Hanging Pot - Pitcher Plant Nepenthes Dark Secret
CHF 39.90*
Item no. 4357
Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs
Delivery time 2 - 7 working days
Choose a decorative pot cover compatible with your planting kit Ø20cm:
Useful care products:
History of the pitcher plant Monkey Jars Dark Secret (Nepenthes)
Nepenthes Monkey Jars Dark Secret is a fascinating carnivorous pitcher plant with particularly striking, dark-coloured pitchers. The cultivar 'Dark Secret' is listed as a hybrid of Nepenthes ampullaria and Nepenthes sibuyanensis and combines a decorative, trailing habit with spectacular dark red to almost black traps. The pitchers form at the leaf tips and serve as ingenious traps with which the plant catches and digests insects. As a trailing plant, it looks especially beautiful in hanging baskets and raised spots. With enough light, warmth and high humidity, it can keep producing new pitchers.
Care as a houseplant:
- Light: Bright to very bright with plenty of indirect light. Morning or evening sun is well tolerated. Avoid intense midday sun, as the leaves and pitchers can react sensitively.
- Temperature: Around 20–30 °C is ideal. Avoid temperatures below 15 °C where possible. A slight drop in temperature at night is well tolerated.
- Humidity: High, ideally around 60–80 %. Increased humidity supports the development of new, richly coloured pitchers.
- Substrate: Use an airy, moisture-retaining and nutrient-poor carnivorous plant substrate, for example a mix of sphagnum moss, perlite and some orchid bark. Normal potting soil is not suitable.
- Watering: Use only rainwater, distilled water or other low-mineral water. Keep the substrate evenly moist, but do not leave it standing in water permanently. Never let it dry out completely.
- Feeding: Normal feeding of the substrate is not necessary. The plant obtains nutrients from the insects it catches. Commercial fertiliser can damage the sensitive roots.
- Special features: The dark red to almost black pitchers are the special highlight of this variety. Good light encourages the intense colouring. The plant does not need to be actively fed with insects, as it catches its own prey. The pitchers produce their own digestive fluid and should not be regularly topped up with water.
Care as a terrarium plant:
- Light: Very bright to strongly lit. Supplement with suitable plant LEDs if needed.
- Temperature: Around 22–28 °C is optimal. A slight drop in temperature at night is well tolerated.
- Humidity: High, ideally around 70–80 %. At the same time, good air circulation should be ensured.
- Substrate: Use a loose and free-draining carnivorous plant substrate with sphagnum moss.
- Water: Use rainwater or distilled water and keep the substrate evenly moist. Avoid waterlogging.
- Winter dormancy: No classic winter dormancy necessary. With less light, growth may slow down during the cold season.
Summer care (keeping outdoors)
In summer, Nepenthes Monkey Jars Dark Secret can be placed outdoors in a warm, sheltered spot:
- Location: Bright to partially shaded, protected from intense midday sun and strong wind.
- Water: Always water with low-lime water and never let the substrate dry out completely.
- Humidity: The higher humidity outdoors can encourage the formation of new pitchers.
- Feeding behaviour: Outdoors, the plant catches its prey by itself. Additional feeding is not normally required.
- Bringing it back indoors: Bring back indoors before temperatures drop below 15 °C.
Winter care:
In winter, Nepenthes Monkey Jars Dark Secret still needs warmth, enough light and the highest possible humidity:
- Temperature: Keep at a minimum of 18 °C if possible and protected from cold draughts.
- Humidity: Aim for around 60–80 %. If the heating makes the air dry, a humidifier can be helpful.
- Water: Water less than in summer, but never let the substrate dry out completely.
- Light: Keep as bright as possible and supplement with a grow light if needed.
- Pitchers: It is normal for older pitchers to dry up and turn brown over time. With good light and humidity, new pitchers can then form.
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