Please help! sarracenia 'daniel rudd' wilting

[Merkin]

Hi, how's it going?

I am having a problem that I haven't come across before.  I recently bought  the aforementioned sarracenia a couple of weeks ago where it was grown in relatively high light levels and I believe was watered from an automatic spray system.  Since getting it home it has been sitting in a centimeter or two of water and in a window that receives alot less light than it's previous location.  

The problem is that the smaller pitchers started wilting and then dried up.  I didn't think too much of it but now all the larger pitchers and the flower stalk have wilted and it looks pretty grim (see attached pic).  The surface of the potting media is very damp and I am wondering if it might be rotting or something, or perhaps the media isn't aerated enough?  If anyone has any ideas on what might be wrong and how I can fix it please help!

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Alvin Meister]

It looks like there's no water getting to the foliage, but you say it's in plenty of water.

Is it in sphagnum moss peat and being watered with distilled or rain water?

 

[indymental]

I think if the peat feels nice and damp it may be wise to check the roots. It is possible it was affected by vine weevils or a similar damaging pest while it was still in the shop it could be bugs eating the roots. You have nothing to lose by checking.

 

[Merkin]

thanks for the replies. It's in a moss peat/vermiculite (i think) mix which is the same mix the other plants are in and they are doing fine. Could the roots be rotting and causing this kind of damage?

I am based in Melbourne, Australia and from what I hear it is fine to use tap water here as it is very clean and relatively free of chemicals.

I will check the roots and se if there is any sign of insect damage...

Also we have had a few very hot days here (over 30 deg celcius) so not sure if this particular strain is sensitive to heat - anyone?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Gemini528]

I'm not sure what your plant's problem is, but my S. purpurea died last year because of root rot. The pitchers just flopped over one week and turned brown. The plant never produced any more growth. I also checked the planting medium and found little white worm-looking bugs. I haven't tried growing sarracenia since, but I hope to someday perhaps with better luck.

Sarracenia prefer to be in temperatures between 45-85 degrees F. I think that's about 7-30 degrees C. Anything over 30 C is not very healthy for Sarracenia. They prefer cooler temperatures with a cold dormancy period. I hope that helps.

 

[PiranhaPlant]

It might be the vermiculite, I never heard of vermiculite being included in sarracenia soil mixes.

 

[Merkin]

Gemini - Thanks for the advice, I will defintely try to keep their temp down on hot days, maybe put them outside in some shade and give them a light spray of water.

Pirahna - not 100% sure if it's vermiculite but looks like a shiny, angular pieces of stoney stuff, along with more rouded pieces that are less shiny.

 

[Est]

Quote[/b] ]Pirahna - not 100% sure if it's vermiculite but looks like a shiny, angular pieces of stoney stuff, along with more rouded pieces that are less shiny.

Doubt it's vermiculite then. Vermiculite is (in my experiences) spongy and not at all stoney. If it's stoney it could be perlite (in which case it'd be more light,) pumice (harder, less porous,) or a couple of other different things.

As previously stated, it does look underwatered, and as that's obviously not the case I would definitly take a peek at the roots. No roots; no water.

 

[Bugweed]

Merk, I don't know where Gemini gets his information. Mine comes from the field, and experience. Sarracenia love heat. Especially if that heat is coupled with high himidity, 70-90 %. Plants grown in high heat in a greenhouse (from 120-130 degrees F.), have intense and vivid color that can hurt the eye. Your problem sounds more like rhizome rot whether caused by fungus or insects. Look close at the rhizome. If it is getting mushy, you have to remove as much rot as you can. The plant may not survive, but at least you can try. My plants live outside 24/7, 365 days a year, and the heat gets up to 115-118F. in summer. They still do well even in the 15% humidity, though the hoods get a little crisp around the hood edges.

 

[Merkin]

thanks Bugweed - I did notice a little white powdery fungus on it this morning but there wasn't much so I didn't think anything of it. I will check to see if it's squishy and cut it off as necessary. Do you think that it could be caused from the media not being aerated enough or would it be from insects or fungus only? It's just that the media did seem a bit 'sludgy'

 

[Bugweed]

Merk. My soil media is muck. Muddy, waterlogged, muck, straight peat moss. Kept that way everyday. What caused the problem, whether insect or fungus, can come in the plants you buy anytime. We can only attempt to control it. I hear all kinds of stuff about dryer plants versus wetter, who gets more disease than whom, and why fungus only does this or that in some situations. In the end, your own developed instincts can make or break the survivability of your plant. My plants are soaked all the time, and they look great! Have you seen their pics??

