Nepenthes is an exotic predator plant. Varieties and types

The plant is native to the Southeast Asian tropics. Nepenthes is also found in the Seychelles and the Philippine Islands. It also grows in Australia, Madagascar, Thailand and Singapore.

At home, nepenthes can grow in height up to 60 cm, while "in the wild" can grow up to 20 meters.

Nepenthes may look like a shrub or semi-shrub liana. The stems are thin and herbaceous with slight woodiness. The leaves are large, with a pronounced midrib and a retracted apex.

The key feature of Nepenthes is jars of leaves over which there is a lid. In the lower part there are special glands that secrete nectar to attract insects edible for Nepenthes.

They sit on the upper smooth part of the jug and slide inside, falling into the digestive juice. Eating in this way, the plant receives a lot of nutrients.

Seeds are stored in a leather box, divided into chambers by internal partitions. The seeds themselves are small with a straight embryo of a cylindrical shape.

Species and varieties with photos

There are more than seven species of these plants in the genus Nepenthes. If we take into account hybrids, the fruits of the work of breeders, the bill will go into the hundreds.

Winged (alata)

His homeland is the Philippines. IN vivo the liana grows in length from 1.5 to 4 meters, at home - up to 2 meters. The leaves of the plant are green, have the shape of a lancet, the tops are pointed. The jugs of this variety of Nepenthes are light green-yellow in color with burgundy specks.

Rafflesi

The variety is distinguished by large, up to half a meter long leaves and relatively small jugs. Their size rarely exceeds 20 cm. The outside color is green, with red patches in the form of stripes and spots. The inside of the pitcher has a bluish color.

Truncated

It differs from other species in large, up to 50 cm long jug dark Brown color. The name of this type of plant was given by the shape of the leaves, as if chopped off at the end.

Rajah

IN natural environment grows up to 6 meters. Large jugs, about 16 cm wide and up to 35 cm long, are able to digest not only insects, but also small vertebrates that have got inside.

Madagascar

It differs in raspberry jugs, up to 25 cm long. The perennial itself reaches 90 cm in length.

pitcher

Miniature, traps are stacked to attract the attention of flies and mosquitoes.

Sanguinia

Nepenthes jugs are blood red, grow up to 30 cm long.

Home care

Safe and unpretentious flower. Features of caring for Nepetes at home.

IMPORTANT! In jugs should always be water, filling the jugs almost to half. Usually the plant itself produces enough moisture, but if for some reason it splashed out, water should be added manually.

Can you keep it at home?

Despite their exotic appearance and insidious disposition, Nepenthes are dangerous only for insects. For people, they do not pose a danger, so experienced flower growers grow "jugs" at home.

The snag lies elsewhere: not all species can adapt to domestic existence. In addition, not every amateur flower grower can handle caring for an insectivorous pet.

What to feed?

The video shows how to feed Nepenthes:

Since the plant is insectivorous, it can be provided with appropriate nutrition. You need to do this once every 2-3 weeks. Best fit live bloodworms. They need to be placed in a third of the jugs, one worm at a time.

It is important not to overdo it and overfeed nepenthes. After all, he can do without insects at all.

Way of getting food - how to feed yourself

The main diet of these plants is insects, however, some types of Nepenthes are able to catch and hold even small animals. Traps exude a pleasant aroma that attracts their victims. Insects climb into the jug and fall to its bottom, where there is a liquid filled with enzymes - the digestion process begins. The substances are quite active, and are able to penetrate the protective chitinous shell of the insect and dissolve it, extracting substances useful for the plant.

pruning

This procedure is carried out when transplanting a plant. Cut it off pretty hard. As a result, new shoots appear, they need to be pinched over the seventh eye.

But young shoots that appear after a month and a half after this should be removed, since jugs do not form on them.

Watering

Summer watering frequency - 1 time in 2 days. For this, demineralized water at room temperature is used. In winter, watering should be reduced to 1-2 times a week.

IMPORTANT! Don't forget to drain the water from the pan.

In addition to watering, Nepentes will be happy and regular spraying. Its preferred humidity levels reach 90%.

For spraying, exceptionally soft water is needed, which must be defended in special conditions: in the light and certainly in the room in which the nepentes itself is located.

Landing

For nepenthes use deep clay pots . Before planting, it is recommended to hold the container in water, allowing it to soak.

Transfer

The procedure is carried out every spring. Transplantation should be carried out with great care, since very delicate lateral processes depart from the taproot. As a result, it is better not to destroy the earthen clod, and to transfer the plant along with it.

Temperature

The vast majority of Nepenthes are very thermophilic and prefer temperature 16 to 24 degrees.

Lighting

The flower loves bright, but it is necessary scattered light. Therefore, the best option is the east window. On the southern and southwestern windows, the plant must be shaded from direct sun, otherwise burns may appear, and jugs will not form.

Can be used artificial lighting. In winter, the plant should be placed closer to the window, but still protected from direct sun.

