Nepenthes Bicalcarata Cultivation

Nepenthes bicalarata becomes an enormous lowland plant and requires lowland temperatures and humidity to survive.

Cultivating Ease - Easy

Type - Lowlander

Temperature - Keep it warm at all times. Although it can tolerate cool temperatures, it should be kept between 75 and 95 degrees farenheit for optimum growth.

Humidity - Should be very high at all times. Does not appreciate low humidity, as the leaves and pitchers will turn pitch black. Tendril burn and aborted, mis-shaped pitchers are also signs of low humidity or sudden humidity drops. Humidity should be above 70% at all times for optimum growth.

Light - Shaded conditions.  It grows very well in a large chamber under lights. It does not handle high light levels well while producing lower pitchers. Higher light levels are possible for the upper climbing vine.

Moisture - Keep the plant wet. Do not let the soil dry out. The plant grows in a very wet condition, and allowing the soil to dry out will stunt the plant, and also cause a sudden blackening of leaves and pitchers. Keeping the plant wet enough after the plant grows to a large state can be a challenge, as a deeper pot with a well drained soil is difficult to keep wet without very frequent waterings.

Soil - Long Fiber Sphagnum / Sphagnum Peat Moss

Size - The plant will grow to an enormous proportions, with a diameter which can exceed 6 feet.

Details: N. bicalcarata is very easy to grow while a small plant. It can grow from a 3" diameter plant to a foot and a half in just a matter of months. However, larger plants require larger and deeper pots, which can cause the soil to dry out unless you water frequently. A drop in humidity or allowing the soil to even venture onto the slightly dryish side will cause the leaves and pitchers to turn jet black. While smaller, the pitchers can be slightly elongated. But as the plant gets larger, the pitchers become enormous pouches that rest on the ground with very wide mouth openings. The two fangs in which this species is famous for are more like thorns in larger pitchers, and I have seen some pitchers have2, 4, and even 6 of the fangs. These fangs will also produce nectar, which is quite an ominous site.

Propagation -  Appears to be rather easy from cuttings.

Forms - I have seen at least two forms, although more forms may become available as more and more seed grown plants enter into cultivation. The two rather distinct forms at this point are yellow/orange and red.