 

[Merkin]

hmmm, well that makes me feel slightly better...

How do I see your pics - tried clicking on your name and stuff but couldn't see how to access your previousposts/pics.

 

[Bugweed]

Get out of this topic, and go back to the Forum Main page. Go to the left side of the page, by the light buld, and click on Pitcher Plants, the topic page title, and it will give you the topics page. About half way down are two topics, first title, Bugweeds at Bugweed's House, and the second is, Bugweeds in Spetember. Take a look at my babies, and enjoy yourself.

 

[Merkin]

aaah - nice!

Wish I had enough room for that many plants but I live in an apartment.

 

[Bugweed]

Used to grow plants on the roof of my old apartment. Had the same amount of stock then! Where there's a will there's a way.

 

[Gemini528]

Quote[/b] ]Merk, I don't know where Gemini gets his information. Mine comes from the field, and experience. Sarracenia love heat. Especially if that heat is coupled with high himidity, 70-90 %.

I didn't know that. I was just speaking from experiences I've had. Mine weren't the healthiest of plants. I don't think it could've handled 115 degree temperatures. I placed my plant in a small terrarium too, except mine got cooked. It was about 95 degrees F. But thank you for the information Bugweed. I'll make sure the sarracenia have both high temperatures and high humidity.

 

[Bugweed]

GEM, don't make sure they get anything but water. If it is hot out, so be it. Do not think that by keeping them hot, it will make a huge difference. They can HANDLE the heat, and not get cooked if things are right, but let nature heat and cool them. If you are looking for intense, eye blazing color, then put them in the heat purposefully. Otherwise, keep them in whatever your regular everyday heat is. In Citronelle Bog on a hot day, I have had a thermometer register 120 degrees F. on a normal MID summer day. The plants looked great, and looked just as good, though not as colorful, in mid spring in 85-95 dgree F. heat. Do not try to be nature, let your plants live as normally as the weather around you allows them to. Attempting to force something on any plant, can end in tragic results. Try your best to keep them above 70-75 degrees in late spring til the fall.

 

[Merkin]

Well I checked the plant last night for any sign of mould or insect infestation and other than a tiny amount of white mould that came off with a gentle puff there was nothing. I did find some rot in it and tried to remove it with a scalpel but it was quite difficult to get in there and not damage any roots. Would it be better off to try and remove all of it at the risk of damaging live tissue or should I see how the plant goes?

The roots all look quite healthy and I repotted in in some fresh media and made sure the top half of the rhizome was above the media surface.

 

[Clint]

everywhere i have seen Sarracenia in the wild it goes up to like 95, and over 100 in some places, in the summer daily. they thrive in heat IME.

 

[Gemini528]

Quote[/b] (Bugweed @ Nov. 10 2005,5:31)]GEM, don't make sure they get anything but water. If it is hot out, so be it. Do not think that by keeping them hot, it will make a huge difference. They can HANDLE the heat, and not get cooked if things are right, but let nature heat and cool them. If you are looking for intense, eye blazing color, then put them in the heat purposefully. Otherwise, keep them in whatever your regular everyday heat is. In Citronelle Bog on a hot day, I have had a thermometer register 120 degrees F. on a normal MID summer day. The plants looked great, and looked just as good, though not as colorful, in mid spring in 85-95 dgree F. heat. Do not try to be nature, let your plants live as normally as the weather around you allows them to. Attempting to force something on any plant, can end in tragic results. Try your best to keep them above 70-75 degrees in late spring til the fall.

Ahh, I'll learn something new every day, but I live in Elk Grove, and it doesn't get any hotter than 101 or 102 in the hottest of summer days. It also gets somewhat cold in the winter, around 34 in the coldest of temperatures. I think it could probably get up to 120 if I left them in the terrarium on the hot days. What about during the winter? I read that sarracenia needed a dormancy period too.