How To Repot a Nepenthes
A common question among new Nepenthes growers is, “When do I repot my Nepenthes?” Fortunately, the process is quite simple. In this guide, we will break down all you need to know about potting a Nepenthes (also referred to as a tropical pitcher plant), including Nepenthes soil, how to choose a pot, how to stake a Nepenthes, and more.
Signs Your Nepenthes is Ready for a New Pot
Nepenthes are quite communicative when they’re ready for a new home. Signs your pitcher plant needs to be repotted are:
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Roots are coming out the bottom (note: Nepenthes roots are thing, long, black, and scraggly).
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It has become top heavy, either leaning awkwardly over the edge or outright tipping over.
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The soil is drying out more quickly than usual. When the rootball has taken over the pot, it’s going to crowd out the moisture-retaining soil, leading to a thirsty plant.
If your Nepenthes needs to be repotted, your first step will be to assemble all the appropriate materials:
Nepenthes Soil
Pitcher plants need to be in a soil that is well draining, yet retains moisture. In other words, the roots need to be able to breathe, while still remaining damp and having access to water. To achieve this, we use a substrate that is a mix of 1:2:1 sphagnum moss, perlite, and coco chip. You want to ensure that all substrate ingredients lack added fertilizers or nutrients, and that the coco chips are leached below 40 parts per million.
Pots for Nepenthes
When it comes to selecting a pot for your Nepenthes, there are two factors to consider: the size and the material.
First, when selecting a pot to plant a Nepenthes in, it’s important that it isn’t too large, and that it has drainage holes. There is such a thing as “too much pot!” If a pot is too large, there is the risk that the roots will be exposed to excessive amounts of water and succumb to root rot.
A solid progression is to go from a three-inch pot, to a quart pot (around 4-5”), then a six-inch pot, etc. Of course, this is not an exact guide, and the size of your plant should help inform your pot selection. Typically, it is advisable to go to the “next size up,” if available, incrementally increasing by an inch or two.
Second, consider the material the pot is made of. Since carnivorous plants need to live in nutrient-poor soil, it’s important that the pot itself does not leach nutrients into the soil. Safe options for carnivorous plants, like Nepenthes, are pots made of plastic or glazed ceramic. Porous terracotta or clay should be avoided.
How to Repot a Nepenthes
To repot a Nepenthes, first assemble your materials: your plant, your substrate, your new pot, and water (distilled, reverse-osmosis, or rainwater). Gloves may help keep your hands clean, and a tool like a small trowel may help to scoop and pack soil, but these are both entirely optional.
Remove the overgrown Nepenthes from its current pot. To do this, tilt the pot to the side and gently tug on the plant—holding firmly at the base—and squeeze, tap, or shake the pot to help loosen the soil. The “tugging” of the plant should only be to help ease the plant out of the pot and should not be the primary force removing it. Continue to gently squeeze/tap/shake/wiggle the pot until you can remove the plant with ease.
Once it’s out of the pot, shake some of the old substrate free from the roots. The plant is going to want access to as much new material as possible, but don’t worry if you can’t get everything out. It’s better to err on the side of not disturbing the roots too much, rather than forcefully try to remove every speck of old soil.
Next, prepare your new pot. Fill it up about one-third or half of the way up (depending on the size of the plant’s rootball, you may need more or less room). Once you have that foundation of new soil, gently place your new plant in the center of the pot. Add new soil in and around the plant, filling up the gaps between the plant and the wall of the pot. You want your plant securely surrounded by new soil. Continue to pack it until the roots are completely covered and the stem is stable. You may need to use one hand to hold the plant steady while the other adds the soil!
Once the Nepenthes is stable in its new pot with its fresh soil, give it a good watering. Then, set it where you’d like it to grow, and let it settle in!
How to Stake a Nepenthes
Another question we get asked often is how to stake a Nepenthes. Pitcher plants are vines by nature. As they age, they tend to get tall and long. This can make keeping them in a pot quite challenging, but there is a solution: staking.
Staking a Nepenthes simply means that the stem is tied to an upright pole to guide its growth upward, rather than flopping over and potentially breaking. To stake your Nepenthes, you will need ties (bread ties are great, but floral wire works, too) and a stake.
There are several items you could use as a stake, but at Carnivero, we typically opt for thick bamboo sticks, though some growers also use plastic-coated metal. The most important variable in choosing a stake is that it’s sturdy. Nepenthes can get quite heavy, so whatever it’s tied to needs to be able to hold it!
One word of consideration, however: a wooden stake of any sort does have the potential to rot and eventually snap, if not changed out routinely. We still prefer using bamboo, but it is something to be mindful of!
To properly stake your Nepenthes, first make sure it’s in the pot that you’d like it to grow in. If the roots need more space, follow the repotting instructions above. Otherwise, continue on to the staking process.
Place your stake firmly into the pot, as deep as it can possibly go—all the way to the bottom of the pot, if possible.
Next, begin securing your Nepenthes vine to the stake. If you’ve ever worked with tomatoes, squash, vining aroids, or other climbing or sprawling plants, the process is very similar! Using your bread tie or floral wire, gently but securely tether the stem to the stake. Repeat this step as many times as necessary until the vine is secure.
SEE MORE:
Videos:
Further Reading: Nepenthes Care Guide