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I want to get some help from the more experienced people here to see if I'm doing anything wrong or if there's anything I can do better.

I was at a local garden center a week ago and kinda impulsively purchased two CPs they had there. I've had them IDed as N. x ventrata and D. Capensis.
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php/135434-Drosera-and-Nepenthes-ID

The Drosera was one that I was planning on ordering regardless so that worked out. I wasn't sure what Nepenthes I was going to order but from the research I have done on this one so far it seems to be one of the more hardy species.

I repotted both plants in roughly a 50/50 mix of Hoffman's sphagnum peat moss and Hoffman's perlite. The Drosera pot is sitting in a small plastic tray that I've been keeping distilled water in to keep the media moist. I also occasionally water from the top. The nep I've been watering every 2 days or so, the media has been staying fairly wet. They are both getting sunlight from a SSW window. I've pulled a sheer curtain across the window since I read they might not like too much direct light while adjusting to new conditions. Oh and I also read that the pitchers can dry out since the fluid in them spilled during transport so I added a little water to each pitcher. For humidity control I'm trying to mist them once a day with some distilled water. It should be fairly humid in my room anyways though. I have two open top fish tanks and two aquatic vases planted, oh and one small tank with a top. So the evap from all those keeps my room fairly humid.

I'm not sure if there is anything else I should be doing or anything I should do differently. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
 
I've noticed that on some of the Neps pitchers it looks like the lids are beginning to dry out. I'm not sure if this is a sign that humidity isn't high enough? Also not sure if I should remove these pitchers? From my aquatic plants I've learned it is good to cut off dying/suffering bits so that the plant can use it's energy to grow instead of repairing itself.
 
Anybody? They seem to be getting worse. And the pitchers themselves feel less sturdy, like they are drying out as well. Am I not watering it enough? Is there too much light? It gets probably between 4-6 hours of sunlight a day through a sheer curtain. Here's a few pictures:

Lid:
258ozud.jpg


Pitcher:
5b1i7n.jpg


This is a new pitcher that was forming when I got the plant, the lid has turned brown.
17a5on.jpg
 
It sounds like you have purchased good species to start out with so that makes for a good start. The browning on the lids of the pitchers could just be due to repotting stresses which the plant will recover from or there could be a problem with general conditions. It is a point of some contention between growers but I try not to remove anything that is still alive, unless for propagation. Others feel differently. I recommend these grow guides, the links which are found in the upper left corner of the page: http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/ After reading them if you have specific questions feel free to ask. I bid you success.
 
Your conditions are sounding great--congrats on getting the plants. I would advise you to slowly allow in more direct sun over the next 2 weeks, with 2 weeks being the period after which they are no longer covered with your curtain. I will also say that most Drosera are heat-sensitive in the middle of the summertime, especially when they're planted in small containers. You won't have to worry about this for a long while, but just remember to aim for 80 degrees. I'm in Georgia and through my south window the sides of my houseplant pots can get over 100.

On the dieback--it may very well be an adjustment to new conditions. Almost all plants are able to pull out nutrients and valuable stuff from their old tissues and redistribute it to their new growth or other places, so I second bluemax's notion to only cut off what is dry, crusty, and brown. Anything that is noticeably alive, even if it isn't green, can still serve as a source of food and water--albeit probably negligible overall--for the plant.

If you continue to have similar problems on new growth, please continue to post as this will signify that maybe something isn't right about your current conditions. However, I'll say again they sounded perfect.

Welcome to the hobby!
 
Thanks for the help! I've been looking through that link and trying to do some additional research as well. In the meantime my Drosera which I thought was doing quite well and looking better than when I bought it has taken a turn for the worse? Could this be it adjusting to new conditions as well? The ends of the leaves are mostly turning brown. A couple still look ok-ish. Should I leave it for now and try to allow the plant to recover?

