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Came home to this...

i was out of town and this is what i see my first day back...not sure whats going on here.

Theres a couple good look ones like this one
j9rgoz.jpg


but then a couple that look like this
9uoidh.jpg


these next two are the same pitcher just different angle
2800du9.jpg


akwoj6.jpg


rkdcgp.jpg




N.ventricosa, was left with my mom she knows well enough how to water it and how often, lights are on a timer its 2 cfl 26 watt bulbs and 1 t8. im just confused...the leaves are doing fine...just the pitchers are baffling me. Also...

---------- Post added at 10:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------

...Should i seperate the ventricosa (btw guys i just got this plant 2 weeks ago).

it looks ridiculously thick compared to others plants.
2yvrw29.jpg


312yfio.jpg



thank you to anyone that even takes the time to look at this.

-Javier
 
Should i seperate the ventricosa (btw guys i just got this plant 2 weeks ago).

Or you mean ventricosas ! :banana2: Wow, what a clump. Be careful though, separating it could shock it, Nep roots are rather sensitive to that.
 
Maybe the pitchers were just old? Has the plant been moved lately or anything about the enviroment changed?
 
well i dont want to stump the growth of the plant(s) by letting them sit in such a small pot, what would you do?

and exo yes they got shipped approximately 2 weeks ago from oregon so im sure that from there to south florida is a bit of an enviorment change, would that cause the pitchers to go downhill like so? but for most of the pitchers (except one i believe) its just the top half that seems to be dying out. ive read that the pitchers die after a certain amount of time so im hoping thats the case, this is my first nep so i hope im just over analyzing things.
 
I've noticed Neps post-shipping without fluid in their pitchers shrivel and die, and adding water won't stop it, oddly enough. Smaller pitchers hold in the fluid better because usually the lid is closer to the peristome.

In addition, I don't think many Nepenthes can be stunted with small pots (exceptions include rajah, bicalcarata, northiana), so I wouldn't repot them just yet.
 
oh okay! =] i was scared i would have to repot them, thats a relief. and should i be adding water to the pitchers??? i thought they secrete their own fluids?
 
oh okay! =] i was scared i would have to repot them, thats a relief. and should i be adding water to the pitchers??? i thought they secrete their own fluids?

You don't need to add water to filled pitchers! If you please, read my last comment -maybe- slower? ;)
 
lol i get what your saying sorry im asking questions on two threads and was excited to hear about the false vivipary, oddities are cool in my book. thanks alot clue youve been a big help.

-Javier
 
Many plants moved into a new environment will experience problems while adjusting to their new home. Things like a few degrees of temp or humidity differences to us may be barely noticeable, but to a plant these can be drastic changes.

As far as transplanting or splitting and re-potting some Neps goes, I do it all the time successfully. However, I also have many years of experience doing that. Don't assume a plant is sensitive, but indeed you do need to know what you are doing.
As you express you are afraid to have to re-pot them, it indicates to me that at this point you could possibly do more damage than good. (I myself would have just split it and re-potted them up as soon as I got it, but that is me!) Do keep in mind you will need to get experience at some point.

Well, good luck.
Keep in mind that while not everyone is an expert, everyone does have an opinion! :-))
 
  • #10
haha loved that last sentence. well fear of HAVING to repot, i dont mind it just dont like feeling like ive neglected the plant extra space it needs. I want to repot them, more to experiment with and figure what they like down here and what works for me and them. i want to do just live sphag because it looks amazing, what do u recommend for the media growinold?

-Javier
 
  • #11
I'm sorry to throw you off, but do you have any more pictures of this clump? That is amazing!

I don't have much advice for repotting, but before a month ago, I had literally never repotted a nep, let alone my entire Sarr collection. I left all my pots growing in their stock pots and it was apparent that the plants needed new pots when they started drying out a lot faster than normal.

I just took my time, and asked some of my friend that grow, and it's pretty much like repotting any other plant. I soaked each plant in a bowl of water to loosen the old soil away. Some people like to add superthrive to the water to lessen the stress. I didn't experience any stalling like I was afraid of and I had a good first repotting experience. Nepenthes roots are brittle, but the plants are far from.
 
