Expert: Christopher Littrell - 10/5/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi i have recently purchased 2 x Nepenthes, They are both healthy plants with 8-10 Green Leaves on each, But each plant only has 2-3 Pitchers. The Pitchers have been cut off the other 7 leaves, Will these leaves regrow pitchers? Will more leaves continue to grow with New Pitchers? Would you reccomend trimming of 2-3 leaves of each plant to encourage new growth?

ANSWER: Hello Glen,

Nepenthes always grow only one pitcher per leaf. Each pitcher will last several months with the leaves lasting a few months beyond that. Just keep whatever leaves the plant has for continued photosynthesis. Nepenthes will not really grow any faster from clipping some leaves off. They will grow bushier if you take a larger plant and clip off part of the vine. New leaves should produce new pitchers if the plant has enough light, partial sun being optimal, has plenty of nitrogen from captured insect prey, and has enough water. Humidity fluctuations, from high to low, can stall the plant out in pitcher production and kill existing pitchers. Just keep the plants in a stable environment where the humidity remains stable.

Christopher

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Christopher.

Thanks for your help. I should have waited for your reply :-) Was wandering if i have already cut one of the leaves off one of the plants and unortunatly it was a yellowing one but it was probably the highest leave on the plant, Will it still reproduce Leaves?  Is the Vine the the thing coming from The Centre of the Plant inside of a leave? Have the Plant in an indirect sunlight area of a conservatory. Also i have noticed on my nep it has a insignificant amount of powdery mildue i have been told that i can wipe it off with my fingers or alternativly remove the affected area? I got the plant for $20 and Fungicide in NZ is $25 Plus.. Should this help alleviate the problem? the plant is in sunlight in the conservatory with good airflow. and finally With Reagards to Sarracenia do you mist the picthers like i do with my nepenethes?

Sorry about the extended question

Thanks so much for your Help

Glen

Answer
Hello Glen,

Cutting a leaf off will not harm the plant overall. Usually it is the lower leaves that begin yellowing, then turning brown as they age and die. The vine is the central stalk of the plant from which the leaves grow. Each leaf has a single tendril from which a pitcher usually forms. While each leaf can grow one pitcher in its lifetime, not every leaf will grow a pitcher every time. Some Nepenthes will only grow one or two pitchers at a time, others will have a dozen or more simultaneously, each from a separate leaf. Yellowing leaves could indicate too little or too much light, too little or too much water, or too little or too much nitrogen.

A few tips:

Make sure the fungicide you are going to use is not copper based. Use only sulfur or neem oil based fungicides with carnivorous plants in general.

Use water that is low or absent of minerals as mineral deposits build up and damage the acidity of their soil.

Make sure the plant gets plenty of light. It takes extraordinary amounts of energy for the plant to make pitchers and digest insects. Nepenthes need at least partial sun, like they would get under a large tree. Not heavily shaded, but some direct sun for a few hours and some light shading for a few hours at a time all day. What we think of as a lot of light might be starvation to a plant. If the plants are producing new pitchers and developing good coloration on their pitchers, even some reddish spots on their leaves, then they are getting good light. If they fail to pitcher or develop only small pitchers with all green coloring, they are probably not getting enough light. Each Nepenthes will be colored according to species, most predominate is red for most species though.

Water the plants well, but never leave a tray constantly filled under the pot. Their media should remain always moist, but well drained and excess water should never sit under their pots for more than a day or two. Best bet is to remove excess water and just water the plants every couple days and use fast draining Nepenthes mix composed of coconut husk, orchid bark, and sphagnum peat moss.

Never fertilize carnivorous plants as that can kill them if it gets in their soil. It is possible to lightly fertilize their leaves with orchid foliar feeds in very dilute form, but it is often best to let nature do as it was meant to. Just let the plants catch their own fertilizer, feeding them an occasional insect or spider of small size every few weeks if you think they need a little boost. Usually they catch enough of their own, but sometimes pest control does their job too well.

I haven't misted my plants in months. There is no need to mist them other than to clean dust of their leaves. You also do not need to pour water inside their pitchers. Nepenthes fluid is composed of benzoic acid and digestive enzymes plus sugary nectar... water in the pitchers will not help the plant... but it would not really harm them either.

Sarracenias would need full, direct sunlight outside if they are to survive unless you can provide extraordinary amounts of artificial light supplemented by direct sun south facing windows. Remember, window light is only a fraction of the intensity of light they would get outside due to tinting and refraction.

Christopher