DO put your plant in a place where gnats, ants, and bugs can come to ‘visit.’  Or catch a few small insects and put them in the plastic box with your Pitcher Plant.  How long does it take the insects to get trapped?

DO provide high humidity around your plant. If air humidity is 50% or greater, remove your plant from the plastic box.  If you live in a dry area, leave your Pitcher Plant in the plastic box. The vent holes on the top and bottom will allow the heat to escape.

DO give your plant as much light as possible. Most Pitcher Plants grow in full sun, though they appreciate a little shade in the summer. Put your plant in a sunny spot on your patio, or in a sunny window.

DO transplant when it outgrows its pot. Depending on the variety you have, your Pitcher Plant may grow anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet tall at maturity. Use plain peat moss as soil.

DO water often. Pitcher Plants grow in places where their roots never dry out.  Some even form mats which float across the water. Place your plant in a saucer of water. Maintain the water level about 1⁄2” deep at all times.

DON’T put a closed terrarium in direct sun light. The heat will cook the plants inside.

DON’T use any kind of water except distilled or rain water. Other types of water contain natural salts which will burn the edges of the leaves.

DON’T be alarmed if leaf edges turn brown. Your plant is simply telling you that it needs higher humidity, or more water. Make the corrections, and new leaves will be normal.

DON’T expect your plant to grow rapidly during the winter months. It needs to rest. Keep your plant moist as always, but put it in a bright cool place, 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit through the winter. In April or May when temperatures return to 70 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, growth will resume.

DON’T be surprised if your plant blooms in the Spring! The flowers look like small green marbles when it first begins to grow. The round bud will swell to about an inch in diameter, rising higher and higher on a thin green stalk before opening. Some stalks grow several feet tall.