Heliamphora Care Guide

About Heliamphora

Heliamphora are a beautiful carnivorous plant native to the South American tepuis (flat-topped mountains) of Venezuela, with a few extending into Brazil and Guyana. 

If you’ve ever seen the Pixar film Up, you would recognize these mountains, as they are the inspiration for Paradise Falls! 

Heliamphora (or “Helis,” for short) are also called “sun pitchers,” which is a misattribution of their name origins. Many ascribe the prefix “heli” to the Greek “helios,” which means “sun.”

Think, “heliotropism,” which is the act of plants following the sun. 

However, the name “heliamphora” actually refers to the marshy environment in which they grow:

“Helos” translates to “marsh,” while an “amphora” is a two-handled clay jar. In other words, these little highland plants are essentially “swamp jars,” or "marsh pitchers." 

As highlanders, they do require a bit more advanced care than other carnivorous plants, namely in their watering technique, humidity requirements, and temperature requirements. 

In this guide, we will break down everything you need to know about caring for the incredible and awe-inspiring Heliamphora!  

How do I care for my Heliamphora? 

At a glance, Heliamphora care is as follows:

Continue reading to see these topics broken down in more detail, as well as dive into other topics like substrate, divisions, and more! 

Watering my Heliamphora

Heliamphora typically like to stay wet.

In their native habitats in the tepuis, they are flooded daily by heavy rains. This creates an environment in which they are partially submerged in flowing water or moist moss at all times. 

To recreate this environment as closely as you can at home, we recommend a combination of top and bottom watering. 

Heliamphora can be bottom-watered using a shallow version of the tray method. Rather than refilling the tray, however, we recommend top-watering the Heliamphora and allowing the water to collect in the tray. Water frequently, if not daily. If watering daily, the tray method may not be necessary. 

Remember, they are constantly watered by moving water in the wild and may not like sitting in stagnant water. 

Humidity for Heliamphora

Heliamphora enjoy high humidity, around 70-90%. 

Lighting for Heliamphora 

These plants need bright, direct sunlight or strong grow lights for healthy and colorful pitchers, with a photoperiod of 12-16 hours a day. For reference, we grow our Heliamphora under the exact same lighting as our Cephalotus and Sarracenia—full strength! 

Temperatures for Heliamphora 

Heliamphora are highland plants, so they need daytime temperatures of 60-80°F and a nighttime temperature drop down to 45-60°F. This nighttime temperature drop is very important for almost all Heliamphora, and your plant could suffer without it. 

Feeding Heliamphora 

Like most carnivorous plants, you can feed one or two Heliamphora pitchers once a month, if it is not catching insects on its own. 

Options for meals include dead or live insects, fish food, or even a diluted seaweed mixture like Maxsea, straight into the pitcher. They are actually quite heavy feeders, so we give them 800ppm of Maxsea directly into the pitchers once a month. 

One interesting fact about Heliamphora, is that since their brittle pitchers grow straight up—and could be at risk of snapping should they get too heavy—these plants evolved to develop little vents that leach excess water to prevent overfilling and breakage! 

Heliamphora Soil 

At Carnivero, we grow our Heliamphora in a 2:1 mixture of perlite and sphagnum moss. 

Reproducing Heliamphora (Pollinations / Division)

Heliamphora can be reproduced through pollination or through division.

Heliamphora flowers are cross-pollinated, meaning that a male flower from one plant and female flower from another must be “ready” at the same time, as female flowers are typically receptive before the pollen from their male counterparts is ready to be received. 

Since bees are usually the ones pollinating Heliamphora in the wild, vibration is needed to carefully release the pollen onto the stigma of the female flower. At Carnivero, we use the tuning fork method, though some have suggested even an electric toothbrush! 

Once the Heliamphora has successfully been pollinated, the ovary will change color, turning brown to signal that it’s getting to work producing seeds, which should be ready in two-four months. 

These seeds can then be harvested and sown, reaching maturity in a few years. 

Heliamphora can also be propagated via division. These plants tend to produce offshoots along their rhizomes, which can carefully be cut, separated, and potted. 

Heliamphora Dormancy 

Heliamphora do not experience dormancy, as they grow in a stable tropical climate year-round.

For More Information:

Email our expert team at service@carnivero.com

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Heliamphora WYSIWYGs (What You See Is What You Get)

Video: Carnivorous Plants That Don’t Go Dormant