Bloom

The inflorescences are a brush dotted with unusual flowers medium-sized without petals, but with three or four sepals. Unfortunately, "in captivity" Nepenthes blooms quite rarely.

Priming

Shop soil is categorically not suitable for non-penthes, just as pure peat, moss or coal are not suitable. He needs acidity within pH 4.8 - 5.5. Therefore, it should be prepared independently.

To do this, you need to take 4 shares of high-moor peat or sphagnum, 3 shares of coconut fiber and 3 shares of spruce bark. Another option: take three parts of peat, coconut fiber, sphagnum, perlite and add 1 part of bark to them.

IMPORTANT! Coconut fiber must be cut, and then all components should be washed with distilled water or sterilized in microwave oven.

Fertilizer

It is better not to feed this plant under the root. Instead, you can spray its leaves from small spray gun plant leaves diluted 3-5 times with fertilizer for orchids. Components such as iron, copper and boron chelates.

reproduction

cuttings

In winter or spring, cuttings are cut just below the leaf. The cut is covered with moistened sphagnum and fixed with wire. The stalk is placed in a pot, providing protection from the bright sun.

For it, it is necessary to provide the proper temperature ( 25-30 degrees of heat) and regular spraying. Within a month and a half, the sprout will take root, after which it can be transplanted into a permanent container.

In the second year, the nepenthes need to be cut over 5 or 6 leaf- this will contribute to the development of jugs.

seeds

This method of plant propagation is quite rare, since it is extremely difficult to obtain seed of the desired quality. The fact is that the germination of seeds lasts an extremely limited time - up to 3 weeks. Naturally, it is quite difficult to buy seeds of the right age in the store in this case.

Another way to get seeds is to have two Nepenthes plants at home and wait for them to bloom.

IMPORTANT! Flowering at home is rare, and it is imperative that the flower is pollinated by insects, otherwise the fruit will not tie.

If you were able to get seeds of the right quality, they will definitely sprout.

Landing goes like this:

• Prepare small pots and fill them with a mixture of moss and sand. If you have moss with long fibers, it should be cut so that in the future when transplanting it does not damage the root system of plants.
• Fill the containers with moss and put them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes - this will disinfect the containers.
• Moisten the moss and evenly distribute the seeds in it.
• Spray the surface of the pot with a spray bottle.
• Place the container in a bag or container - plants will need high humidity air, 90–100%.
• Plants should receive light and heat 14 hours a day; to ensure this point, it is easiest to purchase a phytolamp.
• Once a day, check the planted seeds - if mold has appeared, ventilate the pots and moisten them.
• Seeds germinate successfully at a standard room temperature of 20 degrees.

By dividing the bush

This method is relevant if it is necessary to divide an adult bush.

Process steps:

• Carefully remove the plant from the old pot.
• Lower the root system into warm water and clean the roots from the substrate.
• With a sharp, sterile knife, separate the part of the plant with roots and immediately sprinkle the cuts with crushed charcoal.
• Lower the cuttings into water with growth stimulants.
• After soaking, each cutting is placed in a separate pot and watered.
• The plant requires a temperature of at least 26 degrees and high humidity.
• The first shoots will appear after 2-2.5 months.

IMPORTANT! Nepenthes are best grown in orchid hanging baskets to provide air access to the roots.

Diseases and pests

The most important plant pests - aphids and mealybugs. They can appear due to excessive dryness of the air and due to the earth enriched with nitrogen.

If there are few worms, they should simply be removed with a cotton swab dipped in beer or soapy water. From a large number insects will help get rid of special preparations that do not contain paraffin.

A solution of 20 g of potassium soap per 1 liter of water will help fight aphids (do not forget to cover the ground with a film during processing). A certain effect can provide and laundry soap.

Of the drugs are effective pyrethroids. But, it should be noted that chemicals Nepenthes will not like it - if possible, it is better to do without them.

Dry tips of leaves

Most likely the issue is low humidity. You should spray the plant more often and, possibly, rearrange it to another place. It is possible that the reason for the dryness of the air was the heaters in the immediate vicinity of the flower.

However, excessive humidity also threatens trouble - may appear fungal diseases and mold. Therefore, if red or brown spots appear on the leaves, treatment is necessary. fungicides and a decrease in humidity.

Conclusion

The life expectancy of the Nepentes will also depend on the care: carnivorous flower can only last a few months, but with due care and a competent approach, it will delight its owner 5 years.

Grow carnivorous plant in the apartment - that's really really surprise the whole world. The most patient and attentive flower growers choose Nepentes. The already difficult care of this exotic creeper is complicated by the search for a flying "fertilizer", but an incredible miracle appears in the house - a garland of jugs.

Exotic liana in the wild is common in tropical regions East Asia, especially many variegated vessels are found on the island of Kalimantan. The official botanical name of the plant comes from ancient Greek mythology from "nepenf" - grass of oblivion, and among flower growers it is also known under the names "monkey cup", "Asian jug".

