What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Nepenthes Ventricosa?

Ant

Your one and only pest!
I have a Nepenthes Ventricosa that has no pitchers. They always die before they open up. Is there any way I can help them grow?
 
I have a Nepenthes Ventricosa that has no pitchers. They always die before they open up. Is there any way I can help them grow?

Is it new? Have you had it a while? What kind of soil is it in and what kind of light?

Do the pitchers swell at all before they die? Or do they get full sized and the lid never pops? If the lid never opens you may need to increase the humidity.

xvart.
 
If you would take 1 minute to give us your conditions you would probably had your answer by now. Come on man we aren't mind readers and these plants do what their conditions dictate.
 
I have had it for a year. The pitchers never grow. It is in natural light. They soild seems fine as I have been able to get 3 pitchers from it but, that is the end of it and I must wait 3months to get them agian.
 
I've read that not pitchering is often a symptom of not enough light. Unless you're sure its getting enough, I would either move it to someplace where it gets more, or add a light with a timer.
 
I put it out on the deck all day and the only change was a leaf that opened early then usual so I will see if that will help it the long run.
 
If the pitchers never grow or inflate then one of the more major conditions for life processes is wrong in some way. Could you provide a ballpark figure of:

Soil type and moisture levels:
Humidity %:
Light (i know you said natural but does that mean blazing sun,dappled shade, indirect sun, natural shade, etc)
Water type: as in tap water R.O purified, distilled, etc
Temperature range:

That should give us a clearer idea of what this plant is experiencing.
 
Don't forget that its also the end of winter. Most of my Neps grow outside in summer and as soon as fall rolls around they stop pitchering completely. I have not had a new pitcher on any of my Neps since about November, and even the few that I got then were small and rather unimpressive.

Now that the warmer weather is here and the days are getting longer my plants are beginning to recover. Some of the tendrils that just sat there for the last 4 months are begining to elongate and look as they are going to inflate soon. Give it time, if your "soil" media is right, and the temps are right, and it gets enough light, it will recover and pitcher for you again.
 
It gets parly sun all day. Humidty is lower then it should be but, that hasn't stoped it before. The soil is fine a moist. The plant does have a have shriveled pitcher that I put fish food in a one leaf unraveled earlier then usual.
 
  • #10
How low is "lower than it should be"? lower than 50%?
What is the soil mix comprised of(ex. LFS, Perlite, Orchid bark 1,1,1)?
 
  • #11
I am so proud! That just happens to be my favorite recipe!
 
  • #12
I think it should be around 50% or more. The soil is an unknown but I don't have anything to cange it to.
 
  • #13
You don't know what the soil is? Thats not entirely good....
 
  • #14
It hasn't cause any death at all. The plant has even shot up a new stem in the mix.
 
  • #15
My Neps don't pitcher until late spring/early summer. They don't pitcher in the fall/winter.

Tom
 
  • #16
heres a question... you say you keep it outside during the day? what about at night. what do you do with it?
Alex
 
  • #17
I bring it in just incease it snows. It really isn't a temp. change thow.
 
  • #18
humidity though. to the plant its a big change. to you it may not. i did that with my first nep, an N. ventrata. it didnt do anything FOREVER! i finally put it outside for spring and summer and it pitchered nicely...until a storm came along that it :(
Alex
 
  • #19
The problem is that air is a fluid. It wants to have an equilibrium so the air with low RH (low to the plants, at least) will suck the water right out of the tendrils. The plant has to have time to adapt and become harder to low RH (within reason).

Terraria are fun and easy :)
 
  • #20
I would just leave it inside for a while and let it adjust to one spot. Then, if the temperature at night allows you to leave it outside for the rest of the season you can take it outside. My ventricosa is doing fine inside, and it has never been outside. I would hazard a guess that it is just having no time to adapt to inside/outside all the time.

Is the potting mix what came with it? What does it look like? Does it have chunks of bark looking stuff? White rocks? Brown soil/peat?

xvart.
 
Back
Top