What is effecting my Nepenthes?

[Gexx]

Here is a picture of a healthy leaf (left) in comparison to the effected leaf (right) which i have cut off. All new growth is looking like the deformed leaf. The deformed leaves still make perfect pitchers though. I have seen no bugs (besides fungus gnats) and i check every other day. Anyone have any ideas? Fungus?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/97451358@N07/11239341493/


Thanks for any, and all, info!
Gexx

 

[Newman]

you mean the leaf curling or something else? maybe some sort of stress response. hard to tell w/o knowing possible causes. (w/e your growing environment may be subjected to).
just my guess.

 

[Whimgrinder]

Those look like perfectly healthy leaves to me.
Oh, FYI: if you are going to request help with your cultivation techniques, please included a brief synopsis of your growing conditions. Without that information, it's very difficult to offers suggestions or diagnoses.

 

[Ambanja]

Whimgrinder, I think you missed the new growth. I would guess mites; they are extremely small and underneath the leaves. Not sure on the best solution, I've never had a problem w them before.

 

[theplantman]

I can rule out mites. Severe mite damage looks like this: http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/_...ner/images/2/2c/Courgette_Red_Spider_Mite.jpg. What mites do is suck out individual cells at each feeding, so the pattern becomes a series of small yellow speckles. And of course, when populations get severe you get the characteristic webbing. The photo shows a fairly advanced outbreak. Usually leaf size is unaffected, but your photos seem to be showing significant differences in leaf morphology. Plus, you would notice hordes of them on the undersides of the leaf. You say you are checking for bugs--mites can often be very tiny, as can thrips. Are you 100% sure the leaves are clean?

Only going by your photo makes it difficult. Like Whimgrinder suggested, run us through your conditions: indoor or outdoor? Media? Do you fertilize and if so with what? Lighting length/type, pot size and type, how you water, etc. etc. Any other affected plants in the same growing area? Humidity?

Going exclusively on that single photo my gut feeling is first that it may need a light feeding and that secondly it may be a thrip or aphid infestation. I would need more photos of each pitcher as well as each petiole to be able to guess further. Also, get a close shot of the growth point. Usually if you have aphids or thrips they will be there. Thrips like to eat pollen and flower parts, so if you have anything in that same growing area that has a flower, look inside of it for thrips. They prefer flower tissues to leaf tissues because flower parts are softer, and infestations usually begin with flowers.

 

[Gexx]

here are my growing stats

Lights: 4, 32 watt T8 Bulbs. plants are 8 inches away. on for 14 hours a day.
Watering: tray method. there is sphagnum (live and dead) on the bottom to use the extra water.
feeding: they catch fungus gnats, i have also done coffee periodically. i will mist periodically with a superthrive solution.
Heat: 75-80 during the day. 67-75 at night.
Humidity: 70-80%

Just FYI. Other plants look good, they are pitchering and putting out large leaves. My N. ventricosa and N. 'ventrata' both have a couple brown spots, but i suspect that is due to me checking the plants for bugs thoroughly. may have been too rough with those two...

 

[Whimgrinder]

With night temps at 67-75F, you will eventually see leaf deformities start to emerge, generally in the form of stunted, abnormal looking leaves. That's if it's a highland type, but you didn't state which types you are growing. No matter what, it seems the day to night temperature differential isn't extreme enough for long term health.

 

[Gexx]

N. miranda
N. ventricosa
N. 'ventrata'
N. judith finn
N. 'splendiana hybrid' (this is the plant that is showing the symptoms) got this in a trade from a member here. I have forgotten the exact parentage of this plant.

long story short, intermediate species or hybrids containing both an intermediate and highland parent.