Question

[JohnC]

I have a Nepenthes rafflesiana and an unknown I bought at Home Dopt and I have them in a ten gallon tank with the heat at about 70 degrees and 80 most of the time. I also have it covered with a top that I put plastic over to create humidity. Which makes the plants pretty wet.
My question is. Why would the new leaves of my Nepenthes rafflesiana start turning black and the new pitchers as well. The other doesn't seem to grow at all. I've had them like this for about a month or so. Can someone help me with this problem?

Thanks,
John C

 

[TyFone]

Increase air flow.
Put a small fan in there.
They dont want to stand WET they want HUMID.
Also what are they planted in and do you water it with tap water?
What is it lighted with?

 

[JohnC]

The Nepenthes rafflesiana is planted in whatever petflytrap.com uses for them and the other is in sphagum moss or whatever the home dpot ones are in. I use destilled water not tap as the tap over here is hard water. I use a 60 watt lamp to light them and whatever light I have around the house. Sorry took so long to answer.

I did get another one at home depot and I am using the windowsill method too see if that works better.

 

[TyFone]

Ok..are you sure its the new leaves..not the old ones thats dying? Its normal that old leaves die off after a while.
But I think you should increase the air flow..

 

[jimscott]

Some people, like Capslock, Elgecko, and myself do, is to put our Neps in hanging baskets, and place them at the window. I have trays of CP"s underneath my hanging baskets to collect the water that drains through.  There are no problems with mold, humidity, air circulation or lighting.You may want to consider that approach.

Here are a couple examples:

 

[chloroplast]

Quote[/b] ]I also have it covered with a top that I put plastic over to create humidity. Which makes the plants pretty wet. I use a 60 watt lamp to light them and whatever light I have around the house.

This could be due to a few things:

1. Humidity: Too much humidity with too little circulation causes leaves to rot.  You should add a fan to increase air circulation if your plant is in an enclosed terrarium.  

2. Light: What TYPE of 60W light are you using?  A 60W incandescent bulb puts out far less light than a 60W fluorescent bulb.  Too little light increases a plant's susceptibility to fungus/mold infections.

3. Water: Are your pots constantly sitting in water?  Most nepenthes love moist soil, but hate constantly standing in a saucer full of water.

*Jimscott's advice is good.  One of the advantages of growing plants out of terraria is improved air circulation--one of the disadvantages is lower humidity, which has been shown to increase pitcher production. If you decided to grow your plant out of a terrarium, make sure it would get enough light and increase its local humidity by placing the pot above a layer of moist pebbles or long-fibered sphagnum moss (LFS).

Hope things turn out well.  Let us know how things go.

 

[JohnC]

Thanks for all the advice and I am trying too do the out of the enclosure and I am also putting them outside for a few hours too catch some sunlight. Just seeing if this works. Also another question. What happens if the new leaf coming out is the one rotting but hasn't opened up? Does the plant survive or not? I am new with neps so I have questions.

Thanks,
John C

 

[srduggins]

If the growing tip is turning black and dying your plant is most likely dead. I would love to hear of some way of reviving the plant when this happens, but mine always die.

 

[fc3srx713b]

thats sad steve!

 

[chloroplast]

Something similar happened to my N.bicalcarata last year. I cut off the rotted leaf (which was the growing point), covered the cut with sulfur powder, and placed the plant in bright light. A few weeks later, new growing tips started growing from the upper stem and the plant is very healthy now. Nepenthes can behave like other stemmed plants--cutting them can sometimes induce the formation of lower growing tips.

So I think you'd be better off cutting all the rotted portions and see if the plant recovers--this seems better than just sitting back and watching it rot. After you cut, you may want to apply some sufur powder (you can buy this at Lowes or garden center) or chacoal dust if you have some--these things keep the cut dry and prevent fungal infection. If not, just make sure to keep the cut dry.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Too much of a water issue. Decrease humidity to around 55-60% and no water till soil dries out for a week, if this thing still has some green on it!

 

[JohnC]

Thanks Guys and I'll take all the advice and see what happens.