Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 6/26/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hey i had a few questions and was wondering if you could help me.

1.  I have a relatively large n. caesar which doesn't seem to want to put out any pitchers for me.  i moved it outside into the greenhouse were it has pretty high humidity and warmth, and it gets partial sun/shade, all day.  I was wondering is it getting too much sun if the leaves are starting to curl inward?  or is this caused by another thing?  It's still slowly putting out leaves at as steady rate, just no pitchers.

2.  Since i was going to start up my sarracenia and temperate collection again i was wondering when you repot all your sarrs is it really a 100% new mix? the last year before i traded my sarrs off i used half old and half of the new mix for the new year and i was wondering what happens to all the old mix when you repot them?

3.  Lastly i was wondering if you were getting in any n. truncata's anytime soon, i would be interested in purchasing 1 or maybe a few, i miss having my truncata which i sadly lost do to an animal.  So i would really like to add some back to my collection.

Thank you very much for the help
dustin

by the way nice plants, saw them via facebook :D, awesome as always

ANSWER: Hi Dustin,

Thank-you for the compliment on the plants.

With your Caesar, it probably needs more sun (this is the case 90% of the time when Nepenthes won't pitcher), and probably needs to be a little warmer.  Caesar is a hybrid of N. merrilliana (a lowlander) and lowland N. truncata.  Both like it warm; daytime temps should be in the 80's and 90's.  Night shouldn't be below 65.

It's risky to reuse old soil.  It can harbor fungal spores and other nasties.  I do know of one orchid grower that used to wash his old media in hydrogen peroxide, then reuse it, but that would cost as much as new peat moss.  Our old stuff just goes into a big compost pile.  I have used old mix in the bottom of pots of regular plants after adding a little lime to it, then putting fresh potting soil on the top half.  When we still lived in Portland, we just put old soil in the trash or yard debris pick-up.

We do have some tiny truncatas, but I don't know when Jacob plans on putting them online.  From their size, it will probably be a few months.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

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

QUESTION: Thanks for info here are some pics of how the leaves are curling

http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn470/lazy-photographer/Picture230.jpg
http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn470/lazy-photographer/Picture232.jpg
http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn470/lazy-photographer/Picture231.jpg

Answer
Hi Dustin,

Judging from the color of the leaves, as I suspected, everything your experiencing is from low light.  Your plant needs more sun.  Jacob mentioned that the photo of him on his Facebook page is a Nepenthes Caesar growing at the Le'lani Hapu'u Nepenthes nursery in Hawaii.  That plant is growing in near full sun.  I've included a photo of a Caesar another customer is growing in Vancouver, WA in a west window in his house.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com