Hello!

I mentioned this many times, but I have a Carnivorous plant collection in a small greenhouse with a plant light and humidifier.




This is my collection, 2 Sundews, 2 Sarracenia, a Venus Fly Trap (not in picture, in other place for dormancy,) and 2 Nepenthes. I had a question regarding Nepenthes pitcher plants.

As you can see, my Nepenthes pitchers have ALL dried out and died and it hasnt grown new pitchers in months. Two were not shrivled but almost black on the big one and I put some dead ants in from my ant farm hoping it would give it the nutrition it needs to grow more.

Here is my questions:

If the plant has no pitchers, will it die?

I was looking through my old posts and I saw that someone said to use a very weak fertilizer on the plant and that should help. My question is, what kind of fertilizer?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Jared

Any general purpose water soluble fertilizer like Peters 20-20-20 would do. You probably want to dilute it to about 1/4 strength.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UT...

No pitchers means not enough humidity. Increase the humidity in your greenhouse and water the Nepenthes everyday from above - get it good and wet. Don't let it sit in water but keep it wet.

Do you know if your Nepenthes are highland or lowland pitchers? I ask because lowland pitchers won't survive temps below 60.

You can fertilze with a VERY WEAK fertilzer but the plants are green therefore photosynthsizing. Eating insects is the fertilzer.

Daisy

PS: Love your pet sturgeon.

Hello!

Thanks for the Info. I put a humidifier in a week ago, hoping that it would help. Do you think the insects I put in the pitchers will help it? Im asking because they are starting to shrivel.

How long does it usually take to grow new pitchers?

I do not know if it is highland or lowland.

Thanks!

Jared

Mine grows new pitchers constantly, Jared. It slows down growing, but every new leaf has a tendril on the end that grows the new pitcher for that leaf.

We've had some cool dry weather here the last week or two, and one of the tiny new pitchers on a leaf end has dried up on me. I'm sure it's because of not enough humidity.

You probably have very few if any bugs inside your house in the winter for the plant to dine on, so spraying the leaves with some very weak fertilizer should help somewhat. I wouldn't do it more than once a week or so, but as Daisy said, keep it good and moist, as well.

Jared, I am still learning my way with my own Nepenthes. There are different types so I am not sure if your plant will behave like my plant. Mine is a smaller one called Nepenthes densiflora x (spathulata x spectabile)..that is the mile long name of my little plant as written on its tag.

One thing has improved my Nepenthes, by accident, thanks to my hubby. Usually I just keep the media moist, it is growing in sphagnum moss media. Now last December while I was away, my hubby made my plant sit in water. On my return I saw that, ready to get mad, but the next day, I observed there is a considerable improvement on the pitchers, and it is actually making better leaves. So I guess in my dry location, to compensate for it, my plant will not mind sitting in water. I do not give fertilizers to any of my carnivores. But just using the rain water I was able to save last Nov. When I run out later on, I will be back to the distilled water. I also notice the pronounced red color and bigger size of one of the pitchers, which is a real marked improvement. I grow my Nepenthes indoors by our west facing kitchen window and temps indoors is at 68 to 70F, humidity inside my house is at 49%.

Before I would specifically spray the pitchers to help in the humidity aspect, but now I do not seem to need to do it, but will observe later on when summer temps return. Maybe it is coping well too with the cooler temps.

You were asking if the plant will die if there are no pitchers, it won't as long as the main plant is still alive of course. But it will need to produce new leaves to form new pitchers.

Here is a photo of mine:

The rosy colored pitcher, color more prominent and pitcher is bigger too:


A new leaf is forming, coming out of the other one it seems.


The other pitchers, smaller but holding and slowly growing:


I noticed you mentioned you have Sarracenias..I also have them, I keep them outdoors always, and sitting in water. Right now it is enjoying rain water with our on and off rains. Once rainy season is over back to distilled water again. They are dormant right now and they do need this cold dormancy.

Jared, I think you need to relax. If you just added the humidifer a week ago, there hasn't been enough time for your plants to react. If things aren't getting worse, then they are getting better. Growing pitchers will let you know all is well. But it may take a couple months.

I never fertilize my carnivorous plants either. When you have a plant willing to feed itself, let it. You can overfeed carnivorous plants by feeding them extra insects. And its easy to over do the added fertilizer too.

Growers of carnivorous plants work hard to find potting medium with no nutritional value: Milled peat that hasn't been fortified, natural long fibered sphagnum moss, perlite ... I have been thinking about experimenting with some of the planting mediums used in hydroponics.

Tarev, I'm surprised your plant is surviving its soaking but also not surprised. My daughter has her orchids sitting in saucers of water. It works for her; the rest of us would have rooten orchids.

My husband and I lived in Oakdale for 30 years before moving to Reno. Be brave and find something that holds water (I love those little stock tubs from the feed store. They are cheap and won't break up in the sun). Dig a hole and stick it in the ground, fill it with peat and perlite and plant those Sarracenias. You will be amazed at how they do. The tubs should only be about a foot deep.

I have mine planted in bogs in Reno (Zone 7a). I have to cover them in the winter but they do great - unless the raccoons dig them up.

Daisy

Mine loves water every day. Besides humidity, it likes heat and sogginess. I currently have it in the greenhouse and the cooler temps seemed to have slowed in producing pots but there still are new ones along with the ones that bloomed in the fall. I might move it into my bathroom for more warmth and increased humidity.

Daisy, I was surprised too with my Nepenthes when it reacted differently, but will just take it as it wants it rather than see it go dead. I am realizing now, some of the tropicals can take those standing water. I have one hoya which is like that, must always be in standing water. So I guess it goes the same with some of the carnivores.

So see what will work for your plant Jared, sometimes just got to observe the plant closely and adjust as it goes.

Read "The Savage Garden" by Peter D'Amato.

He owns Callifornia Canivores in Petaluma, CA. they have an online catalog and sell Sarracenia (temperate pitchers - natives to U.S.), Nepenthes (tropical pitchers), Drosera (sundews), ....

His plants are always outstanding and cheaper than they are in other places. In January, they have a bare root Sarracenia sale.

Advertisement over. Yep, already added to recommended.

Daisy