Sarrs killing flys via boredom

[Timmah73]

OK so another newbie "should my plants be doing this?" type thread from me. lol

I've had my new Sarrs in for about a week now, and they are def looking pretty healthy and are already starting to put up new growth. I've also noticed that the local fly population has taken a great liking to them.

The problem is a couple of the pitchers are starting to really get stacked up with scrambling paniced flys, but the plants are not digesting them. They pitchers are still bone dry.

Now does this process take a couple days? I'm fairly certain too that I'm not supposed to be helping by pouring water into the pitchers right? As I've read "thats what the leaf on top is for, to keep rainwater OUT."

 

[Clint]

They're supposed to be that way. They're very conservative, unlike Nepenthes. There IS fluid in them, just not much and most of it, if not all, has been soaked up by the insects' bodies.

Don't pour water in it, except for S. purpurea (and even then you probably get enough rain so you don't have to). The leaf on top is just part of the leaf, it's nothing special. It's called an operculum.

 

[theyellowdart]

You can stick a tissue or two in the opening of the pitchers if you don't want them filling up with flies; it also helps to preserve their colors.

 

[Timmah73]

OK I won't fret about the lack of visable digestive juices then. I knew they were supposed to be real gluttons but I had no idea.

This is gonna be real ugly come late summer when the yellowjackets come out in force. lol

 

[DrWurm]

This is gonna be real ugly come late summer when the yellowjackets come out in force. lol

Yeah, my latest Oreophila has 4 stacked up on top of each other right now.