The appearance of the liana

Nepenthes, or pitcher, looks very outlandish: a low basal rosette of elongated leathery leaves of rich green color forms long lignified or grassy pagons, climbing tens of meters up the tree trunks to the sun.

The second type of leaves is colorful: the lower part near the petiole is flattened and wide, it acts as a photosynthetic organ, and then the leaf blade becomes thinner, turning into a tendril that wraps around the trunk or tree branch. At its end, a trap vessel is formed for hunting insects, similar to bright flower sizes from 2.5 to 30 cm various kinds. "Jugs" are painted in variegated shades, they are red, light green in purple spots, milky white in raspberry stains, cherry brown in light stripes.

On the outside In some species of the vessel, a row of cloves stretches longitudinally; the entrance to the jug is usually thickened and bordered by furrowed claws directed inwards, and is also covered with a leaf-cap. The victim, caught in this natural container, gets stuck in sticky nectar and has no chance to get out.

Nondescript, petalless greenish-brown Nepenthes flowers, male and female, are formed on the same plant and are collected in paniculate or racemose inflorescences at the ends of the shoots. They appear in most species from May to August. The fruit is a multi-chamber box with small seeds.

Known species of Nepenthes

In the genus Nepenthes of the monotypic family Nepentaceae, there are 7 plant species, and about 250 hybrids of predatory pitchers are in uncertainty regarding their classification. Only a few of them, which are quite compact in size, are recommended for growing at home:

• alata, or winged - with bright green jugs with scarlet specks;
• Madagascar - with crimson vessels;
• raflesi - with pale green jugs with a longitudinal red stripe;
• graceful - with green cylindrical vessels in red or dark emerald specks;
• large - with yellow-green jugs;
• attenborough - with bright green vessels in a uniform dashed grid;
• double-spur - one of the most attractive species with jugs of different colors - orange, green or scarlet.

Planting Nepenthes at room conditions

Transplantation of adult plants is carried out, if necessary, in February-March. Young, newly rooted seedlings are transplanted annually. On the eve of transplantation, long shoots are cut to the lower well-developed bud. The root system of the Nepentes is fragile, so they try to disturb it as little as possible during the transplantation process. Often the plant is transferred to a larger vessel, filling the space between the earthen clod and the walls with a fresh substrate.

Plastic or ceramic pots with drainage holes at the bottom, as well as orchid baskets and hanging planters are used as flower containers for growing Nepenthes.

The soil mixture is acidic with a pH of 3.5 to 4.5. The best option- purchase at flower shop special soil for insectivorous plants. However, each grower is quite capable of independently preparing an earth mixture for planting a pitcher.

The main components of the substrate for Nepenthes:

• 3 volumes of leaf land;
• 2 volumes of peat;
• 1 volume of sand.

The following variant of the soil mixture is also possible:

• 2 volumes of high-moor peat;
• 2 volumes of perlite;
• 1 volume of vermiculite.

Mix the ingredients and add a little charcoal. A drainage layer of expanded clay is poured at the bottom. Sphagnum is laid on top of the substrate to retain moisture.

pitcher care

Features of caring for nepenthes at home are, first of all, in a special way of feeding, as well as in the need to maintain a humid microclimate in the room.

• Lighting and temperature

A permanent growing place for Nepenthes, as for most insectivorous plants, is chosen bright, next to windows oriented to the south or east. The plant should be protected from scorching sunlight. In the off-season, Nepenthes need to arrange good lighting for at least 16 hours throughout the day.

Temperature preferences vary among species. Nepenthes are conventionally divided into two groups: in nature, growing in mountainous areas and in lowlands. The latter are more thermophilic, and prolonged temperature drops lead to their death. The temperature range for their cultivation in the warm season is 22-27 degrees Celsius, in winter - 18-20, but not less than 16 degrees above zero. For "mountain" species, respectively, summer temperatures are 18-21, winter - 12-15 degrees.

The dormant period of Nepenthes at home is forced and is associated with a decrease in daylight hours and low humidity air from the heating system.

• Watering and humidity

Indoor nepentes is more demanding on air humidity, but it will also not tolerate drying out of the substrate. Some flower growers argue that nepentes in an apartment can only be kept in a small room greenhouse or florarium. However, experts object and believe that the hybrids bred by breeders are quite adapted to the microclimate. ordinary apartment- it is enough to place a source of moisture next to the plant and spray regularly.

In hot summer weather, Nepenthes is watered abundantly, giving preference to the collected rain moisture, or the tap water is well defended. They try to avoid drying out or waterlogging of the substrate. To maintain the required air humidity, pots with nepentes are placed on pallets with wet pebbles or expanded clay, and are also sprayed regularly. IN winter period watered with caution, especially at temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius, and with a small amount of irrigation water.

