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Nepenthes physiology

Two questions related to two different plants.
If you have a living root system and lower stalk only will it bud new growth from said stalk?
If the growth tip is dead and still has healthy foliage what will happen?
 
1) yes- maybe; it depends if the growth point is recoverable or not. if not, refer to answer 2.
2) dormant nodes from the stem will activate. if your plant is healthy, this can result in multiple growth points, though weaker plants will only have enough energy to replace the main growth point.
 
for your first question is the stalk healthy? with leaves but no growth point? or are you talking like a stump?
Second question: usually a lateral bud will break and become the apical dominant growth point.
 
my first nep was a spectabilis i received as a gift along with two sarrs. i had no clue what i was doing so i put them in a water tray with the sarrs in my shady back yard. a couple nights later raccoons raided the tray and dug everything up. the sarrs were fine so i re-potted them. the nep had been torn to shreds. had a small amount of soil still stuck around the roots but the growth point was gone. threw it on the compost heap. maybe two weeks later i was about to turn the compost or something, and i noticed three tiny green buds on the stem of the nep. that was 2005, still have it.
 
Here is a picture of a Nepenthes burbidgeae, I bought 2 burbidgeae and 1 madagascariensis just before Christmas and they all look as though they were allowed to dry out. The other two will recover but the one in the picture is in limbo and the growth tip is absolutely dead.
543998_594187467273597_1419101764_n.jpg
 
This Nepenthes singalana seedling has a dead growth tip, it's barely visible but can be seen sticking up.
408440_594189627273381_1344573801_n.jpg
 
hmm...this is a good question...I wonder how the grow-point will grow from a plant with leaf stems so close together. Keep update pls, I would love to see how it turns out.
 
Should I trim the leaves back 50% to maybe force buds. I have another of these so if I lose it so be it but it might be interesting to experiment?
 
i think you should not cut it and, assuming your conditions are up to snuff, treat it as normal. the dormant nodes will be activated by the plant in time.
 
  • #10
Yes.
I have had a nep appear to die, then sprout back 3 months later.
However, I left them uncut.
 
  • #11
The Nepenthes singalana is recovering but the burbidgeae (Picture 2) is still in limbo:
600644_597469603612050_1014416279_n.jpg

480564_597483430277334_2072140056_n.jpg
 
  • #12
N. burbidgeae is slow, so it'll take some time to start growing again.
 
  • #13
I'm a 40ish looking 60 and my dad made it to 93 so maybe I will see new foliage after all. :0o:
Thanks!
 
  • #14
whats that about your age making plants grow better ?
 
  • #15
I agree with the others.

Just leave it alone and wait and see.

Also, take care on not over watering it, you don't want to induce rot.
 
  • #16
I learned about over watering on another plant. Thripes damaged the foliage to such a degree that it was budding new growth. I whacked the old foliage off leaving just a stump and with new foliage budding out killed it with too much water. This time I squeezed the excess water from the NZS and will keep it that way. I reduced watering across the board on all the neps and will maintain a slightly drier group. Like others I lift the pots to see from their weight if they need watering.
Thanks for the advice!
 
  • #17
n bicalcarata,
that wasn't the subliminal message I was conveying but since you brought it up the things I have gained with age is wisdom, calm and an appreciation of my singleness....... not a heightened ability to make plants like me better. :-))
 
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