Is it half dead or half alive?!

[fly-catchers]

Hi
Some time back I posted a message about my dieing N.maxima plant.
It went very brown looking during a cold patch in late December and lost all its leaves and pitchers

I have had it almost 13 years (unlucky for some

) and it had its best growth last summer. The night time temp was not that cold and it had certainly tolarated colder over the years. I decided to bring it indoors and try a number of cuttings. I them placed the pruned back plant and cuttings in my indoor Highland tank. The cuttings have all gone brown and shrivelled! Although I have had reasonable success with Nep cuttings over the years, this particulary Nepenthes has not been one of them!

The plant was repotted to examine the roots. A number of black and several newer white ones. The bulk of the growth is old & woody. A remaining stem is still sending out new growth but it is very small and quite stressed looking. And I see tiny spores of mold appearing on the ends of previously cut off woody leaf ends. I know that Nepenthes can hang on till the last minute before finally keeling over. But as this was my first ever Nepenthes I do so want to save it.. Any suggestions?

cheers

bill

 

[swords]

Hi Bill,

Do you know for sure that you have a highland form of maxima?
I have two different hybrids with maxima as one parent (don't know for sure what the other parents are) and I assumed that they were good candidates for my highland chamber but neither of them grew or pitchered until they were put in the lowland tank.
Mine only do well when the temps are in the 80s*F and seem to preffer temps in the 90s*F anything less they appear to not grow at all and refuse to pitcher while plants all around them grow and pitcher with ease. Reducing to 3 leaf cuttings is what I did too. The woody old nep vine rarely grows for me so I just use the newest portion of greenstalk for cuttings.

 

[fly-catchers]

Hi Swords,
I brought the Maxima as a highland from Marston Exotics. I beleive it originated from ISRA Exotics.

I tried two cuttings and mother plant in my highland tank and the other two cuttings which included the growing tip in my lowland tank. The cuttings in the lowland tank died first! The final cutting in the other tank has been given the last rights today

Will give the remains of the original plant a good fungicide spray to see if that will curb this mold

Puzzled

bill

 

[swords]

ISRA was the old name of Rob Cantleys Borneo Exotics, send a Private message to "Borneo" on this board! He should be able to tell you about your plant.