In conditions of dry air during the heating period, they observe the jugs - if they lose turgor, pour water into 1/3 of the volume.

Fertilizers for Nepentes: ordinary and not quite

Feeding a pitcher is significantly different from fertilizing other indoor crops. In nature, a carnivorous plant obtains its own food on its own. Many flower growers do not fertilize the soil, but feed their pet, supplying it once a month with half-dead mosquitoes or flies, laying it out in jugs, but not in all - in half of the total number of those requiring food. The other half is fed next month.

Each jug retains the ability to digest a certain amount of food, after which it loses the function of the "stomach" for the plant and remains as an ornament. If food is put into such a “spent” vessel, it will rot under the influence of a decaying insect and die.

During the period when it is not possible to obtain live food for the plant, Nepentes is fed once a month with a complex mineral fertilizer diluted in a dose reduced by a factor of three against that indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer.

Reproduction of Nepenthes: simple ways

It is easy to grow a pitcher plant from seeds, the difficulty lies in obtaining planting material. Nepenthes seeds remain viable for 2-3 weeks and are rarely found on sale. If you still managed to get them, sowing is carried out without delay in moist and disinfected sphagnum (it is recommended to hold it for 2-3 minutes in the microwave).

Seeds are distributed evenly and sparsely on the surface of the moss, moisture is regularly sprayed over them from a spray bottle. Containers with crops are covered plastic wrap and maintain high humidity and a temperature of at least 20 degrees Celsius. Don't forget to ventilate daily. The shoots that have appeared are grown up and gradually adapted to the conditions of the apartment over the course of several weeks. Only grown plants are transferred to independent containers.

Propagation of Nepenthes by cuttings is an easier way than seed. After shortening the pagons, fragments with three leaves are selected; in the apical cuttings, the topmost leaf is pinched off. Before planting, the process is immersed for half an hour in Kornevin, then the cut is sprinkled with crushed charcoal.

The substrate for germinating cuttings is made up of the following components:

• 3 volumes of coconut fiber;
• 2 volumes of sphagnum moss;
• 5 volumes of peat;
• a small amount of vermiculite.

The cuttings are deepened into the substrate by 5 mm and covered with polyethylene or glass on top, periodically ventilated and regularly moistened, kept in a bright place at a temperature of at least 23 degrees Celsius. After a couple of weeks, the substrate is shed with a Zircon solution: 2-3 drops per glass of distilled water. Rooting occurs over 1.5-2.5 months. New specimens are transplanted into the substrate for adult plants no earlier than a year later.

During transplantation, it is allowed to divide the bush into several parts, but with this method of reproduction, the roots should be handled with extreme care so as not to damage them. It is better to divide the bush by lowering the earthen ball into warm settled water in order to root system painlessly freed from the softened substrate.

Diseases and pests of Nepenthes

In the process of caring for a pitcher, problems often arise.

• Brown or red spots on the foliage indicate the defeat of fungal diseases. The plant is treated with fungicides, which, unfortunately, it does not tolerate well.
• A blackened stem and shriveled leaves are a sign of waterlogging. Nepenthes is unlikely to be saved, but it is worth trying to root more cuttings.
• Yellowed leaves remind the owner of the exotic that it's time to arrange feeding.
• Brown-red spots on the foliage appear as a result of burns under the scorching rays of the sun.
• From a lack of lighting, the nepentes stretches and stops forming jugs.

The insectivorous plant, paradoxically, also suffers from pests - and mealybugs.

An unusual liana requires specific care that differs from traditional agricultural practices indoor plants, but brings an unsurpassed effect of tropical exoticism to the interior.

Each of you, not even differing in the abilities of a trainer, can have a real predator at home! Your “domestic predator” will be the pitcher, or Nepenthales, a shrubby liana from the Nepentaceae family, which lives in the humid tropics of Asia, the Seychelles, Madagascar, and Northern Australia.

The most unusual thing about non-penthes is trap leaves. The lower part of its petiole in the process of evolution, changing, expanded like a leaf and became responsible for photosynthesis. The middle part has turned into a flexible tendril - with its help, the plant reaches for the light, while climbing tens of meters along the tree trunks! And the leaf blade itself gradually became a pitcher-shaped formation: it is closed with a "lid" that protects this juvenile jug from dust and precipitation.

When the jar grows about half way, the lid opens and stops growing, and the jug itself grows further. During rain, the jug can be filled with water and becomes a kind of drinking bowl for birds and animals; for this, the British gave Nepenthes a second name - "monkey cup".

The sizes of Nepenthes jars are from 3 cm to 60 cm. Their shapes can be different: narrow, spherical, funnel-shaped. Most often, the color of the plant is very bright, with spots and stripes. Interestingly, insects see attractive ultraviolet patterns on the jar, invisible to humans. They "call" them... towards death. Not only insects, but also reptiles, rodents and even birds can get into large traps!
On the edge of the jug are glands that produce sticky, sweet and fragrant nectar. It flows down and attracts insects. The victim crawls over the edge of the jagged rim and begins to slide along the smooth waxy surface of the inner part of the jug. Sharp, downward-pointing hairs near the mouth prevent the insect from crawling back, and it falls into the thick digestive fluid secreted by the glands at the bottom of the jar.

