes are mountain plants, but they are not! They have been just evicted from their natural habitats due to human development.
While we are able to grow some real highlanders here in Bukidnon, they grow so slow, that we can’t propagate them at a sustainable rate for resale.
Care instructions
Temperatures: Best day temperatures are around 30 deg Celsius, while night temperatures are around 23 deg Celsius or slightly cooler.
Light: Nepenthes require good light levels, while a mild shade cloth might extend pitcher live. If you change light levels quickly, especially from dark to bright, you might experience leaf burns and pitcher loss, but forthcoming leaves might adopt to the brighter environment. The key is to do transitions like that slowly – if at all. Keep in mind that our plants have several direct sun hours per day, so they are much tougher and more colorful than other commercial Nepenthes. If a plant doesn’t get enough sun, it might stop pitchering, or the pitchers will be very small (the leaves/laminae long!) and without much color. Still it can be that the first pitcher grown at your place will be small due to transplant shock, so better wait for the second pitcher to be sure.
Soil: We use coco peat (available at Ace Hardware) for all of our Nepenthes. It should be moist but not wet, and not becoming stagnant. Getting dry enables the roots to breathe, which is good, but of course you have to be careful that it doesn’t get dry too long. The coco peat should have plenty of air in it (which it naturally has for about 2 years), especially if you expose it to frequent rain. After two years you can consider replacing it (often earth worms are active already, turning it to clay) or adding fresh peat on the top. The cheapest way to make your own coco peat, is by cutting aged coconut husk into tiny fibers and collecting the dust as well – it is a lot of work though as you need it really fine. You can add charcoal. Please don’t attempt garden soil or rice hull.
Water: If you are low on time, just water your Nepenthes in the evening, so they stay wet the whole night, additionally you can do a 2nd round around 9 am during summer. In the rainy season you might not have to water them at all, just make sure they are exposed to rain – they love it. Rain water is best, so make sure to collect some. Aged tap water can be used in emergency situations, but in the long run rain is preferred. Some people collect the run-off water off their aircon, if they run out of rain water.
Fertilizing: There is no need to fertilize Nepenthes, as they will catch enough insects especially when grown outdoors – which they should be in the Philippines.