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Carnivorous Plants/Tropical Pitcher Plant HELP!!

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Expert: - 5/2/2009


Question

pitcher plant
Last week I put my tropical pitcher plants outside since the temps went up and the sun is shining.
One day a huge gust of wind came and knocked some of them over. I re-potted the ones that needed it after their dirt fell out. On some of the plants some of the pitchers got damaged, but nothing too major.

Today I went outside to water them and noticed that a lot of the plants now have brown spots on the leafs and some of the pitchers. I know it is normal for pitchers to turn brown and die off, but the new leafs too??

I am attaching some photos for your reference.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Hello Renee,

The plant still looks fine for now. If the browning progresses all over the plant I would be concerned. So long as just a few brown spots occur and they do not become widespread over the entire plant, it should be fine. What probably occurred is that the fall bruised the leaves and pitchers and caused some browning in the affected spots. If the plant is still growing new leaves it should be just fine. Nepenthes are really quite tough plants that can take quite a bit of punishment and keep right on going. You can clip off a section of vine and just stick it in the soil straight away and it will often enough root in a few months after drooping and sulking for a while.

Christopher
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentTHANKS!!! I will keep an eye on my plants and let you know if there are any other problems!


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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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