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Carnivorous Plants/Nepenthes Ventricosa Burn Recovery

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Expert: - 2/7/2011


Question

Injured Nep Ventricosa
I've had this Nep for almost a year now, and probably five or six months ago moved it under some T5 lights for the winter to try to keep it pitchering.  Unfortunately I gave it too much of a light shift and burned the large majority of the plant's leaves.  It has survived, and put out a second shoot from the bottom of the plant, but there seems to be a problem with the main growing point.

The leaves are consecutively shrinking at an alarming rate, and the growing point itself seems misformed (flattened, rather than the conical tip I'm used to seeing on this plant).  The room that the plant is in has a heat cycle from 55 - 70 degrees over the course of the day, and the photo period is approximately 14 hours.  Plant is potted in a peat/orchid bark/perlite mix.  The secondary growth point seems very happy, and continues to produce consecutively larger leaves.  One of my other neps was burned at the same time (Truncata/ventrata I think...can't find my notes at the moment), and seems to be fully recovered and is putting out larger leaves again.

Do I just need to give the vent some more time, or is there anything I can do to help it at this point?

Answer
Hello Peter,

Once a growth point is damaged or on its way out, all you can really do is wait for alternate growth points to develop and vine out. The best overall lights for intensity and temperature range would be cool white florescent T-12 tubes like the four foot tubes in typical shop lights. Two to four tubes of 3000 lumens each provides enough intensity and coverage for small Nepenthes. As the plants get bigger, add another fixture ot two to increase the intesity and the coverage area with little worries about burning. I have 18000 lumens of such florescents over my Nepenthes, a N. truncata, and a N. sanguinea, and the lights are on for only 12 hours a day in winter at a distance of about 6-8 inches from the topmost leaves. Both plants are pitchering non-stop.

Christopher

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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