Complete digestion of the insect occurs in 5-8 hours, during which time the nutrient solution is absorbed by the plant through the walls. Digestive fluid in large jugs can accumulate up to 2 liters! If there is too much prey, then a rather specific smell may appear during the decomposition process ...

As soon as they don’t call nepentes - “killer plant”, “predatory monster”. Carnivorous plants in nature, in fact, are not so rare: plants that live in places with poor soil composition simply have to "hunt" in order to get additional food for growth.

But, if you look, this plant is not as bloodthirsty as it is represented. It not only kills, but also "befriends", cooperates with some insects, reptiles and other animals.
A tiny microfrog from the island of Borneo, for example, lays its eggs in water-filled jars of Nepenthes. This "baby pool" generously supplies the tadpoles with food - mosquito and fly larvae.

Nepenthes also shares its nectar and prey with some species of ants. They, in turn, "thank" the plant - protect its young shoots from pests and leave their excrement to the plant as fertilizer.
Another friend of the Nepenthos, the crab spider, does not weave a web himself: why, if the trapping leaf of the Nepenthes does everything for him? The main thing is to have time to pull out fresh prey with the front legs, specially modified for this, until the plant has eaten it.
Nepenthos gladly accepts all kinds of organic fertilizers. Small tupai, for example, use large jars of nepenthes like a toilet bowl. Licking off the sweet nectar, they simultaneously turn in such a way that their droppings fall just inside the jug.

The most common varieties

• Nepenthes winged (Nepenthes alata), Philippine endemic
• Nepenthes Maximum (Maxima), a very variable species. The most popular variety is Miranda.
• Nepenthes Hookeriana Hookeriana (hybrid between Nepenthes rafflesiana x Nepenthes ampullaria). It is often used in breeding, as it tolerates home content well.

One of the most beautiful Nepenthes is still considered a rarity - nepenthes truncated Truncata. Its hybrids are always brightly colored, large (up to 50 cm) jugs are decorated along the edge with wide wavy “collars”, burgundy or striated. A hybrid of an ominous black color "Black Truncata" has been bred, it is quite hardy in cultural conditions.

Nepenthes Care

Lighting for Nepenthes

Nepenthes is very photophilous. With sufficient ventilation and humidity, it tolerates direct sunlight well. In winter, he just needs additional light- in total, the plant should be lit 10-12 hours a day. It is advisable not to rotate the plant relative to the light source, as this stops the growth of the pitchers.

Humidity for Nepenthes

High humidity is desirable for non-penthos, but all of the listed hybrids tolerate 40-50% humidity relatively well. On the contrary, if you keep the plant at 70% humidity (for example, in a florarium), it quickly rots. In nature, this does not happen due to good ventilation.

It is possible to spray neptenes using a fine spray gun, but only with distilled water, so that there are no large drops on the plant.

Watering Nepenthes

You need to water the plant only with very soft water, preferably rain, frozen or distilled (you can buy it at a car dealer). If you water it with ordinary settled water, then after a while salts will accumulate in the soil, which will cause the leaves of the nepenthes to become small, it will begin to become bare from below, its jugs will become smaller, and then they will completely stop forming.

The water must be warm.
The soil should be moderately moist, excess water must be drained from the pan. The exception is summer heat and direct sun, in which case watering should be plentiful.

The temperature of the content of nepenthes

Nepenthes is thermophilic. He needs a temperature of at least 18 ° C. When the heat is close to + 30°C, it slows down slightly overall growth plants and pitcher growth, but in general it tolerates heat well.

Substrate for Nepenthes

• Coarse-fiber peat - 2 parts.
• Finely chopped sphagnum moss - 1 part.
• Chopped pine bark - 1 part (fraction from 0.5 to 1 cm).
• coarse washed river sand, perlite or pumice, without pulverized fraction - 0.5 parts, with pieces of birch charcoal.
• For adult specimens, peat can be partially replaced with leafy soil.

The plant should be planted in shallow pots, since the root system of the neptenes is mostly superficial. Mulch with sphagnum, replacing it once a year.
It is necessary to transplant it as it grows into a larger pot.

Fertilizer for Nepenthes

It is strictly impossible to use for feeding nepenthos mineral fertilizers, the plant simply will not be able to assimilate them!
Besides, overfertilized plant ceases to form trapping leaves.

During the period of active growth, once every 2 weeks, a weak infusion of organic matter (mullein, but not bird droppings!), 1 teaspoon per liter of water, is added to the irrigation water.
You can alternate this watering with foliar top dressing. If the plant has well-developed jugs, then instead of organics, you can feed the plant with live insects (their movement helps the production of acids and enzymes). Do not use pieces of meat and f arsh! This will cause the jars to rot!

