Nepenthes Ventricosa Cultivation

Nepenthes ventricosa is a highland plant from the Phillippines.

Cultivating Ease - Very Easy

Type - This plant is a highland. It can live in a wide range of temperatures.

Temperature - Although it is a highland plant, it actually grows as well as an intermediate. It can grow as a lowland as well, but growth will slow and it will refuse to pitcher, resembling a summer dormancy.

Humidity - This plant pitchers better if the humidity is kept above 70%.

Light - Bright light to full  (diffused) sunlight.  It grows very well in a large chamber under lights.

Moisture - Keep the plant moist. Do not keep the roots very wet for long periods of time.

Soil - Long Fiber Sphagnum

Size - The plant grows on a compact stem until its ready to flower, and even then the nodes are not highly separated from each other. It's a relatively compact climber.

Details: Ventricosa produces a beautiful array of pitchers, and displays well in a hanging basket.

Propagation -  The plant grows relatively quickly from small tissue culture plants. Cuttings are also viable. The plant will send up many offshoots from its stems, and separating these and potting them up also works.

Forms - There are several forms I am aware of:
"Typical" - The pitchers are bronze colored.
"Red" - The pitchers are a totally deep red color
"Cream" - The pitchers and peristome are light green to white in color.
"Black/Purple Peristome" - The pitchers are identical to the "cream", but the peristome in developed plants can have a peristome that is so darkly colored purple that it can appear black.

N. ventricosa "red"