Poll: To Fill the Pitchers or Not to Fill

Some people SWEAR that you MUST fill your Nepenthes' pitchers half full. Others vehemently dispute this, claiming that the pitchers will make their own liquid. What say you? To fill or not to fill?

Leave them alone. It's NOT needed. They will make their own fluid. If not they are old and new pitchers will make fluid.

I fill them about a third of the way with rain water. I grow in a controlled environment and although pitchers do generate their own fluid, my Neps don't get to hang out on a nice rainy day where some raindrops would make it into the pitchers.

I also have noticed that adding a little bit of rainwater to the pitchers extends the life of them. At least for me it does.

I can see both sides to that. I had a Miranda that hung out during the summer and naturally collected rainwater. I also have a three year old Alata that is under cover and I don't fill the pitchers. The Miranda did better by far but the pitchers were rarely half or over half full.

My original Miranda was destroyed in a storm and I just got a new one that is absolutely amazing. It came with the instructions that the pitchers absolutely must be filled at least half-way. I really want it to do well and since it is winter (even though it doesn't feel like it today at 82 degrees) it will have to spend quite a bit of time indoors. Maybe I will put a little rainwater in the pitchers. It seems as though that would be a natural state for them but I have my doubts about filling them half way. They are huge pitchers.

I knew I was asking for trouble by ordering it in the winter but I couldn't resist. Lots of moving it in and out, in and out...

It would suit me fine if it stayed 82 but it may be 42 tomorrow night. Winter down here is crazy. Never any hard freeze for me though. Only my most finicky tropicals have to come in. Everything else either stays out or gets dragged in and out, in and out.

On the other hand, I do miss snow.

Take ours ;)