Before feeding your "predator", check if there is digestive fluid in the jars, because if the jug is dry inside, it is not able to digest food. To prolong the life of such jugs, you can pour a little soft water inside.
In winter, it is better to keep Nepenthes completely “hungry”.

Ready bring a predator into your home? No, this is not about a wolf or a lynx - about a plant. It is called Nepenthes, or pitcher. In the middle of the 18th century, it shocked the famous Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus to the core, and not only due to its predatory manners (the scientist had seen everyone in his lifetime), but also due to its extraordinary beauty.

He himself gave the plant a name, borrowing it from ancient myths: "Nepenth" in Greek means "grass of oblivion." Linnaeus believed: if a traveler tired of years of wandering and trials sees this curiosity, he will immediately forget all the bad things that happened to him and find the strength to enjoy life again.

Description

As a room culture, the Nepenthes plant is not common. The temptation to settle it at home is great, but experts warn: only experienced flower growers can cope with it.

There is one more problem - the plant is quite large, it can be cramped even in a heated home greenhouse, not to mention an ordinary apartment.

"Miniature" species growing in nature up to 20 m, in artificial conditions reach from 30 to 60 cm, and become a full-fledged, adult culture in just one season.

Their homeland is the tropical forests of Madagascar, New Guinea, Sumatra, and the Philippines.

Distinguishing feature - pitcher-like leaves. On top of them, like a lid, protects a curved petal.

It has several functions: it prevents debris from entering the jug, does not allow the liquid in it to evaporate, and does not allow insects and other prey to get out of the trap.

Why do flies and ants get there at all? In nature, everything is arranged quite rigidly - they are seduced by the aroma of sweet syrup, which exude the walls of the trap. Whether the insects have time to enjoy the yummy is hard to say, but already after 8 hours, only a shell of chitin remains from the poor fellows ...

Indeed, because of the poor lands, the plant feeds precisely at the expense of insects falling into it, and sometimes small rodents.

Species and varieties with photos

The genus Nepenthes is represented by seven dozen species and big amount hybrids and varieties, many of which are the result of the work of breeders. For home use species are better adapted than others: winged, truncated and rafflesi.

As a rule, they are placed in hanging flowerpots so that the jugs hang freely down.

They look very original, and if the owner takes good care of them, they live up to 5 years.

Large species are ideal for winter garden or greenhouses.

Nepenthes raja

In the natural environment, this species of predator plant is on the verge of extinction. It grows on mountain peaks, is the largest among its kind. His jugs (the tongue does not turn to say "jugs") reach a length of half a meter. Their color is burgundy or purple.

The Rajah has a good appetite - even small mammals and birds fall into its traps. But he shows mercy to mosquitoes, releases them to freedom. Biologists claim that mosquitoes help the Raja to breed.

Nepenthes attenborough

Nepenthes attenborough is named after a journalist who worked in South-East Asia and filmed films about the nature of the tropics. This species is very large: the height is one and a half meters, the diameter of the branches is 3.5 cm, the length of the jugs is 25 cm (by the way, they contain up to two liters of liquid).

Attenborough is surprisingly beautiful - his "traps" are bright green in color, lined with purple strokes.

Nepenthes jug

Amateur flower growers should pay attention to this species. He one of the most compact, his "traps" are so miniature that they are grouped - it's easier to attract the attention of flies and mosquitoes.

In its natural environment, it prefers swamps and peat bogs.

Nepenthes pitched

A large species that, like the raja, has chosen the highlands of the island of Borneo. Thunderstorm of local birds and small rodents.

Nepenthes miranda

Miranda is native to tropical Asia and Oceania. It is an evergreen shrub.

The jugs are shaped like a laboratory flask, they are green, with bright red dots.

Nepenthes winged

In nature, its shoots can stretch up to 4 meters, at home their length is limited to two meters. This type of flower growers use to decorate interiors.

Compared to his brethren, he not so picky about the humidity of the environment so create for it comfortable conditions- not so difficult. Its trap leaves are green with a reddish tint.

Nepenthes sanguinea

The word "sanguinea" in Latin means "blood red". Nepenthes pitchers (from 10 to 30 cm high) are just such a “combat” color.

True, sometimes they come with yellow or orange hues. The birthplace of the flower is the south of Thailand.

Nepenthes hookeriana

This is a natural hybrid, which was originally considered independent view. It was discovered in 1881 and named after British botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker. Borneo, Malaysia, Sumatra are its natural habitat.

To grow a hookerian at home, you need to at least first organize something like a terrarium or a glass bell that keeps high humidity inside so that the plant gets used to it and develops normally.

