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Nepenthes glabrata troubleshooting

Physalaemus

Physalaemus

Hi all,

Sorry I've been keeping so quiet lately. My fiance and I are finally moving ahead with wedding plans and I'm teaching a 10% overload this semester. So busy! I have a big update in the works though.

I did want to see if anyone could help me with a bit of a mystery. I've had a Nepenthes glabrata for about 5 months now. Despite making plenty of new leaves in that time, it has never produced a pitcher. It also didn't have any pitchers when I first got it.

I've been keeping this plant in my highland rack, sitting right next to my lowii. I thought glabrata was supposed to be an easy, reliable pitcherer. It sad to see that even my PITA lowii and talangensis make pitchers on a regular basis, while this one does nothing. Thoughts?

RH: 70% night, 90% daytime
Temps: Nightly low 60F, Daytime high 79F
 
I've had the same issue with mine. It has put out tons of leaves, close to 20 since september, but no pitchers. Hopefully someone will know what to do.
 
I did not find N. glabrata to be particularly easy when I grew it. It was not difficult but it seemed rather specific as well.

It could be that the temps could stand to be just a little lower?

Perhaps the substrate you are using has something to do with it. Also lighting could be an issue. Mine pitchered decently and it had pretty poor lighting, but it was close to the lights.

You might try giving it either more or less light depending on how intense you think the light it is getting is.
 
Mine pitchered happily when the humidity was a constant 85% or higher.
 
When I got mine, it was on death's door. All the leaves were slowly turning black one by one. Googling seemed to find a lot of people having the same issue. Not sure why. Ultimately, I was relieved when I was able to get it to recover and it pitchered quite nicely in the summer/fall. Since winter has arrived, it has not done much with the pitchers. It seems to look like it wants to inflate, but leaves duds instead (no pun intended). Continues to throw out leaf after leaf at its regular pace. I just figured it was a matter of seasons and that it would perk back up with spring. At least that is what I am hoping. Glabrata has certainly not been easy going for me like some of my other neps.
 
I've been having the same issue with mine and I've had it for about 5 months also. I got it from a certain retailer in MA who has a questionable reputation, so I'm not sure if that is why. I just repotted it since I didn't like the mix it was in, and I'll be increasing the photoperiod on my grow rack from 12 to 16 hours this month, so hopefully that'll kick it into gear. It has no trouble putting out new leaves though.
 
Glad someone made this thread, I've had a glabrata for a few months now that grows very steadily but never seems to pitcher. It always seems to drop very long tendrils that curl around and then do nothing. I was hesitant to create a thread, though, because there are two tendrils at the moment which have buried themselves deep within the sphagnum in the pot. I am hoping this is the necessary process to get them to pitcher. If not, I may consider moving it to a brighter location.
 
I've got a Glabrata that seems to be doing great at the moment, can't say I know why though! Whilst it was doing fine over the end of summer (when I got it), it really picked up over winter when my temps were, and still are, around 55F at night and around 70F in the day so maybe if you lowered your temps a little it might help. It could also be the nighttime humidity, as mine is happy in 80% in the day and around 90% at night.
Hope this helps in any way!
 
tom, are the pitchers inflating? mine throw a lot of tendrils and pitchers, they just havent inflated past month or so.. perhaps photoperiod has something to do with it as well?
 
  • #10
CreatureTom said:
I've got a Glabrata that seems to be doing great at the moment, can't say I know why though! Whilst it was doing fine over the end of summer (when I got it), it really picked up over winter when my temps were, and still are, around 55F at night and around 70F in the day so maybe if you lowered your temps a little it might help. It could also be the nighttime humidity, as mine is happy in 80% in the day and around 90% at night.
Hope this helps in any way!
Click to expand...



I've got the exact same temps, but my humidity drops at night, spare a few 30 minute intervals when the humidifier comes on. Just moved the plant to a location with more light though, so we'll see how that helps.
 
  • #11
Thanks for the replies everyone! If nothing else, misery loves company :p
 
  • #12
zlookup said:
tom, are the pitchers inflating? mine throw a lot of tendrils and pitchers, they just havent inflated past month or so.. perhaps photoperiod has something to do with it as well?
Click to expand...

Yep they are, it gets intense light and an 11 hour photoperiod over the winter. Maybe as a true highlander they like a high light intensity
 
  • #13
Its possible theat the plants need more humidity...tie a baggy around a tendril to see if that does anything. If a pitcher forms, then you have your answer.
 
  • #14
Glabrata was a tricky one for me. I found it did best with high humidity, and it absolutely hated temps going above 80. It seemed to truly appreciate solid highland conditions. Once I nailed this down, it did quite well, but every now and then on hot summer days the temp would get to 85 and it would set it back for sometimes a month or more. After a few years it was readily making uppers for me. Then the whole plant up and died mysteriously. It declined very rapidly and died, and I don't know what happened to it. I found no signs of parasites or disease.

Oh and to add, it my plant would drop a bunch of tendrils that wouldn't inflate for a long time. Then it would suddenly open them all at once. Then go through another no pitcher cycle, then inflate all the new ones again. Very cyclical.
 
  • #15
nightsky said:
Glabrata was a tricky one for me. I found it did best with high humidity, and it absolutely hated temps going above 80. It seemed to truly appreciate solid highland conditions. Once I nailed this down, it did quite well, but every now and then on hot summer days the temp would get to 85 and it would set it back for sometimes a month or more. After a few years it was readily making uppers for me. Then the whole plant up and died mysteriously. It declined very rapidly and died, and I don't know what happened to it. I found no signs of parasites or disease.

Oh and to add, it my plant would drop a bunch of tendrils that wouldn't inflate for a long time. Then it would suddenly open them all at once. Then go through another no pitcher cycle, then inflate all the new ones again. Very cyclical.
Click to expand...



Thanks Nightsky, that was very helpful. Seeing as mine has a ton of pitchers that haven't pitchered yet, I hope your cycle theory proves true for my plant.
 
  • #16
After doing nothing but throwing out tendrils galore all winter, the Glabrata is starting to inflate them all at the same time as nightsky stated. Hopefully those who have been staring at tendrils for the past few months are experiencing the same thing around this time.
 
  • #17
I find that high humidity helps...but decent light is the most important. I got the best pitchers when it was getting moderate lighting....too high and it burns..too low and no pitchers.
 
  • #18
Mine has been sending up pitchers non-stop for about two years. I clipped vines and the new shoots grow immediately and begin throwing out pitchers. i very good grower. during the summer when my daytime temps can reach the the low 90s- i put a 3 hour lights out period form noon to around 3pm, mist and water often. this is so the leaves don't cook during the highest temps. Nigh time temps are 50 to 60 degrees with infrequent extremes at 45 and 62. Humidity is between 50% during the day to 99% at night.

I would also suggest trying to get the night temperatures lower.
 
  • #19
Happy to report the basal growth is inflating pitchers. It seems to be responding well to my grow rack redux (update to that thread coming shortly). Thanks again everyone!
 
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