Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 5/11/2011

Question
Hi,
My D. Spatulata is dying. This is the second one I've had, and I am failing again.
I have it in a peat/perlite mix, tray method for watering, and have it on my east-facing back porch (gets direct sun approx. 6-7 hrs a day, before the sun hides behind my house).
Alternatively, I have tried it under grow lights in my kitchen. While not very strong, I keep them on for 14-16hrs a day. Additionally, I have a D. Scorpiodes in that condition and it is thriving. But inside it doesnt seem to work either for the Spatulata.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Regards,
Daniel

Answer
There are many possible reasons why plants die.  Given that you have a scorpiodes that is thriving, I would say that your lighting, water and soil seem appropriate.  Based solely on the information you provided, my best educated guess is fungus.  Spatulata is prone to fungus, especially if the clump is thick with plants.

You can certainly spray for fungus as a precaution, and it definitely won't hurt the situation.  For information about using fungicides, watch our video podcast on the topic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVUrMaGjVs

For a better diagnosis of the situation, could you upload a clear photograph of your plant.  Blurry photos of plants are not helpful, so make sure the image is clear.  I'll also need more information about the history of your plant.  How long have you had it?  Where did you get it from?  How long were you growing it on your porch before growing it under your kitchen grow lights?  How long were you growing it under your grow lights?  What is the wattage of our grow lights?  How far from the lights do you have your plants?  How long have you been growing your scorpiodes in that same location?  What's your source of water?  What's the source of your soil ingredients?

All of this information is necessary so I could rule out other factors that can cause plant death.  Right now, I can only make an educated guess based on the information you provided.  You can treat as if your plant had fungus and wait a couple weeks.  If you see the plant rebound, then you'll know it was fungus.  If the plant continues to decline, then it's something else, which means we'll need more information to properly diagnosis what's going on.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin