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Digestion

I have a Dady Long Legs body being digested in one of my pitchers currently... I understand that S. purpurea digesests with bacteria... am i correct? What does this look like? I can actually SEE this bug being digested, it looks like white spikes of fluff... Kinda like mold. I can reach it with tweezers, but i havent, do i? Is it mold, or is this what the digestion looks like? The bug is almost covered in hairs, but the are all underwater, none sticking up, out... If its mold, i dont want it to kill me leaf...
 
You're right about digestion by bacteria. That mold seems strange...if you see it actually growing on the inner surface of the leaf, remove the leaf and treat the plant with a mild fungicide.
Chris
 
I have had a wasp in one of my purps for three days... he's still alive.

bacterial action is usually kind of slow... my purps have devoured daddy long legs before... so you should be ok.. just keep an eye on it.

What's really cool, is when you look in there and find larvae swimming around! euughhh!
 
parasuco

i havve the same stuff in one or two of my pitchers...

im pretty sure its mold...

i havent done anything about it and it hasnt harmed the plant so im going to leave it be...

if it seems to spread or grow, id take DE's advice and cut off the leaf and treat the plant w/ fungicide...

good luck
 
Dear Parasuco,
With your Purps, the easiest way to spot if there is any infection to the leaf is by seeing if the leaf material is turning brown. How old is the leaf in question? In my experience older pitchers are not harmed by decaying prey, but occasionally on young pitchers, bacterial infection can kill off part of the leaf. Do you keep your plant indoors or outdoors?
 
Hey Mike,
Do you think plants grown indoors would be more susceptible to fungal attacks?
 
You should have no problem. The Purpurea's I see in the wild every year are always fungal free and catch the slimyest of meals.......slugs! The water reeks to high heavens but no fungus has ever been seen by me in the wild Purpurea's or mine.
 
The only white fur is devouring the daddy long legs body... Its totally engulfed by it... The leaf is the oldest one there... It was tehre when i bought it... The tip of the hodd is browning, but the rest of the leaft is totally healthy...
 
That is normal. It is the bacterial action and weak enzmes in the pitcher doing that. No fear, everything is normal.
 
  • #10
Hi Dionaea,Parasuco
Plants grown indoors are more likely to fungal attacks because of air movement and lighting, but with my purps outside they seem more resilient to decay, Nep G is absolutlely right when there will be no problem as most of the pitchers on my Purps are brimming with decaying insects (I have 400+ Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea growing outside!). With my greenhouse grown plants, occasionally and I mean very occasionally on a brand new open pitcher especially when there is no liquid in the pitcher something starts rotting down there you can get a dead patch occuring. But this is never a problem to the plant itself
 
  • #11
Ohh yeah! I am good!
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I knew I was right as that is the Sarracenia I specialize in! S.Purpurea. But my favorite Sarracenia is S.Purpurea spp. Purpurea. I LOVE the flowers and near black-red pitchers they get! At least that is the most comomon pitcher colorization I get when they are grown in full sunlight. I will get a bronzy colored one if they are in shaded conditions. I now am on my search for S. Purpurea spp. Purpurea F. Heterophylla this summer in the bogs I go to. I am going to do a more thorough search of them this time through. But yep I know my stuff on Purpurea spp. Purpurea! I am not a complete dummy on the other Sarracenia either! I just know alot about the Purpurea Purpurea as it was the very first Sarracenia I ever saw and since then it has been my favorite. But I am clearly an advanced grower on Sarracenia period!
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So I know my stuff and Mike knows his stuff! Espically if he grows 400+ S.Purpurea spp. Purpurea's!!!!!!!!! Wow! :eek::eek::eek:
 
  • #12
You dont collect them from the wild DO YOU??? Where do u live exactly?
 
  • #13
No! I take PICTURES and I RECORD THIER RECORDS IN A SMALL BOOK I TAKE WITH ME!!! Duh! I live in Alexandria Bay, NY "Home of the Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle"
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