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Pitcher Slime?

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
Has anyone ever heard of a pitcher producing slime? It's a very dark green color. It's a new vogelii, and I noticed there was something black inside the pitcher, but I disregarded it until I realized there was more. I tipped the pitcher upside down a few moments ago and this black stuff oozed out. To describe it best, it's the consistency of a very slimy booger, but it's a dark green/black/brown. Not even sure what to begin thinking it may be. Not a slug, that thought crossed my mind, bit it's not alive. The only thing that went into the pitcher was maybe two teaspoons of distilled water to fill it up and a single ant added a few days later. That was actually a few days after I brought it home, and this issue arose just a day or so ago. When I noticed the slime, the pitcher lid was beginning to wilt, and now part of the peristome is as well. The plant is very healthy and just put out a new leaf with a forming pitcher, and another leaf is coming right behind it. Any ideas of what it could be? It slid way down into the bottom of the pitcher to where I can't get a picture of it anymore, that is, after I tipped it to see if the stuff would come out. :blush:
 
Similar thing happened with my Ventrata. After I cut off a pitcher it secreted a very thick clear slime. When I touched it it had the texture of a watery jello and it started to burn after a while. I'm guessing it must be some form of digestive enzyme or something like that...
 
Maybe it's algae or bacterial slime. I imagine the pitcher naturally decayed and lost the ability to produce an acidic environment to inhibit these things...
 
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Similar thing happened with my Ventrata. After I cut off a pitcher it secreted a very thick clear slime. When I touched it it had the texture of a watery jello and it started to burn after a while. I'm guessing it must be some form of digestive enzyme or something like that...

Yup, just like that, but my stuff is black. I was afraid to touch it before you even said that, now I don't think I want to go near it. Might just cut the pitcher off and throw it in the trash. :blush:

Maybe it's algae or bacterial slime. I imagine the pitcher naturally decayed and lost the ability to produce an acidic environment to inhibit these things...

Possibly. Though I don't see it growing in any of the old pitchers on any other nep I have. ???
 
It is worth bearing in mind that certain Nepenthes make a very viscous fluid in their pitchers. N. jamban makes gloop that is really gluey: dip a toothpick into the pitcher and a long thread of mucus stays attached to the toothpick, just like clear glue. Perhaps that is something the vogelii is doing. I will have to go investigate what mine does.
 
It is worth bearing in mind that certain Nepenthes make a very viscous fluid in their pitchers. N. jamban makes gloop that is really gluey: dip a toothpick into the pitcher and a long thread of mucus stays attached to the toothpick, just like clear glue. Perhaps that is something the vogelii is doing. I will have to go investigate what mine does.

Seriously?! Didn't know neps were that capable of such things. I feel the need to buy a jamban now... :jester:

That makes sense that it could be just that, however, the color is what throws me off. If it weren't for the color, I wouldn't be worried.

pictures? :D

rtdqfa.jpg


There was a big glob of it inside the pitcher that formed a seal all the way across, and when I shook the pitcher, it made that distinct wobbly-sucky sound. Not sure what happened to the rest of it, as it seemingly disappeared, but a tiny glob got stuck on the pitcher lid. You can see the green-black color, but it's slimy like a booger. I didn't think of it as algae because usually algae isn't sticky. As you can see, the peristome is turning black, so WallaceGrover's theory may be correct, if it is algae.

Now that I reread WallaceGrover's comment, I see the words, "bacterial slime"... That may be an accurate ID. What would cause it and where would it come from? ???
 
My N. sanguinea formed some molasses-like dews/droplets on the inner rim of the peristome of it's oldest pitcher. I assumed it was remnants of dehydrating nectar/enzyme.
 
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Pitcher fluid for some species such as N. inermis (in particular) and N. dubia have very viscous fluids. For example if I dump out an inermis pitcher while standing up the fluid will reach all the way to the floor (or more precisely the top of my bare foot) in a long unbroken strand of what I like to call "pitcher snot". :D

Your description makes me think there was an insect or some other source of nutrients that allowed mold and algae to get growing in there. Lets imagine that if all the fluid were washed out and mostly water were in it where there should be just pitcher fluid, then a bug died in there and there was not enough pitcher fluid to cause the prey item to sink then it would get infested with molds and bacteria, pitcher fluid contains a wetting agent to help prey sink fast and not be exposed to the millions of spores floating around in the air. Then as the prey item did finally sink the water/fluid mix would be left with all the residuals which is what I imagine you're seeing.

Rereading your post I'm pretty sure the distilled water & ant were the source of this. In general don't add any water to your pitchers and if you do then don't add insects right away. If you do want to feed it wait a week or two for the plant to absorb the water, find it's equilibrium and replace it with pitcher fluid. I assume since you put water in the pitchers this is a new plant? Keep in mind the pitchers that it arrives with won't generally last long in their new home anyway, the old pitchers and leaves will likely die off within a couple months of arrival but new growth will replace it and hopefully be bigger and better.
 
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