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Dexenthes

Aristoloingulamata
I received my two hybrids off of ebay today! They were in the same bag so each plant was not specifically labeled but:
Here's what I believe to be N. spectabilis x talangensis
SANY0268.jpg

The leaves look in good condition, the plant seems strong, and healthy, I was surprised by how little roots it had though. The growth tip looks pretty green, so I'm not too worried.... Yet.
SANY0269.jpg

Now this is what I think is N. ampullaria x talangensis. The plant has three pitchers on it, and most of the leaves look green and healthy. Unfortunately the growth tip and the most recent leaves look an unhealthy color. I would guess this is because of the temps it experienced on the flight from Mississippi to SE Alaska, as well as the ampullaria heritage.
SANY0264.jpg

This shows the contrast between the color of the latest leaf, and the one which bares the largest pitcher.
SANY0267.jpg

Here is the largest pitcher. So far I like the coloration, and although I have no personal experience with ampullaria, it doesn't appear to me to be at all the pure species.
SANY0266.jpg

Here's an update on my ventricosa from flytrapshop.com, as you can see it hasn't grown much at all, the growth tip has been stunted and slow for months.
SANY0273.jpg

But it did push up a basal that seems to be doing pretty good just recently. I was thinking about maybe removing the basal so that the growth tip is the plant's main focus, and then maybe trying to turn the basal into a rooted cutting? If you guys think this is a bad idea, I wont.
SANY0274.jpg

Here's the terrarium that I put them all in for now. It's about 78 degrees during the day, 60ish at night. With Variable humidity that never drops below 55% but usually in the 80's to 99%. As you can see my N. bical is outgrowing my largest terrarium, even in the relatively dismal "intermediate" conditions. I have a feeling that the terrarium could be a good place for the ampullaria x talangensis
SANY0271.jpg

Here's the measly lighting. Two clamp lamps with different types and sizes of Compact florescent bulbs. I will probably get more and better lights soon, but they haven't been the worst so far.
SANY0272.jpg

As you can see my method of keeping in humidity is primitive and most inefficient, I need another extension cord so I can run my fan in, or perhaps create a new terrarium altogether for the spectabilis x talangensis and maybe the ventricosa?

Comments/critique/ideas are welcome


To take the basal off the vent or not?
Take the ventricosa out and make it a house plant?
Provide more intense highland conditions in a separate environment for the Spect x talang?
Focus on raising the constant temperature of the 'lowland' terrarium for the new amp x talang?
 
That reddish bronzy color on the undersides of the leaves on the N. ventricosa is usually caused by small sucking insects. Most likely mites. The older leaves will show the damage more than the newer leaves.
 
Mites you think? I was hoping it was due to me keeping it too humid or something. I will check tomorrow morning and see if perhaps I can find any of the buggers... That would make sense then why it's growing so slow.
 
Tony you're right There are mites all over the poor thing! What can I do? I'm scraping them off with a knife right now... That wont be effective in the long run I am sure. How easily do these mites spread to all my other plants?
 
Mites are generally not too difficult to get rid of but you gotta keep after them for a while to get rid of them. Maybe some other hobby growers can chime in on what they used? I would recommend systemic orthenex.. but topical sprays such as neem oil are also good since mites are easily smothered with oils. If you decide to use a different chemical just be sure to check the label and make sure it is effective against mites since some are not. If you go for a topical spray vs a systemic type be sure to wet all the leaf surfaces.

Hard to say if they spread. Some plants seem more prone to mite attacks than others. I would certainly treat all the plants because even if there are no major outbreaks on the other plants there may be a few critters crawling around and they could just reinfest your other plants if they remain untreated. Deffinately at least take a close look at the others. Look on the undersides of the lowest leaves first and any brownish patches.
 
Thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated. What are your thoughts on Ladybugs, or some other type of "good guy" insect? I'd prefer to try completely nontoxic methods first. Neem oil sounds like a good idea.
 
All insecticides aside, I would snip the dead leaves and toss them far away.
 
ahah I actually did that immediately after I took those pictures....
 
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