Heliamphoras grow on mountain tops called tepuis in Venezuela, South America. They have vase like pitchers which trap insects. They can catch flies, mosquitos, wasps and crawling insects such as slaters and ants. They flower in spring. REPOTTING: When repotting your Heliamphora you should use 70% sphagnum moss with 30% perlite mixed through.  This will hold water yet have air spaces to keep the soil aerobic.  Wet this mix thoroughly through first before potting your plant into it.   Repot every 1-2 years for optimum oxygen and room for roots. The best time to repot is in the late winter to early spring when the plants are just starting to grow.  Use a pot to suit the size of the plant, giving it enough room to grow for the following year, but not too big that it dwarfs the plant.  

WATERING: Do not ever let your Heliamphora dry out.  Keep the moss moist at all times.  Allow the water to run through the pot after watering, to keep the roots damp but not waterlogged. If your water is good enough to drink straight from the tap, like Melbourne, then this is alright to use on your plant.  If not you should use either rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water.    Low mineral water is ideal to mimic the rainfall they constantly receive on the Tepui mountains - somewhere below 50 ppm TDS is ideal.    

FERTILIZING:  Do not fertilize with dead flys or insects.  You will end up killing your plant this way.  The plant needs the thrill of the catch, to stimulate it, to release its digestive juices to break down the insect.  We feed with a mixture of Seasol and Powerfeed (Powerfeed is made by the same company as Seasol).  To one litre of water, we use 2 ml of Seasol and 2 ml of Powerfeed.  DO NOT use any other fertilisers.  We use this mix every 8 weeks from Spring to Autumn either watered onto the growing medium, or foliar sprayed.  

LIGHT:  Heliamphoras require a high level of light, but cooler air, as they grow high on a mountain.  A window sill inside the house that gets morning sun in summer and afternoon sun in winter is an excellent position.  Otherwise you can grow them in a terrarium,  greenhouse, glasshouse or porch.  

HUMIDITY:  Heliamphora’s do like humidity - where they grow it rarely drops below 80%, however has a lot of airflow from the strong winds.  A terrarium or glasshouse can provide humidity, however make sure that there is air circulation.   A warm sunny window sill will give you enough heat for the plant to survive.

TEMPERATURE:  Warm days and cooler nights signal the plants natural environment. Day time = 20-26 degrees celcius Night time = 10-15 degrees celcius