What's wrong with my N. bicalcarata?

[MasterGrower]

Hello fellow TFers.
A few months ago I recieved a small (2 1/2") N. bicalcarata along with a few other lowland Neps. For the first few weeks, it was growing vigorously, and during that time it pumped out two new, huge leaves. On the first day I got it I gave it a diluted coffee treatment, and that really seemed to help. About two months later I gave it another, more concentrated coffee treatment (I know, that's too much coffee, but I didn't know that when I gave it them) and it was still doing fine. Then one day I came home from school and the leaves of all my Neps were slightly wilted because I forgot to water them. I immediately watered them with distilled water and the next day they were all fine and growing again. Except the N. bicalcarata. It has shown no growth whatsoever. Until now, it's just, well, stuck. Last night I came to the conclusion that the soil might be the problem (I thought the fungus gnats were causing the problem) or that it was root-bound, so I unpotted it and placed into a new media of 50-50 LFS/Perlite. I didn't see any traces of infestation in the previous soil, so I had to rule out the fungus gnats. It had a very small root system. What I do not understand is why all of my other lowland Neps are doing fine except for the N. bicalcarata. All that has changed since the day I forgot to water them is that the pitchers blacked and one of the leaves browned.
I have included some pics below if they're any help (if I can manage to get them on) Sorry for the bad quality. THanks to anyone who replies

 

[Exo]

Well....N. bicalcarata is a pretty finicky plant and can throw a fit if the grower makes a mistake....letting it dry out was a big one. I'm actually rather surprised at the lack of roots though.....N. bicalcarata usually have a ton of them.

The best I think you can do ay this point is to keep it humid and warm and hope for the best.

 

[amphirion]

that soil looks super super dark = LFS breaking down=cyanobacteria (you can see it in the 1 o'clock portion of the plant) = heavy nitrate source present. Carnivorous plants dont grow well in nitrate rich soil. could be your coffee doing it. next time if you're going to water with coffee, dilute it and make sure to flush the media out the day after. is that pot filled with new media? the media looks old.

 

[MasterGrower]

Exo: That's what I've been doing, hoping that it would recover, but nothing's happening
Amph: Thanks, I'll make sure to dilute it next time. That is the old media. The new soil is much lighter.

 

[dashman]

I agree, the media doesn't look good at all. I would repot, but you may want to wait for some more experienced growers to comment.

I repotted my N. bicalcarata a few months ago in about 70:30 LFS/perlite after seeing Frenchy's results. The peat I had mine in was all slimey and starting to smell funky. It has done well in the LFS/perlite mix.

 

[Exo]

Exo: That's what I've been doing, hoping that it would recover, but nothing's happening
Amph: Thanks, I'll make sure to dilute it next time. That is the old media. The new soil is much lighter.

Alright...keep doing that and hopefully the new soil change will help a bit.

 

[Dexenthes]

It sounds to me like a combination of factors at play, first you may have slightly over-caffeinated the soil, so to speak, but foremost, forgetting to water the plant is no good.

In my experience bicalcarata very very much does not like:

1.) Dryness of any kind. Never let the soil dry out, and I found it pitchers best and sometimes only when humidity is as high as possible.

2.) At the size yours is, it will not like being cold at all, it doesn't sound like your temps are a problem I assume, though. Just in case, make sure its 65 at night and 85 at day, AT least.

3.) Direct or intense sunlight. I noticed the plant could burn kind of easily.

It's good that you changed the soil out. I have never used a mix of LFS and peat, but I wouldn't be surprised if it worked just fine. I used mostly sand, with some peat, and vermiculite for my mix, kept it wet all the time, and the plant loved it.

I have also heard somewhere that bicalcarata do not like their roots being disturbed. I only repotted mine once or twice, and I did it very carefully, so I haven't experienced a problem.

But definitely your plant is in rough shape.

Just make sure you have it warm, and as humid as possible, and don't disturb the roots anymore, and lay off the coffee, just in case. Mist it twice a day! (at least)