Expert: Christopher Littrell - 6/6/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I purchased this nep few months ago, and this is what it looked like before. About 2 weeks ago the leaves started turning brown in the center and then spread to other leaves. The plant now has 5 leaves left, 2 of which are turning brown in the center closer to the steam. The plant seems like its going to die, but I dont know the cause. I have several other plants next to it and they seem to be fine.

ANSWER: Hello Ilya,

If I see the environment you have the N. sanguinea in clearly, it is in a large communal tray surrounded by water and is growing in a rather small pot. Nepenthes are one genera of carnivorous plants you will want to keep out of water trays of standing water as they can suffer from root rot and die rather quickly. The browning of the leaves from center out and top down is the typical pattern of death when root rot occurs. Get the plant out of the water and only water it once every 2-3 days and let the excess water drain out and away from the pot. Never allow standing water to remain under the pot in large amounts for too long. You can use small amounts of standing water under Nepenthes if they have been placed in very large, tall pots where their roots are above the water level, but only with very small amounts of water for short periods of time (a couple of days).

I do not know if the plant will recover now as it sounds like it might be too far gone from root rot to save, but it is always worth trying so far as getting the environment back to normal for the plant at least.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: Hello, here are photos of the plant as of yesterday, also photos the environment where my neps grow right now.
I stoped watering the plant, hoping that roots air out and maybe stop the damage, and hope for the best at this point.

I live in Sacramento where humidity is low (25-50%) and gets very hot sometimes, (105+ degrees in late summer.)The plants seem to get plenty of light, direct light in early morning and then filtered till about 2:30pm. The filtering material is plastic that works similar to sun glasses. As you can see in the photos the shaded area under the roof.
Most of my neps seem do be doing fine for the most part; however, sometimes the pitcher lids seem to close or turn, from the heat maybe?
Also, I have a hybrid N. Kohala that seems to be growing very slow compared to it's baby. Ive read that babies grow much faster, but it seems like it will outgrow the main plant in time. The plant does not seem to be producing any pitchers, just leaves right now. Oh and the leaves turned red because it was under direct sunlight for a few days, so it was placed back on the table.
And one more thing, I noticed a lot of small ants running all over my neps, is this normal? Thanks.

Answer
Hello Ilya,

Good, just keep the soil moist and make sure the roots receive plenty of oxygen. The plant does seem to show signs of bruising or blackening on several leaves, however; so long as new growth is still coming in from the top of the vine it is alive.

Just keep the hottest sun off your plants in the noontime and keep them hydrated. Nepenthes typically do not like heat levels over 90 degrees.

You might want to get some airier soil mix of 1/3 sphagnum peat, 1/3 coconut husk, and 1/3 orchid bark. I use that mixture for my Nepenthes sanguinea and it is trying to outgrow my house. Nepenthes like a lot of airy, but moist, soil around their roots. The looser the soil, the better the plant seems to do. Temperatures of about 80 degrees are optimal for Nepenthes, but if they are shaded from noon sun like you have done, they can survive hotter zones. The closing and turning of the lids is a result of heat and humidity. The heat is causing moisture to evaporate from the lids and the turning is the way they exhibit drooping.

You can kick start pitcher production in Nepenthes by providing a weak foliar orchid fertilizer. Try 1/4 to 1/8 strength fertilizer and just wipe or spray it lightly on each leaf top and bottom once every two to four weeks. When you have the first pitcher you can stop fertilizing and allow the plant to catch its own fertilizer.

Ants are attracted to carnivorous plants of most species due to the nectar they produce. The ants will simply be free fertilizer for your Nepenthes. I have an ant colony living in the soil of one of my inside Nepenthes right now. They are providing a feast for all my Pitcher Plants.

Christopher