Time to transplant or repot your Nepenthes? You’ve come to the right place!
In this post, we’ll cover the do’s and don’ts of taking that tropical pitcher plant and building it a cozy new home where it will thrive for years to come.
While Nepenthes pitcher plants tend to be more finicky than Sarracenia pitcher plants, transplanting actually requires fewer steps and, in my opinion, is easier than transplanting Sarracenia. So, read through these instructions in full, prepare your materials, carve out an hour of time in your busy weekend, and have fun getting your hands dirty!
Nepenthes usually have relatively small/shallow root systems, so they only tend to get root bound in smaller pots. That said, soil does compact, get old, and start to decompose. This can result in too much moisture retention, and a lack of soil aeration encourages unhealthy bacteria and can stunt or rot roots. A fresh batch of soil is like a new pair of running shoes – comfortable, odorless, and encouraging of healthy behaviors.
Also, once weeds grab hold in a growing area, it can be near-impossible to get rid of them all. Sometimes a soil reset is the easiest way to weed.
If you have weeds, your soil has compacted, or the signs of decomposition are apparent (dark soil that turns to mush when you press it between your fingers), it’s time to re-pot that Nepenthes!
Is it…a net?…a pot? It’s a net pot!
Most plastic pots work just fine, and net pots or orchid pots are super, particularly in high-humidity environments. If you use long-fibered sphagnum moss in the soil mix (we’ll discuss soil mixtures, below), it will frequently sprout back to life and you’ll have moss growing out of the side of the pot. This is neat. The copious holes also allow for ample drainage which avoids root rot, and great aeration which cuts down on anaerobic bacteria. Avoiding decomposition by keeping the soil alive also means you’ll need to change soil much less frequently in the future. Sometimes, you’ll even have a Nepenthes sprout out the side of a pot which is also a cool bonus. Do note that, due to the large amount of soil exposed to the air, water evaporation in net pots is higher than in normal pots, and you’ll need to monitor moisture levels to make sure things don’t dry out.
If you want to avoid more frequent waterings, normal bottom-draining plastic pots will also work just fine. Size-wise, standard 3-gallon pots will be sufficient for most Nepenthes, but you could go with 5 gallons if you have a vigorous grower that sends out frequent shoots (like a N. x ventrata).
Double, double toil and trouble! Sphagnum moss grow, and orchid bark… allow for aeration and mimic epiphytic conditions?
Before you go tearing your Nepenthes from its existing pot, make sure to prepare your workstation, pots, and mix up your soil. I keep 1-2 gallons of purified water ready, all of my soil components, and 2 large buckets – one to mix fresh soil in, and the other to work over to catch old soil and help me pretend that I’m minimizing the mess.
For my Nepenthes soil mix, I eyeball 1 part long fiber sphagnum moss to 1 part orchid bark. I stir this together, attempting to evenly distribute components across the mixture as I add water. I then take a pot and fill it approximately halfway with the moistened, fresh soil mixture in preparation to receiver those sweet, dangly Nepenthes roots.
Nepenthes roots aren’t what I would call fragile, but they definitely aren’t thick and robust, either. Be gentle, but remember that you’re trying to get rid of the old soil, so pick off old chunks even when it clings to your roots.
Do everyone a favor, and don’t attempt to photograph the procedure with one hand while shimmying with the other… using both hands makes this a lot easier.
I start by tipping the plant to one side over the soil-catching bucket with my hand firmly at the base of the plant, where the stem meets topsoil. I use this contact as a brace as I shimmy the pot to free the soil.
Weeds. So. Many. Weeds.
If the Nepenthes is root-bound, there are tons of weeds (as there are here), or the soil has compacted, the soil will come out as one solid clump. If not, you may get loose soil. Loose soil can be messy, so just hover over your bucket.
Brush soil free from the Nepenthes roots, and separate out any weed roots. Now, rinse those roots! Go ahead and pour some of your distilled water over them to loosen up and carry away remaining soil.
Super! Now you’re ready to re-pot your Nepenthes into the fresh soil mixture.
“Wow, hold up, what’s that thing? Is that… a baby Nepenthes?!” If you find yourself saying this, mazeltov! Your Nepenthes is a proud papa/mama (Nepenthes are dioecious – either male or female) and has sent out a shoot that will turn into a full-fledged clone of the parent that it’s attached to.
Unlike Sarracenia, I like to avoid tearing apart Nepenthes growth points. Often, new growth points can be traced back to an offshoot on the main plant stem, and they will share the same supporting root system. Separating them will leave someone rootless, cause shock to the mother plant and offshoot, and may kill both. So, fight the urge to amputate/delimb/maul your Nepenthes, and instead, wait for stems to grow nice and long and vegetatively propagate via stem cuttings (which will be covered in another post).
