My N. ampullaria has been pouty for several months now, probably since fall. Some of its pitchers fail to form, while others get a brown discolouration. For some reason, its new pitchers aren't turning a nice green (they just stay a sickly green, and somewhat transparent). Some of the pitchers get random brown spots (looks kind of like decay or something, no clue). The pitchers tend to not react well after I feed them. I have a hard time getting the food in the pitchers because the opening is so small and their little lid/cap things won't open all the way (they're open, but they don't hang backwards like the ones in pictures). Then the stupid food gets stuck to the side of them, not in the digestive enzymes, then I have to use a toothpick to push it in, which sometimes damages them. I've been feeding them either carrots or fish pellets once a month, since there's no bugs at my disposal. The oldest, and biggest, pitcher gets fed more food than the others. The big pitcher is the only one that's doing the best. I'm not sure if my pitcher plant's just fussing because it's winter, or what. Here's some pictures I took of him today. I used the camera on my iPad, so they're not the best. The "darker" photos are the most recent. The "brighter" ones are from several months ago. http://photobucket.com/albums/af70/teddscau/Pitcher Plants
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Unhappy N. ampullaria
- Thread starter Teddscau
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- ampullaria bugs pitchers winter
Yes N. ampullaria is a true lowlander, lots of heat and high humidity is what they like but they color up very nice under bright lighting, and grow much faster/sturdier with bigger more colorful pitchers in good lighting as well. Not sure how soon your leaves start developing the dry spots but it looks like the humidity or moisture must fluctuate to desiccate the leaves like that. If the leaves didn't look dry I'd say it was Rust (which I think is a fungus). One of my Amps had the rust the cure was to chop it off at the base and let it re-start the new growth didn't have rust but I don't recall rust ever dessicating the leaves, it just made red/brown marks on them.
A few months ago, I accidently left him out of his humidity "dome" for three hours, and he wasn't too happy. That's why he has some crispy brown on him. My house gets the worst lighting and whatnot, so I'm planning on getting him a terrarium that opens from the front. That way, he'll have plent of room to grow, heat, humidity, and good lighting. I'd get one of those Exo Terra automatic minsters or whatever they are to keep the humidity up. I'm planning on getting other Nepenthes, so I don't know what size of terrarium I'll need. I want a terrarium that's at least four feet high. Doubt I'll ever be able to find one. I need a nice big one.
I need one like this: http://carnivorousockhom.blogspot.ca/2011/02/glimpse-of-my-lowland-terrarium.html
I need one like this: http://carnivorousockhom.blogspot.ca/2011/02/glimpse-of-my-lowland-terrarium.html
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Yeah if it's used to real high humidity and then exposed to low humidity that would definitely burn the thin leaves. My N. mirabilis used to do that every time I watered it cos the leaves were so weak/thin.
As far as a big terrarium goes you can pay a huge amount to have someone build it for you out of all glass or build your own. I build my own from glass (if under 36" on the longest measurement) or from styrofoam and glass for anything over 3 ft. My highland Nepenthes chamber is 4 ft x 2 ft x 2ft made from Styrofoam sheets glued together just like a glass terrrarium and then the front has a sliding glass doors and a glass lid (2 x 24" panes to equal the 48"). Cost me about $50-60 and day of work to build and a week or so to let the silicone vapors air off outside. Works great, I looked into having a tank custom built at that size they wanted $426 plus freight from the factory. Ouch!
As far as a big terrarium goes you can pay a huge amount to have someone build it for you out of all glass or build your own. I build my own from glass (if under 36" on the longest measurement) or from styrofoam and glass for anything over 3 ft. My highland Nepenthes chamber is 4 ft x 2 ft x 2ft made from Styrofoam sheets glued together just like a glass terrrarium and then the front has a sliding glass doors and a glass lid (2 x 24" panes to equal the 48"). Cost me about $50-60 and day of work to build and a week or so to let the silicone vapors air off outside. Works great, I looked into having a tank custom built at that size they wanted $426 plus freight from the factory. Ouch!
oh boy......where to start. i am going to go out on a limb and say root lock. 
a plant that big should not be in a cup that small. im assuming an ambient of 70-72f and a humidity of around 70% in that terrarium which is acceptable for a lowlander not ideal but acceptable. what do you have for lighting? whatever it is it seems to be alright...lowlanders do not require much light.
i do not see humidity being an issue bc the pitchers are the first to go when humidity is too low.
i dont have experience persea about what it looks like when tray watering goes wrong. i would guess root rot. When i started they all gave me a big no-no for tray watering nepenthes.
i cannot remember but there is a specific cause when the leaves brown on the outside like that. judging from what i see probably root related.
bottom line - stop tray watering unless you top water and remove the water in the tray shortly after or raise your pot up so it doesn't contact the tray water. The pot is TOO SMALL 6 inch minimum and once that lowlander is happy with you it will outgrow in in about 2 months. lowlanders in general are notorious root builders. lastly we need to know what your growing conditions are to better assess the situation. im doing alot of guessing as to your conditions.
a plant that big should not be in a cup that small. im assuming an ambient of 70-72f and a humidity of around 70% in that terrarium which is acceptable for a lowlander not ideal but acceptable. what do you have for lighting? whatever it is it seems to be alright...lowlanders do not require much light. i do not see humidity being an issue bc the pitchers are the first to go when humidity is too low.
i dont have experience persea about what it looks like when tray watering goes wrong. i would guess root rot. When i started they all gave me a big no-no for tray watering nepenthes.
i cannot remember but there is a specific cause when the leaves brown on the outside like that. judging from what i see probably root related.
bottom line - stop tray watering unless you top water and remove the water in the tray shortly after or raise your pot up so it doesn't contact the tray water. The pot is TOO SMALL 6 inch minimum and once that lowlander is happy with you it will outgrow in in about 2 months. lowlanders in general are notorious root builders. lastly we need to know what your growing conditions are to better assess the situation. im doing alot of guessing as to your conditions.