Nepenthes rafflesa (or rafflesi)

This species has large (up to half a meter in length) leaves and small, in comparison with them, jugs - from 10 to 20 cm. If you look inside, you can find that their walls are blue, with red spots. Outside, the color is different - green, but also with an additional red color in the form of stripes and spots. Sometimes red prevails over green.

Raffleza is a frequent inhabitant of greenhouses. And the natural environment of the plant is the Philippine islands of Mindanao. There are larger, compared to "domesticated" specimens, in which the jug is 0.5 meters long.

Nepenthes double-spur

This native from Borneo has very long (up to 60 cm) leaves, but the “traps”, on the contrary, are miniature. In the natural environment, it is found mainly on the high plains or in swampy areas.

Nepenthes truncated

Pitchers of this species are brownish-green, very large (up to 50 cm). The culture owes its name to the shape of the leaves - at the end they are blunt, as if truncated. The birthplace of the flower is the Philippines.

Nepenthes: photo

And here is another photo of various types of Nepenthes:

The video details the different varieties of Nepenthes growing in the jungle:

Care

For those who think that when caring for this culture, it is enough to walk on it with a “sprinkler” a couple of times a day, it is better not to start nepentes.

Watering

The flower requires a moist substrate, but waterlogging is contraindicated. Spraying is necessary only until the jugs appear - if water gets on them, they may rot.

In hot weather, refresh a green pet should be every two days, in cold weather - once a week. Rain or melt water is ideal for irrigation. But tap water, filtered, settled or boiled will not work.

ADVICE: use a simple moisturizing option - place a container filled with water near the plant. The liquid will evaporate, and the air will be saturated with moisture.

Lighting, temperature

The temperature is selected taking into account where the nepenthes grows in the natural environment. For people from mountainous regions, they need: in summer - 20 degrees, in winter - from 12 to 15. For those who come from swampy places: in summer - up to 26 degrees, in winter - from 18 to 20, and in no case below 16- ty.

Lighting should be bright but diffused. If the pot is placed on the south window, you will have to do shading. On the north window you can not do without artificial lighting.

CAREFULLY: drafts for a guest from the tropics are fatal, but you need to ventilate the room regularly.

Transfer

If there is no need for a transplant - the pet looks good, has got jugs, and the pot is not small for him - it is better not to force events. However, if the situation is the opposite, transplantation should be done, moreover, by transshipment, so as not to disturb the root system.

Pruning should be timed for transplantation, this will stimulate the appearance of young shoots - they are usually pinched over the seventh eye, removing the part on which the jugs do not form.

Here's how to equip a flower with a new place of residence:

• buy a transparent pot with a hole to remove excess water;
• fill the bottom of the pot with expanded clay;
• fill the root system placed inside the pot with a ready-made substrate for orchids;
• put sphagnum moss on top.

If there is no ready-made soil mixture, it is prepared by mixing:

• leaf ground (3 parts),
• peat land (2 parts),
• sand (1 part).

IMPORTANT: soil with high acidity is detrimental to nepenthes, therefore it is impossible to use peat exclusively as a substrate, which increases acidity.

fertilizers

Top dressings for orchids are suitable, which should not be applied under the root (there is a high risk of toxic burns), but should be applied to the leaves with a spray bottle. The dosage is 3-5 times less than for orchids. During the growth period, one top dressing in 20 days is enough.

ATTENTION: if you overdo it with dressings, pitcher leaves may not form.

Well, what about "natural" dressings? Also observe a sense of proportion - treat your pet with a bloodworm, mosquito, fly or maggot once every 2-3 weeks. However, Nepentes himself can provide for himself (natural skills are not forgotten), at the same time saving the owner from an annoying fly or mosquito that has flown into the apartment. If you are convinced that the plant has food, chemical top dressing is stopped for a while.

CAREFULLY: you can not feed natural food to all jugs at once. In no case should you give the plant meat food from your table.

Care during flowering

Nepenthes flowers are not very catchy, but pretty - it would be a pity if they weren't there at all. In addition, the sex of the pet can be determined by the flowers: male - fluffy balls yellow color, female - green miniature flowers with tiny petals, collected in a brush.

In order for flowering to take place, the plant needs regular quality care and, most importantly, sufficient illumination. This is especially important for species specimens, hybrid ones can temporarily get by with penumbra.

reproduction

There are several ways to expand the plantation of your favorite Nepenthes crops - cuttings, aerial shoots, seeds, dividing the bush.

seeds

This is a long process that requires patience from a person: the seeds can germinate for 2 months, and then if they were fresh. For planting, a mixture of coarse clean sand and sphagnum is prepared, it needs to be moistened periodically.

cuttings

This method is used most often. To achieve the desired result, you need:

• harvest cuttings in the spring;
• use a knife with a sharp blade;
• make sure that there are 3 leaves on the cut shoot, no less, otherwise the cutting will not take root;
• before planting, treat the cuttings with foundationazole or another disinfectant.