It can be good to soak the Nepenthes root system in hormones or vitamins to reduce stress on the plant during the re-potting process. Something like Superthrive
can help a plant settle in, establish new roots, and resume vegetative growth faster after being transplanted. I recommend this step if the plant is very young, very old, or particularly fragile/finicky. Follow the directions on the bottle, and use the lower of the recommended dilutions/dosages.
Nepenthes roots are dark brown, especially when wet.
Plop that Nepenthes on top of the soil you previously put into your pot, and let’s get dirty! Scoop up your pre-mixed and pre-moistened soil to fill in the gaps up to the top of the pot, and just above the roots. You want the topmost roots to be about an inch below the topsoil, all the way around. Firmly pack the soil so that it makes contact with all roots.
Getting dirty with Nepenthes soil mix
Pack soil around all of those leaves.
Water your Nepenthes and watch for any soil settling. If you see any sinkholes, fill these with more soil and repeat until all roots are buried, all of the soil is firmly packed, and everything is level with the top of the pot.
firmly packed and topped-off soil. So fresh. So clean.
Clean up your mess!
My nepenthes,which I dearly love, are vigorous growers and I would like to do stem cuttings. Sometimes it works but not always. My nepenthes are growing in my greenhouse and climbing all over the place. I’d appreciate tips for stem cutting culture.
Thanks for your help.
Howdy Mary and thanks for the question! Nepenthes cuttings are pretty straight-forward. The short version is:
1. Use a very sharp, clean razor blade to cut
2. Cut the stem at a 45 degree angle approximately every 3 leaves/nodes
3. Cut the remaining leaves on the cuttings in half to reduce the amount of moisture the plant will lose
4. Pot up the cuttings into pre-moistened long fiber sphagnum moss, and cover or bag the plant to keep humidity high
5. Place in bright, indirect light for a 1-3 months, or until you see new growth. At this point, the plant has likely sprouted new roots, and you can repot it into a more permanent home, if needed.
I’m working on a more robust blog post on this very topic that I’ll have up before the end of the month.
I received my first nepenthes plant as a gift about 4 months ago. In that time there has been a ton of new growth. I’m wondering how I will know it’s time to transplant it.
Hi Judy, if the soil is starting to look mushy, or you see roots coming out of the bottom of the pot, it’s probably time to repot. I’ve noticed that my Nepenthes appreciate a fresh mix every few years.
Hello, i have blody marry Nephentes, it has 2 young one on the side. I decide to put mother plant in new mix of sphagnum moss. I try to remove young nephentes form mother but i didnt see that it has not have roots on it, so i cut just a litlle bit. And now i have problem whit mother plant. Its stop growing, old pitcher just stop to grorw, 3 weeks has pass and pitcher didnt grow. Can you help me pls. I dont know what to do. I put a plant under led growing light for now
Thanks for writing! Sorry to hear about the troubles with your mother Nepenthes. They can be sensitive to major root disturbances, so I understand why it might be going through a little bit of shock at the moment. Keep it under stable, ideal conditions, and provide it a good amount of humidity, if it’s low. If it still has pitchers, try feeding them a 1/4 strength seaweed fertilizer like MaxSea. Beyond that, time and rest will determine how your plant recovers. Good luck, and happy growing!
Hello,
Great article!
If my nepenthes has been neglected for a long time and has a long woody stem (5-6 inches) , can I bury that been I repot?
Thanks
Howdy Jimmy. Don’t bury the stem. If you do, it will likely rot, and kill the plant. You always want a live stem above the soil.
Instead, I recommend taking Nepenthes cuttings in order to trim back the stem and propagate the plant. If you take a cutting the length of 3-4 leaves, you can burry the stem about 0.5-1″ below the soil surface simply to anchor it in the ground. Roots will sprout from the cut portion, and leaves will sprout from nodes at the base of leaves.
Can you air layer to propagate Nepenthes
Howdy Tom – I haven’t tried air layering Nepenthes myself, but I’ve heard that folks have decent results with the technique. My only concern would be that too much moisture from the air layering mix/sphagnum moss might begin to rot the Nepenthes stem before roots can pop. I’d give it a go on a less valuable and highly robust Nepenthes, as a test.
Hi. I have had my Nepenthes for 4 or 5 years. It was doing great and had doubled in size. Last year I decided to repot it. I got special soil for it, but I put in in a pot that was to large. It is still alive but is not thriving like it was, I think the pot over whelmed it. What should I do? Do I need to downsize the pot or will that traumatize it even more? Get another Nepenthes to put with it in the large pot? Help!
Howdy Tasha! Thanks for reaching out, and sorry to hear about your Nepenthes trouble. I haven’t found “over potting” to negatively affect Nepenthes growth. A few things to consider/help you troubleshoot:
1. The right soil: Did you use loose, easily-draining and nutrient-poor soil? Nepenthes like water, but most of them don’t like to sit in soggy soil for long. Long fibered sphagnum moss + fine orchid bark + perlite is a mix that I’ve had success with.
