Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 10/6/2011

Question
Hello! I have a sarracenia flava that I've been growing since this summer. I received the plant bareroot, and I potted it up and it's grown 3 new leaves (phyllodia) since then. I have it in full sun with my vft and other sarracenia, potted in lfs and peat moss, and watered with distilled water. I live in Brunswick, GA, U.S. Anyways, something I've noticed is that the older leaves have turned a creamy white color with smaller brown spots dotting them. I'm not sure if this is a mold or disease? The newest leaf just turned this way, so I felt compelled to ask if this was a normal occurence. As far as I can see, I don't see any pests, just the occasional spider web my plants seem to obtain. My sarracenia rubra is untouched by this condition.
Thanks, J

Answer
Thank you for the information.  In this case, a photo would be very helpful to give you a proper diagnosis.  But from your detailed description alone, I would suspect mold.  This is normal on some varieties of Sarracenia that produce copious amounts of nectar.  The nectar will encourage mold spores to grow, especially in very humid conditions.  Fortunately, the mold is really a cosmetic issue and doesn't affect the overall health of the plant.  It's essentially benign, although it's rather unsightly.  

Since it's late in the season and your plant is showing signs of going dormant, you can cut off the affected pitchers.  To prevent the mold spreading to other pitchers, spray your plant with a sulfur fungicide.  Watch our video podcast on the subject for more information on fungicides.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVUrMaGjVs

Good growing!
Jacob Farin