  • #12
Since you ask...I have my Neps growing in a variety of media. I used to do just LFS, occasionally with a little sand/peat and sometimes perlite mixed in. Now I also have been using everything (coir, cypress, orchid mix, etc., etc., etc.) everything but the kitchen sink! And I do mean everything!

From my experience, the real thing concerning Neps to understand is not so much "what media do I use", but what media am I using and how does it affect things?

What I mean by this is, start with reading the standard mixtures recommended for Neps. They are more forgiving than say a Cephalotus or other things, so recommendations will vary some and it is not overly important within reason. (I am sure someone else will tell you it is!) Use what you feel sounds like a good recipe. (I go by how it feels and looks, but that is something you will have to learn by doing.)
Once you plant them up, CAREFULLY, this is where the "how does it affect things?" begins. How often do you water? There is a relationship set up between the media you use, and how much/often you water. Now add to this how much light/heat/humidity you subject your plant to, and you will find that you need to find a subtle balance of all of these variables! By reading the "how to grow" writings/posts/books you will find out the "norm" of what to shoot for. Beyond that, it is up to YOU to determine where you are "off" from the norm (maybe too high of temps, too low of humidity, or not enough light, etc.) and then you have to watch the response of your plants and interpret what it is telling you about its experience of the conditions you are subjecting it to. (Dry leaves, rotting of the roots, etc.)(Oh, or outstanding and fast growth!)
And while others can make guesses at what is causing the problems, figuring it out yourself is the most rewarding, teaches you the most, and will make it better possible for you to figure things out the next time!) It can be confusing, but most of it is just common sense. (And sometimes there is no obvious cause, and the plant just slowly dies for no understandable reason. :( ) In reality, I know of no experienced grower who hasn't killed a bunch of plants! (Except those who already have ideal growing conditions outdoors, and have very little thinking or work to do to grow them... and even they have their own share of casualties.)

Anyway, dry leaves generally = too little water/too much light/too hot of conditions/ too little humidity... normal "that makes sense" stuff. You get the idea.

So, back to planting mixtures... if you plan on ignoring your plants for weeks at a time, a mix that holds a lot of water (LFS/peat/etc.) might be in order! It is up to you. Like I say, read what is suggested and tailor/pick out the mix to fit your needs.

No one likes to lose plants, but you have to learn and experience, and sometimes it happens.
From the look of it you have 2 or more plants in that pot. Using slightly different mixtures would actually give you an opportunity to find out a bit more of what the plant likes in YOUR conditions.
When separating plants, I often use rooting compound (I have done this forever!) and for me it insures a good rate of success. I also feel it gives them a head start rooting into their new home. I am not a big proponent of superthrive, so you may want to get the opinions of those believing it helps for a more rounded view on it. (I actually feel it is like me using rooting hormone, it helps because we believe it will!)

Don't worry too much, if you find one of your plants not doing as well as the other, you will still have the opportunity to adjust conditions to fill its needs. Just remember, plants take time to talk, and also need time to settle in. Use a LOT of care when transplanting, take your time! Soak the plants in water if it is taking you a long time (Do NOT let roots dry out!)

THEN, ignore them a bit! I mean, be patient! picking at them and constantly changing things will never give them the "stillness" they need to settle in and adjust.
I often contend that it has been a great thing to my CP hobby, that I have other hobbies too! This gives them the quiet time they need, to catch up to my desires to see them big and thriving!
For me, learning what plants are saying is one of the best parts of this hobby.

(Oh, you catching those funky looking pitchers happening is a good call.) As they have experienced a recent change in environment, it is likely their reaction to whatever they went thru. My advice would be to keep an eye on them now and see if they get better or continue to get worse. Continue to get worse means an environment alteration may be needed. Getting better means they had a bump in the road. They will tell you, in time. (Slow to react, slow to speak!)

Again, good luck! :water:
 
  • #13
WOW! =] Thanks alot growinold! that makes tons of sense and helps more than i thought it would! and yea ive been neglecting my ps3, think im going to go buy a game to distract me a bit from the plants, i tend to stare at them alot haha. again, Thank you.

-Javier
 
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