2. Other changing conditions: If humidity suddenly drops or light conditions change, it can cause the plant to stop pitchering. Also, with a larger volume of soil, more water will be needed to make sure it’s thoroughly and evenly wetted when the time comes to water.
3. Repotting damage: Perhaps a main root was damaged when repotting? It can take some time for the plant to recover from injury.
4. Plant’s age: The plant could just be “old.” Depending on the breed of Nepenthes you’re talking about, they do have a point at which the main growth point slows down or stops growing, and more of the plant’s energy goes into basal shoots (offshoots) to encourage new, fresh growth. Check out the base of the plant to see if you have baby Nepenthes sprouting.
Hope some of this helps. Happy growing!
An update on my plant. When I checked my plant it had new growth at the base. So I trimmed it up and put a couple of the cuttings off of it in the soil to root. The new growth has really taken off and has some pitchers. The cuttings even rooted and are growing new leaves. It all looks really healthy and it has filled up its pot. Just wanted to thank you for the advice!
I recieved 2 Nepenthes a couple months ago and they seem to be growing good I have new spouts on 1 from the dirt and the plant it self but it’s not developing pitchers they dry up before they even grow no matter what I have tried different humidity different light and even misting
Howdy Justina! Nepenthes pitchers not developing could be due to a few reasons. Not enough water is one, and another common one is not enough light. Nepenthes enjoy bright, indirect light. Without it, pitcher development stalls out even if the plant produces new leaves and tendrils.
Also, sometimes Nepenthes will simply take a siesta – particularly if conditions changed, recently. Repotting, movement to a different location, etc, can all put minor stresses on the plant, and they’ll simply go on vacation for a few weeks as they readjust.
Thank you. Would like to repot my plant and your suggestions surely will help. Thank you.
You’re very welcome! Happy growing!
Hello and thank you for this resource! I bought a nepenthes ventrata earlier this year and to my delight, it has really taken off! Now I’m pretty sure it has outgrown its tiny 4″ pot. I have 2 questions. One, I am planning to bring it inside for the season soon. Should I wait to repot until it acclimated to the new environment? Two, it appears to have sprouted two shoots with different style pitchers…these ones have the little “hairs” on the outside. Not sure how this happened, but wondering if I should report them separately or just let em go.
Again, thanks for putting this info out there!
Hey Chris, thanks for reaching out, and glad to hear your Nepenthes ventrata is doing so well!
The less changes you can make at once, the easier time a plant will have acclimating to the changes that you did make. I would let the plant adapt to new conditions for a few weeks, and if the transition is smooth, repot then.
On the basal growths – this is common among Nepenthes. Healthy plants (and sometimes stressed ones) send off basal shoots and they’ll develop into their own full plant. The hairy pitchers you’re seeing are probably immature pitchers. Give it a while, and they’ll eventually all look the same. Depending on where the shoots are on the plant, you can eventually take a stem cutting and root up the plantlet separately. That said, it’s also pretty fun to leave them attached and grow out a bushy Nepenthes!
Hellooo , um I have a younger nepenthe that’s put out two little babies , I’m so proud. Anywho, it came to me in sphagnum moss and I have left it alone but I’m curious if it will be ok to transplant into soil when the time comes? I don’t plan on reporting any time soon , I just cannot find info on transitioning from moss to soil or if that is even possible? Hoping to find some answers here , any tips would be very helpful! Thank you!!
Howdy Manta – thanks for the question! Congrats on your Nepenthes – sounds like it’s doing great! Most Nepenthes prefer a soil mix of long fibered sphagnum moss with orchid bark and/or perlite mixed in. If the plant is currently doing well in this mix, and you simply need to increase the pot size or freshen up the soil, why change the recipe? I’ve seen mixes including peat moss, coco choir, and other supplements – so those can also work.
Howdy Manta, I recommend a soil mix of 1 part long fiber sphagnum and 1 part orchid bark. Sometimes I also mix in perlite. You can use some peat moss, but don’t use regular potting mix, or anything with added fertilizer. You want an airy soil, in most cases, that can still retain some water.
Hiii! You have the best tips on Nepenthes!! Thank you!!!
I have a question regarding repotting… as far as dirt, you don’t use any? Only the 1 part long fiber sphagnum moss to 1 part orchid bark?
Also, how often would you recommend to give the Nepenthes Superthrive?
Thank you!
Howdy Gaby – Yup, simply 1 part long fiber sphagnum and 1 part orchid bark is accurate! Sometimes I also mix in some perlite. I don’t normally use Superthrive – only ever on plants that need a little extra boost, and only once during the repotting process.