Should I Fill My Pitcher Plant with Water? The ONLY Answer You'll Need

In today's video, I give you my opinion on a question I get asked regularly on my Nepenthes videos which is, 'Should I Fill My Pitcher Plant with Water?' or some variation on that theme. We're talking of course, about whether you should pour water into dry pitchers on a nepenthes plant. I give you my opinion on this, what I do, and explain why I've come to this decision. Hopefully this might help others who are considering adding water into the pitchers of their Nepenthes.
You can read the study I discussed here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
🕘CHAPTERS🕘:
0:00 Should I Fill My Pitcher Plant with Water? Here's my answer...: INTRO
0:42 Why would you add water into nepenthes pitchers?
1:35 What does the internet say about adding water to pitchers?
1:48 Do I add water to my own pitchers?
1:53 The one time I add water to my Nepenthes pitchers
2:59 Reasons why I don't recommend adding water to pitchers at any other time
4:00 When does a nepenthes produce its own liquid in its pitchers
4:17 Discussion about a study into the properties of the liquid found in nepenthes pitchers
4:33 How does the liquid in a nepenthes pitcher differ from water?
5:12 How the study tested the differences between water and the liquid in nepenthes pitchers
6:12 What happens if rainwater falls into the pitchers?
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[@theelitistjerkmetalhead8047]

I've been growing them for years and I have found that I never generally have to add water to the traps so long as the plants are adequately watered. They're fairly good at self regulating the water levels in the traps themselves.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Exactly. Won't harm them but just no need to add anything to them either.😁

[@MicksMasdevalliaorchids]

Spot on Geoff, to be honest I tried it in the early days with rainwater and added a few bugs 🐜 which subsequently just climbed out, but I do leave the pitchers on until they dry out and die off, but where I buy mine from said use pipettes and take a small amount of liquid from another pitcher, that also works buddy.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

I get sick of looking at them when just the top part crisps up! 🤣 Good idea re the pipette - that should definitely help - better than water - at least it should help the plant get some nutrients and prolong the life of the pitcher.

[@waynecummins9713]

I agree with you Don't put water in the pitchers. The plant does it itself naturally . I have had these plants for years and never put water into the pitchers and thay are doing just fine. Also I only use rain water only but the other water you mentioned is fine as well.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Great minds think alike eh?😃

[@vivalavivarium]

i agree with everything you say and love the video. i will say yes filling the pitchers with water with preserve the pretty pitcher and if you want that that is fine, but it would also most likely just slow down the new growth since these pitchers are functionally useless and the plant will use a lot of energy just keeping them alive until they dry out again. so for anyone without a specific goal, just don't fill the pitchers

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Thank you I appreciate that! The actual consistency of the pitcher contents is really interesting once you dive into it - no pun intended. 😂

[@speckledjim_]

I'm much like you - I only water empty pitchers when they first arrive in the post

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Yeah really no point after that. They fill them up all by themselves.😁

[@Marthysgarden]

Thank you

[@gartmorn]

I suppose they must get some rainwater going into them in the wild. I would let nature take its course but don't think putting some water in a couple of pitchers for aesthetic reasons would do the plant any harm. That's just my take on it as I have not kept nepenthes although I have read up a bit on them!

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Yes they do, especially those with lids angled upwards. But crucially, the study found that even with 95% of the liquid being rainwater, the remaining 5% of naturally produced liquid by the Nepenthes had enough viscosity to prevent the insects from escaping. Adding water to pitchers doesn't appear to harm the plant but equally adding water to empty pitchers doesn't help it to 'feed' either - the insects will just walk straight out again. And of course there are no digestive enzymes in there. Amazing plants.

[@gartmorn]

@@Grow_Up_Man55 Yes I agree! They're definitely one of nature's many wonders!

[@S4MU3L-]

I have pitchers in which are shaped upwards seeming that they are supposed to catch the rain. I put water in one which was completely dry and then after it was 1/4 full I then put a blowfly inside the trap and made sure it couldn’t escape, about 2 days later you could smell it and the plant was digesting it. So i would say nepenthes should only have slight water added if needed and the others ones maybe can add a bit more

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Yeah some species are adapted to 'feed' off leaf litter - ampullaria for one. And like you say, some are fully open to the elements so I don't expect they'd mind having water put in them. As I said in the video, adding water doesn't harm the plant. If it makes you feel better then add water. Or don't.🤷‍♂️

[@helenclarke5085]

Hi I have just seen your video on pitcher plants I have found nothing that explains why my beautiful sarracenia has lost its will to live I have had this plant almost 5 years and this has never happened before I put the plant in the garden last year as I thought it would do it good This is where the problem started it seems that it got some sort of bug white tiny specks the plant itself looked like it went through a war I have got rid of all the bugs and cut off all the affected areas which sadly was most of it It seems to start to spring new growth and there are some very long green shoots but no pitchers have formed now it looks like the new growth is now falling of or rotting it’s not sitting in water the soil is moist can you help me save my plant as I don’t know what else to do thanks lilly

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

There are two kinds of plants commonly known as pitcher plants - one are Nepenthes and the other are sarracenia. However, they have nothing whatsoever to do with each other! This video is about the plants you don’t have. As I don’t currently grow Sarracenia unfortunately I can’t help you. Sorry. Try the channel called Sarracenia North West.

