Expert: Christopher Littrell - 4/22/2007

Question
I have to try and save my friend nepenthes(green).  some of the tips of the leaves are brown, the bottom half  of the stalk is brown but the top half is green. is this from over watering?,do i need to cut the stalk and start over? if so, how is this done. I have beautiful house plants,if this were one of my plant i would simply cut the stalk and place it in water until it took root then repot it, but when he bought this to the house i am at a total loss. I have it in a spot when it gets partial shade,HELP me save this plant

Answer
Hi geri,

In addition, I just wanted to ask if the plant has been exposed to any fertilizer or chemical treatments with copper like some fungicides have. Too much fertilizer on the leaves can burn them and copper is poisonous to carnivorous plants of virtually all types. Nepenthes can be fertilized, but only in very dilute mix, preferably with orchid blood meal fertilizer in 1/4 or less mixture, and only by foliar application by wiping the leaves with the fertilizer on a rag or cotton swab once every 2 weeks or even less often, like once a month. If the Nepenthes is producing pitchers, it will catch it's own insect fertilizer, so does not need artificial fertilizing normally. I never have fertilized mine. Never fertilize the soil of a carnivorous plant in any case. Their roots simply cannot handle fertilizer and will burn and rot.

If you have any further questions, send me or one of the other experts a follow up.

Hello geri,

It sounds to me as though the plant simply needs more light. You have it in shade and it needs to receive fairly strong, but somewhat filtered sunlight, like what it would get under a tree outside. You can artificially provide florescent light like a double tube 40 watt shop light with cool white tubes or a 100 watt equivalent compact flourescent bulb at least 6-7 inches, or closer, from the leaves as well if you have no adequate west, east, or south facing windows.

If the plant were overwatered, it would die from the top down with the newest leaves browning and shrivelling first. The brown vine at the bottom half of the plant sounds normal as Nepenthes vine out and leave a bark like stalk close to the ground while the green leafy section reaches up for the light. If in doubt, you can check the roots to see if they are rotten. They will be a small brush of black fragile roots if they are healthy. If the soil mixture is well drained, acidic (peat moss/bark/coconut fiber in equal parts or one part peat moss to two parts perlite), and the plant is watered as a houseplant once every 3-4 days. It is not likely to be overwatered unless a tray of water has been placed under it (just let the water drain through and do not leave a tray of water under the plant) or it is in a pot or terrarium with no drainage. They need a lot of drainage and well aired soil so they do not become waterlogged.

In any case, make sure the roots are alive and that the plant gets more light. If the roots are dying off, then you could try a cutting, but Nepenthes cuttings are slow to take, so you might need some rooting hormone and a lot of patience.

I hope your friends plant recovers soon.