Question
I recently stumbled upon these things called "hydro plant pearls". They are used for most indoor plants. would i be able to use these on my tropical pitcher plants. More info at hydroplantpearls.com .  I think they might work with out the liquid plant food. also, if i sent you guys a couple packages of them would you be willing to try them. i only have three tropical pitchers. and 2 are tlc from you. I might try them on my sanguinea

Answer
Hi Lucas,

We've seen similar products, and unfortunately they don't work well for carnivorous plants.  In theory in would work with keeping the roots hydrated, but the problem is that the pearls break down over time and changes the pH.  This will affect the growth of carnivorous plants.  We've tried similar products with Sarracenia and flytraps, and the plants didn't grow very well, not like the plants in regular soil.

Nepenthes also have very fine roots systems, which break apart very easily.  So using the pearls as soil could be risky with Nepenthes.  If you want to give it a try, experiment on a common variety of Nepenthes, such as sanguinea or ventricosa.  Grow it for 6-12 months in the media and compare it to other Nepenthes of similar age growing in regular soil.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin