Some Nepenthes are significantly easier than others, but none will tolerate anything colder than an occasional light frost. Expect to grow this plant indoors during the winter, straight up. Nepenthes ventricosa is a great option for someone beginning with carnivorous plants. It is vigorous, widely tolerant, and quite rewarding. Occasionally you will find in box stores like Lowe's in those little cubes with other carnivores. Snatch a healthy one up fast if you find it. Otherwise it can be ordered from a reputable grower (California Carnivores is a good option) online for slightly more money. After frost it can be brought outside and grown in dappled sunlight.

I had a feeling that is what you said..:-) Just a suggestion. I would pot them up as soon as you recieve them, and leave them outdoors in a shady spot for a bit. Then introduce them back to the sun gradually. They are use to this treatment at the nursery since they are grown outdoors. This was suggested to me by my friends at the citrus nursery. As for how long before you put them back in the sun, I am not sure. Maybe someone can gives us an idea. I just transplanted 4 and I am not sure how long before I can put them back into full sun. Last year when I recieved mine, I potted them up and then I stuck them right back out the in the after a couple of days from adjusting from shipment and potting up. I might of gone against all odds, because they never reacted badly. In fact they did quite good..So unless someone suggests different, I will do same. Take care for now. P.S I just realized that we hijacked ladymarmalades thread!! Shoot. It can be so easy to do. Brancto, if you wnat to, just e-mail me, or I will catch you on another thread about this... Sorry ladymarmalade! My top 5 again. Pondorosa Lemon.... Washington Navel... Lemon Meyer.... Oro Blanco Grapefruit.... Key lime....

This seems like a silly debate... it's a fact that always remains if the plant tissue completely dessicates and becomes bone-dry inside and out, it dies; this is true for any plant. It's also true for most plants that if it becomes too wet and moisture pools on the surface or the water causes the stem/roots to lose contact with air, it rots. And in the meantime, plants are variously adapted to maintain a mostly-constant water content inside themselves despite the variance in surrounding moisture. So a number of different methods will work for maintaining the appropriate amount of moisture inside the fleshy stem, also depending on your particular climate and the environment in which they are stored. So the big question is, how much humidity is in the air in your climate and specifically, in the location where you are storing the plants. In very dry climates, soaking a dormant stem, bulb, root or tuber in water periodically may replenish lost moisture. In very humid climates, soaking it in water may very will kill the plant tissue with mold if the water does not evaporate or if the tissues can't get oxygen, but in those climates it is unnecessary to soak the plants because water loss is very slow. I would suggest in this case you try the same methods you use storing plants like cannas and dahlias. You can completely control the environment by burying it in a pile of barely-moistened peat moss - just moist enough that the peat does not turn to dust if you blow on it, but not any more - in an OPEN grocery bag and setting that in a closed cardboard box, then putting it in a cool (but not freezing) garage. Then no matter what happens to your air humidity, the peat only very slowly loses moisture through the winter.

Well you have some fun, haven't you ? Your posts are very refreshing. You don't take that too seriously and just put stuff in the soil and can't even remember whether you put manure or blood meal or phosphate or all three, which I think is blissful and the joy of being young and having an interesting life so full of events that you couldn't care less about past amendments. That is great and please keep asking and posting in this carefree style ;-) When one of my kids comes and gardens with me, little work is done whereas there are 2 instead of one working, but boy do we have fun and laugh ! Your parents are lucky to have you around ! So is your baker boss ! You might want to try and grow squash, they're real easy, although they need to be started in pots to be developped enough to resist snails and slugs. But they're really gratifying with high crops that keep for months on the counter and they'll grow in pure manure like mad. If you need some seeds, just ask, I'll send you some, I have a lot.