Herself's Houseplants

Carnivorous plants are some of my favorite plants. I’ve a Nepethenes who has pitchers big enough to catch small rodents, lizards and some of the Texas sized bugs we have down here. It was thought the trap was enough now we know they slime their prey as well.

. . . Since Charles Darwin’s time, the mechanism of insect-trapping by Nepenthes pitcher plants from the Asian tropics has intrigued scientists but is still incompletely understood. The slippery inner surfaces of their pitchers have – until now – been considered the key trapping devices, while it was assumed that the fluid secretions were only concerned with digestion. Gaume and Forterre were able to combine their separate expertise in biology and physics to show that the digestive fluid of Nepenthes rafflesiana actually plays a crucial role in prey capture. [ read more Carnivorous plants use pitchers of 'slimy saliva' to catch prey]

A University of Virginia study, published in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Science, demonstrates that plants grown in the same setting as their maternal plant performed almost 3.5 times better than those raised in a different environment – indicating that maternal plants give cues to their offspring that help them adapt to their environmental conditions.

[ read more Evolutionary biology research on plants shows significance of maternal effects]

Plants drop seeds that generally land right near the original plant. The seeds then grow in the same conditions as the original plant. Changing those conditions, even a little effects the growth of the plant.

What this means for house plant growers is that you should experiment a bit. Start with the general recommended conditions for your plant. If your plant doesn’t thrive try shifting things a little. Change one thing at a time ( more sun/less sun, more water/less water ). Watch and see which changes, if any please your plant more.