Rooting and Acclimating Nepenthes maxima Cuttings: From High Humidity to Open Air

A grower successfully rooted a large N. maxima cutting (4 leaves, 3 months, inch-long roots) in a vertical 10-gallon aquarium with high humidity and asked about transitioning, fertilizing, and whether to cut the growing tip.

Transition

• Open the aquarium gradually over a week to ambient humidity—correct approach.
• Pot up now; water with Superthrive solution to ease transition.

Fertilizing

• After 3 weeks in soil, apply weak orchid fertilizer: ¼ tsp/gal monthly (foliar or soil drench).

Growing Tip

Do not cut the tip. Let it grow and develop pitchers for a couple months to build a stronger root system. You can prune later to force basal shoots if desired.