If all conditions are met, after a month and a half, a root system will form at the cutting. All this time it is forbidden to touch it - there is a danger of damaging the delicate roots.

By dividing the bush

Such a procedure is usually decided only experienced florist. The bush can be divided during transplantation (this is usually done with other crops), but in this case you have to deal with very fragile roots, there is a risk of ruining the entire plant.

Diseases and pests

Nepenthes, grown as an indoor crop, has several enemies:

• mealybug (slows growth);
• aphid (leaves turn yellow, buds do not open);
• sooty fungi (leaves become stained).

As a result of illiterate care:

• leaves become very small (due to lack of light);
• the leaves turn red, covered with brown spots (an overabundance of light);
• yellowness appears on the stems and leaves (nutrition deficiency);
• the stem turns black (due to excessive waterlogging, the roots rot).

Among the plants that can be grown at home, there is probably nothing more exotic and original than insectivorous plants. True, their cultivation is not an easy task, but the presence of the original plant in the house is really attractive. Therefore, it is worth taking up the challenge and trying to grow one of these natural surprises.

Nutrition

A good choice would be Nepenthes, in which the organs that serve to capture insects are highly visible and much better visible than, for example, in sundews. They also have a very interesting shape, resembling a pitcher with a smooth rim (covered with a slippery substance, insect bait), as well as a lid that prevents rainwater from getting inside. Inside such a trap, at the very bottom, there is a liquid for digesting victims (for example, in the form of a fly). Enticed by color and special flavor the insect immediately gets inside the trap and no longer has a chance to get out of it. Slippery walls, curved down, resembling the shape of a decanter, effectively keep the captured insect. Of course, Nepenthes does not rely only on this mode of nutrition, as it also has green leaves that are used to produce food products in the process of photosynthesis, and in case of a shortage of food of organic origin, feeds the classic way like normal plants.

Care

A home-grown nepenthes does not need to catch insects every day, as he does an excellent job with this, especially in the summer, when there are a lot of flies and mosquitoes in our environment. It is necessary to provide the plant with conditions that will allow you to create hanging traps. So, these plants require especially a lot of moisture in the air (some even 80-90%). Without this, creating traps will be very difficult, and the plant may start to get sick. To be up to the task, you must use all available ways to increase humidity near the Nepenthes. You can, for example, install an air humidifier in its vicinity, an open aquarium, or at least water containers, and put the pot itself in a large stand with wet expanded clay at the bottom. A daily misting of the air around the Nepenthes would also be welcome. If you want to install nepentes in the bathroom (mandatory on bright window), you can additionally wet the ceramics on the wall or on the floor, which, when dried, will evaporate water into the air. Moisture is necessary for Nepenthes not only in the air, but also in the soil. Water should not stagnate in the soil, but the land should also not be allowed to dry out. Nepenthes can be watered from above or pour water into the pan.

Lighting and temperature

Nepenthes need a well-lit place, but protected from direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can burn their delicate leaves. The flower does not like changes in place, this can lead to a violation in development. Due to insufficient lighting in winter time, traps may stop growing, and existing ones may dry out. However, with the advent of spring, the situation should return to normal. Nepenthes requires a fairly high temperature, which should be room temperature. all year round. In winter and at night it can drop slightly to about 18-20°C (mountain species need even lower temperatures, especially at night), but during the growing season the temperature should be quite high and in the range of 22-35°C.

Soil and propagation

The substrate intended for the cultivation of this species must be fertile, permeable and light, and the best soil there will be a mixture of peat land with sand. These plants are not fertilized. They need nutrients they get enough from the organic matter supplied by the captured insects.

Reproduction of Nepenthes at home is very difficult, but if you have adult plants that have grown from root suckers, it is from them that you will get new specimens the fastest.

Kinds

More than 90 species of Nepenthes are known (belonging to mountain, plain and intermediate groups), but at home, crossed hybrids are most common. They differ from each other mainly in the shape, size and color of the traps. Home conditions are best tolerated by: Nepenthes Ventara (grows up to several meters, has elongated jugs with a convex green base with reddish pigment spots), Nepenthes "Rebecca Soper" (tolerates less air humidity, has dark, almost brown jugs with a greenish center and variegated cover, one of the easiest to grow), Nepenthes "Miranda" (also tolerates low humidity, has light green, brown-mottled jugs, moderately easy to grow) and Nepenthes khasiana (a plant growing to several meters, which has pitchers have a different color, depending on the variety, quite easy to grow).

Growing problems

Since Nepenthes feeds on insects, they do not threaten him as pests, while mistakes made in home care can have disastrous consequences. Poor lighting or too low air humidity leads to leaf diseases and lack of traps, too high humidity of the substrate leads to rotting of the roots, from direct sunlight the plant can get a leaf burn.

It should be noted that Nepenthes are not a low plant. In nature, it grows up to 9 meters in height, therefore, so that your specimen does not become excessively large, its shoots should be cut a little in the spring.