343ji3n.jpg

xd5xd5.jpg
 
Yeah normally my drosera do that since I live in a fairly dry climate. It should take a few months for your nepenthes and maybe a few weeks for your capensis to start putting out normal and healthy growth, but both are very hearty species and should acclimate just fine! I really like that little jar you have with the aquatic plants in it. I have a few little setups like that myself. They're fun to grow bladderworts (utricularia) in, which is another type of carnivorous plant. I'm sure you can find a good amount about them on this forum. I could probably send you a little bit if it's something that interests you. They generally carpet the surface of the water in a setup like that and shoot up a bunch of little flowers above the surface. There are aquatic species, terrestrial (grows in dirt/on land), and epiphytic species that grow in the trees or moss: http://www.google.com/search?q=utri...oAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1312&bih=757#imgdii=_
 
Yeah normally my drosera do that since I live in a fairly dry climate. It should take a few months for your nepenthes and maybe a few weeks for your capensis to start putting out normal and healthy growth, but both are very hearty species and should acclimate just fine! I really like that little jar you have with the aquatic plants in it. I have a few little setups like that myself. They're fun to grow bladderworts (utricularia) in, which is another type of carnivorous plant. I'm sure you can find a good amount about them on this forum. I could probably send you a little bit if it's something that interests you. They generally carpet the surface of the water in a setup like that and shoot up a bunch of little flowers above the surface. There are aquatic species, terrestrial (grows in dirt/on land), and epiphytic species that grow in the trees or moss: http://www.google.com/search?q=utri...oAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1312&bih=757#imgdii=_

Thanks, should I leave the dying growth be as with the Nep?

I have a few of those vases set up. I'll have to post pictures of all my aquatic setups soon. I have some utricularia gibba although quite unintentionally. It came in on some plants once and actually almost ruined a bunch of moss that I had. I believe I still have some of it in one of my tanks. I have been meaning to get my hands on some Utricularia Graminifolia though. As far as I know its one of the nicer, less unruly aquatic Utricularia sp.
 
The D. capensis looks too dry to me, like it has wilted a bit from too little water..
keep standing water in the tray at all times, and it should perk back up..

Scot
 
  • #10
Nice! Yeah I was going to offer you U. gibba, but it sounds like you got ya' hands full already haha. I too have been waiting to get some grmanifolia. It's fairly readily available in fish stores and online vendors, although I'm just hoping to get it in a trade some day or something. I'm more a fan of terrestrial and ephiphytic species though. The epiphytes are really the coolest ones by far. You should check them out if you haven't already. I also think that scott's on the money about the capensis eing too dry. I'd make sure theres RO or rainwater in it's tray all of the time. Nepenthes don't like constantly wet soil, but drosera appreciate it very much.
 
  • #11
The D. capensis looks too dry to me, like it has wilted a bit from too little water..
keep standing water in the tray at all times, and it should perk back up..

Scot


Nice! Yeah I was going to offer you U. gibba, but it sounds like you got ya' hands full already haha. I too have been waiting to get some grmanifolia. It's fairly readily available in fish stores and online vendors, although I'm just hoping to get it in a trade some day or something. I'm more a fan of terrestrial and ephiphytic species though. The epiphytes are really the coolest ones by far. You should check them out if you haven't already. I also think that scott's on the money about the capensis eing too dry. I'd make sure theres RO or rainwater in it's tray all of the time. Nepenthes don't like constantly wet soil, but drosera appreciate it very much.

Thanks. I went away last weekend and forgot to fill the tray before I left. It was fairly dry when I got back so perhaps this is the cause of the problem. I'll be sure to keep up with the water. I'm using jugs of distilled water from the grocery store. Anyone ever get a white powdery substance growing on the pots? I'm wondering if this could be a fungus or mold maybe? I'll try to post a picture if I don't get any response.

If I ever come across any graminifolia on one of the aquatic plant forums I'll try to spread it here. I'll have to check out the other types of Utricularia, I'm only really familiar with the aquatic ones.
 
  • #12
Oh and the pot with the white stuff on it is clay/terracotta I'm not sure if this is a bad thing as I see mostly plastic pots in pictures.
 
  • #13
Here's a pic of the white stuff:
2qnpq9j.jpg




Also could it be a bad thing that the stake I'm using to hold up my Nep has some sort of metal lining the inside to make it rigid? I believe it is some sort of tomato stake. Should I replace it with something plastic or wood?
 
  • #14
The white stuff is definitely a fungus of some sort, probably a mold. You might be able to control it with a little cinnamon powder stirred into the water. Cinnamon is a good fungicide and low in toxicity to people, pets and most plants. On the other hand the mold might not cause you any real problems.
 
  • #15
If it's no issue for the plant it doesn't really bother me. I may try the cinnamon if it won't harm the plant. Or I may repot the plant in something plastic if that wouldn't be too much stress so soon after it's initial repotting?
 
  • #16
Clay pots have some advantages, allowing the soil to 'breath'. If the plant is in no danger or distress I'd leave it be.
 
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