> i received (via my neobrotherinlaw scott portman) one of perry malouf's
> lovely nepenthes.
>
> it is doing extremely well growthwise (at least 25% new growth, probably
> more). looks quite healthy, except for one thing. tips of leaves where
> pitchers are supposed to grow turn brown. no pitchers. it is Thriving
> otherwise.
If the plant is indeed thriving (putting on new healthy growth), then
this sounds like a classic problem of the humidity being too low.
If you live in an area where the humidity isn't at least 60% all the
time, then try locating the plant in an old aquarium with a glass
lid (or other such structure). Make sure the lid doesn't completely
cover the container, because some air circulation is necessary for
cooling (among other things) when the sun hits the plant. You can
also try enclosing the plant (pot and all) in a clear plastic
bag as long as it doesn't get direct sun--for direct sun use a
milky colored plastic bag. You can take the plant out when you
want to show it off.
For some Nepenthes, I've found it possible to slowly acclimate them
to a lower humidity. I start by putting the plant in a plastic
bag under timed lights. After I'm sure it's doing okay, I open
a small hole in the bag, and gradually enlarge it over a period
of a few months. The hole allows some air circulation which lowers
the humidity (a bag with no hole achieves 100% relative humidity).
The larger the hole, the lower the humidity in the bag. This hasn't
worked for every Nepenthes I've tried it on, but it did help a
few types. Good luck.
Perry
P.S. I'm glad the plant is okay otherwise :-)