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Sick Nepenthes ventricosa?

This started growing out in my Nepenthes ventricosa pot after I repotted about 6 months ago.

The N. ventricosa has not been doing well at all (though all my other plants are doing fine), so I wondered if it was possible that the moss was somehow responsible for the nep's continued decline? This moss is starting to show up in a few of my other pots, and I've been plucking it out systematically as I see it, but there was so much in the nep pot I never bothered.

It wasn't produced a pitcher in over 6 months; the end of the leaf always dies before one opens. It is a fairly young plant but was producing a pitcher on every leaf before. You can see from one of the photos below the closest I've come in 6 months to a "pitcher".

Nep's current conditions:
  • 160W of T12 6500K lighting, 12 hours a day (was 13/day until yesterday, and was 14/day about a month before that)
  • Temps: 65-78 F night/day
  • Humidity: 45%-70% night/day
  • Soil: Peat/perlite/orchid bark mix
  • Fertilizer: 1/4 strength Maxsea (the new "standard" stuff) once per month (was twice per month until I dropped lighting to 13 hours). Pured over plant and into soil; I flush the pot with quite a bit of water 24 hours later.
  • Distilled water only

I don't think I keep the soil too wet (it generally stays damp), but given it's got 33% peat in it, I wonder if I should water even less than I do now.

Any ideas?
 
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3 things stand out to me.....

1. Need a bit less peat in the mix...more like 20% or so, so your mix may be too wet.

2. more likely.....too much fertillizer turns the mix to mush, and all the green moss in the pot kinda clues me in that it is this.

3...That might be a fungus growing on the new leaf, if so, you need a fungicide.
 
yeah, definitely water it less. i think it's also rarer and rarer to see people using peat in their nep potting soil mixes. the popular mix currently uses LFS, perlite/pumice, and orchid bark with a dash of charcoal if you so chose. your soil quality might be too rich as indicated by a large presence of bryophytes.
 
Thanks, I started wondering about not putting fertilizer into the soil anymore, as I think you may be right. If I unpot it, I may very well see a sub-crown stem and an inch-diameter "afro" that should be flowing roots.

Do people who fertilize neps generally pour fertilizer into the pitchers or foliar feed only?

Do you think neem oil spray would be sufficient if it is fungus?
 
its mostly folar or root feed. then a good flush through the pot.
 
For a small amount of fungus you could use neem, but if it doesn't work I'd go with captan....captan kills any fungus, even the stubborn ones. A word of warning though.....if you use captan, wait for it to dry before putting the plant under the lights, captan causes leaf burn if it is exposed to bright light while still wet.
 
Thanks again Exo; will do.

its mostly folar or root feed. then a good flush through the pot.

Okay, thanks. Little confusion though - Do you mean that if I pour it into the soil I should rinse it out immediately rather than waiting 24 hours? I thought that would defeat the purpose of putting fertilizer into the soil, if the roots are not given time to absorb some of it.

Or have I misunderstood
 
The safe way is just spraying the fertilizer on the leaves. You can drops some into the pitchers. But NOT pour the fertilizer into soil. If the plants are not in active growth (such yours), you'd better stop fertilizing. Just enough light and suitable humidity is OK.
 
I have LFS, orchid bark (with a little charcoal already thrown into it), and perlite available. I'll unpot it, rinse the roots, and repot into this mix.

Should this be a 1:1:1 mix with the above media?
 
  • #10
I have LFS, orchid bark (with a little charcoal already thrown into it), and perlite available. I'll unpot it, rinse the roots, and repot into this mix.

Should this be a 1:1:1 mix with the above media?

Yeah, that ratio sounds about right.
 
  • #11
Too wet in both the pot and on the plant. The leaf damage looks like water down in the crown as the leaves are developing. It also looks dehydrated and since it is clearly not underwatered, indicates root problems.
 
  • #12
Adding to all of that. I read somewhere that if you fertilize too much, Nepenthes, in some cases, will stop producing pitchers due to receiving all its nutrients through the leaves and not the regular way(pitchers). So all in all, I think it might be a little bit of everything. Good luck. It looks healthy enough to pull through.
 
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