Carnivorous Plants/N. Raffelsiana

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Expert: - 10/29/2010


Question
I ordered the plant and it came to me in about a week.
It looked healthy and came with a pitcher. It turned brown
and died off like I expected to.But the leaves have red
stuff all over it and I don't know what it is. Please help
identify it and how to stop this for the leaves that will
grow on my plant.
Thanks.

Answer
Hello Jin,

Since I cannot see the plant, I do not know exactly what the red "stuff" is.

There are a couple of things that could be happening. If the red "stuff" rubs off with your finger, it is probably fungus or mold growing on the leaf surfaces on which nectar from the plant has collected. This is often unavoidable unless you can increase the airation and light around the plant to kill the mold off.

If the coloration on the leaves does not rub off with your finger, it is likely produced by the plant itself as a reaction to high intensity light. Many species of Nepenthes produce red coloration on their leaves when placed in strong light. My Nepenthes sanguinea and Nepenthes truncata both display red coloration on their leaves under my 18000 lumen shop lights. This is normal and unavoidable if you want the Nepenthes in good light to keep up pitcher growth and plant health.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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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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