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

Do you ever intentionally feed your pitchers (or other carnivorous plants)? Like if you find weevils or some sort of bad beetle in the garden, do you pluck them up and take them into the greenhouse for the pitchers to torture? Or if there is a particularly annoying cricket that gets into the house...

[@jx5hficus176]

My thing is, if you're eating my plants, you then shall be eaten by the plants. An eye for an eye.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Plenty of people do if Instagram is any judge - not me, no need to. In winter I spray Neps with orchid feed and you can also feed their roots, which is unusual for carnivorous plants. But if there was ever a plant evolved specifically for a foliar feed it's Nepenthes! In spring and summer the greenhouse is wide open so they catch their own. If I see any vine weevils they don't even make it as far as a pitcher before I've squished them between two rocks!

[@theelitistjerkmetalhead8047]

I'll generally foliar feed Neps if they don't have any traps, but if they have large enough traps I'll just toss a pillbug in there or something, lol. I grow mine indoors so they don't naturally catch as many bugs.

[@bboyven]

Can you use the fluid in a withering pitcher to top off another pitcher?

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

I wouldn’t. New pitchers are plenty capable of creating their own digestive juices. If you spill it out, just leave it - the plant will create more when it’s ready. You can keep it fed with a dilute orchid spray if it isn’t able to catch its own food.

[@icewindofchange]

Just got my pitchers and the water got out when we moved them, so I added some clean water in them. Ill see how they go on.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Adding water to dry pitchers won't help the plant, as their own liquid has very different, specialised properties which isn't replicated by ordinary water - however, it won't do them any harm either. I've found that young pitchers, if emptied out, refill again of their accord over a few weeks.

[@icewindofchange]

@@Grow_Up_Man55 I see. So it is better to empty them or just keep the water?

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

@@icewindofchange I'd leave them alone now and focus on getting their care requirements nailed down. If they start to make new pitchers you'll know you've got it right. Good luck!

[@icewindofchange]

@@Grow_Up_Man55 They do, but they were forming new ones at the store. Im in the middle of the dry season here, but I water them and couple of times a day spray some water over them and keep them away from direct sunlight.

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

Great info. I think I will get one now😊

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

I think you should go for it! 😀

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

@@Grow_Up_Man55 I've killed a few already....but also I didn't had this information that you provided. Tomorrow I am going to brigg garden centre, hopefully I will find a few😏

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

I was just thinking, what about water with a bit of sugar? I mean in the winter months when they do not have any bugs to catch.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

@@SemihydroponicswithSma They take a foliar feed really well - after all, these plants have evolved specifically to feed through their leaves. That's how I get them through the winter. Sugar works in my own case though...🍰

[@SemihydroponicswithSma]

@@Grow_Up_Man55 right, foliar spray. Like what? I am always confused when someone says foliar feed🤔

[@canadianhaven]

Makes sense to me.

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Good to hear.😃

[@digitherobot]

my plant grew a bunch of pitchers for half a year but they were always dry and empty. now suddenly i check today they've all filled up with liquid! happy to see this but why the sudden change?

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Could it possibly be the change of seasons? Whatever it is, it’s clearly happier than it was earlier. Spring means better temperatures, better light intensity, longer day length. At least, it does for us in the UK. Happy to hear it’s doing well for you now.

[@joeytse1862]

Sometimes, my pitchers would be overflown with liquid. I don't fill them up. Do you know why?

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

They produce their own liquid naturally. I can't say I've ever had one overflow (unless I tip it accidentally over my head which has happened on more than one occasion!) but I only have a few hybrids so there may be some that are prone to producing more liquid than others.

[@xiali7100]

what type of water should you put in a pitcher plant

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Rain water is fine.

[@daveenage8144]

what water you used distilled water not ordinary water in the faucet

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Only use distilled water or RO water - never tap (faucet) water.

[@Metaknight4569]

Yes, he is using distilled water. You want to use distilled, reverse osmosis or rain water. Tap water, and other kinds of drinking water, have vitamins and minerals that are too harsh for carnivorous plants and will kill them over time. They usually grow in areas with very poor soils and that's why they rely on eating bugs for vitamins and minerals (fertilizing.)

[@user-si6wm5kv4h]

In KY we can get a solar roof 0:20 free

[@pepepepito7824]

what happen in the wild when it rain

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

For the majority of Nepenthes the lid is angled in such a way as to prevent rain getting inside. For those few that have a wide open lid - I guess they've evolved differently for it not to be an issue. For instance, Nepenthes ampullaria has a wide open lid - so it's evolved to grow mostly on the ground and make use of fallen leaf litter for nutrients.

[@pepepepito7824]

@@Grow_Up_Man55 👍

[@S4MU3L-]

So the pitchers will never refill with their digestive juices? That is a stupid that the plant doesn’t know when its traps are dry!

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

I can only tell you what I've observed with the limited number of hybrids I have - and so far, once a pitcher has emptied, I've never seen it refill again. In my experience the pitcher aborts. That doesn't mean every single hybrid and species does it like that, though. There may be some that do refill.

[@Plantcave]

It rains in nature, natural re filler.

[@ShvetaBopche]

Very boring

[@Grow_Up_Man55]

Do you want to be my best friend?