Black stems on one of my neps.

[T_Bone]

Hi,
Hope fully someone here can help. About a year ago I found a nepenthes (of unknown family history) laying in a pile of garbage about 90% dead, I clipped the one still green stem tip (maybe 6-8 inches) and stuck it in a bunch of moss.

I'm not sure what type of moss it is, I got it from a logger who was cutting down trees in oregon and pulled it off of one. I had the moss growing in a 20 gallon tank about 2 inches thick for about a year under a 23w compact flourecent lamp, 5 hours a day and also about two hours of diffused sun.

Anyways. I stuck the nep stem in the moss and it just left it to itself for the last year. It pretty much filled the tank with leaves and pitchers so it seemed happy so I didn't do anything but water the moss like I always had which means to pour about a half inch of distilled into the tank whenever it seemed nessasary. The tank is more or less closed with a glass top with a few small spaces at the edges. 70% - 85% humidity and 50f to 95f depending on time of day and year.

OK so over the last month the stem is turning black, up to about a half inch above the moss. Above that it seems fine for now and the plant seems to still be growing at the tip. Nothing else big enough to be seen is living in there.

Can anyone tell me my options here to save the plant? repot? replant back in the moss? What's the black stem from, fungus?

Thanks
Dan

 

[Jason Wong]

Do you leave the Neps sitting in water?

Waterlogged soil? Root rot maybe?

 

[CopcarFC]

Is it black or brown? Maybie it's just turning into wood?

-Rail

 

[lol]

Some neps have black stems. Do you know what species it is?

 

[SydneyNeps]

Nepenthes stems go woody with age, but it tends to be a brown colour, and matt. If the stem is black and glossy, then it's most likely root rot. Neps like to be damp, not wet. And drainage is important to.

However, going black from the bottom up is better than the top down. If it is rot, you can still take cuttings.

 

[T_Bone]

Thanks for the replies!

I'll have to check if it's just black or a dark brown. The plant is at my studio where I work and I don't go there everyday. I'll bring my camera and take a few pictures of it.

I don't know what species it is, I found the plant in the alley while walking my dog. It looks like an alata or some hybrid of it but I'm not sure and I don't have the knowledge of Neps to tell. The pitchers are more or less smooth, green with red, it has thin leaves. The plant is just stuck in the matt of moss, not in a pot. I should say that this tank was set up to grow the moss, not other plants.

As far as sitting in the water. There is usually a little bit of water sitting at the bottom of the tank but not much, The tank is 12" x 24" x 16 or 18" high and when I see the humidity has dropped to 65% or lower I pour a pint or two of distilled water in there. so now and then there is water sitting on the bottom but it gets taken up by the moss pretty fast. I've never disturbed the moss to actually see how much water is at the bottom.

I'll stop by there later today and take a few pictures and get a better look at it. Thanks!

Dan

 

[seedjar]

You should look and see what kind of moss it is you're growing. Some (or most) moss is bad for CPs and your moss might slowly be poisoning your Nep - it's not all that likely, given that the Nep has been OK so far, but it's worth checking. I'm not certain the blackening is something to be worried about. I have an abused little hardware store Nep that has a blackish stem that looks shiny and rotting when wet. But it's been that way for three years now and really doesn't seem to care. It may just be the coloration of your plant. Keep an eye on it and look into replanting it. As a last resort, you can take a cutting from the plant and start a new one.
~Joe