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N. sanguinae brown leaves.

I've had an N sanguinae for a few years, and in the past week or so the leaves have been browning. Because I'm not at home I can't get a picture for you quite yet, but the leaves are splotchy and a picture should be coming at around five today. So far it is only on the sanguinae, though it's in close contact with a maxima and miranda that might get it soon. I suspect cold or thripes, but I hope you can tell me more soon.
 
Conditions need to be known, and a picture would definitely help in determining what, if anything is wrong. Old age causes browning leaves, cold can cause it, heat can cause it, insects, bad soil etc. N. sanguinea is a hardy plant, so if it's something detrimental there will probably be more signs. Thrips won't cause a really splotchy look (at least not in my experience), but instead warping, an almost crinkly appearance in some cases, and small discolored dots on affected areas.
 
As for conditions, I'm not sure of the specifics. It's about 45 degrees in the room it's in at night, and fifty during the day with the terrarium probably being hotter to about 60 during the day and fifty at night. Humidity is probably at about 60-70% in there. I know it's not old age causing browning leaves because this is on newer leaves. I did prop up a tub that had snow in it earlier against the terrarium, and if any leftover water dripped in it would have hit the sanguinae. That would probably be the easiest explanation. I'm just wondering what caused it because this is the first time in four years that I've ever seen one of my Nepenthes in anything less than perfect condition. The other five in that terrarium are still doing well.
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Huh, why is it so cold? Is the terrarium in a garage? No nepenthes, except for a few ultra highland nepenthes (maybe not, I'm not a big nep grower), would appreciate temps that low, especially considering that N. sanguinea is more of an intermediate.
 
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60F is the warmest it gets??
Only during December-February. It might get to 70 in the terrarium if the weather is sunny enough. The plants slow down during this time but don't stop growing. The maxima at least does a pitcher every two months in these conditions instead of once every five weeks. The rest of the year the room is hot.
Huh, why is it so cold? Is the terrarium in a garage? No nepenthes, except for a few ultra highland nepenthes (maybe not, I'm not a big nep grower), would appreciate temps that low, especially considering that N. sanguinea is more of an intermediate.

It's cold because the room has a lot of windows in it, the outside weather is cold, and the room outside the terrarium is where my sundews, orchids, and VFTs sleep for the winter. The Nepenthes don't seem to particularly hate the low temperatures, they just slow down a lot. Then again I have hardy species such as the sanguinae, ventricosa, miranda hybrid, and maxima so they don't mind it as much. Neither do the Drosera adelae for that matter, although they do slow down also.
 
It looks like potential cold water damage.
 
It looks like potential cold water damage.

That's most likely seeing as I was making bad choices and left a tub that previously had snow in it up against the terrarium, and if any of the leftover snow stuck on the side fell in it would have landed on the sanguinae. That would also explain why it appeared overnight and why none of the other plants have a problem. As long as it isn't anything contagious I'm okay with it though, because cold damage will get better.
 
It looks like potential cold water damage.

Seconded. I gave these exact same spots to a few unfortunate "trial" neps that proved I couldn't keep neps in my 40f-minimum hobby greenhouse. They will appear under 50f IME.

Gotta get above 50f, and also avoid water colder than that hitting the leaves. Even without wetting the leaves my neps became spotted.
 
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  • #10
In my experience, 50F is well outside the optimal temperature range for N. sanguinea. Can you do anything to raise daytime temps to 75F at least?
 
  • #11
In my experience, 50F is well outside the optimal temperature range for N. sanguinea. Can you do anything to raise daytime temps to 75F at least?

Not without the VFTs waking up again. I could put a heat pad in there, but some that's a whole other can of worms. From my two years of growing it though, as long as the cold water doesn't land on it like it did this time the plant doesn't have an issue with the lower temperature for a couple of months.
 
  • #12
Should I bother to mention that growing Dionaea and Nepenthes in the same tank is inviting trouble? No. Probably not.
 
  • #13
Could you not simply take the VFTs out of the tank and then find a way to provide heat inside the tank for the Nepenthes? Even laying a simple fluorescent light fixture across the tank will help boost temps by a few degrees (depending on the airflow in the tank).
 
  • #14
I think he was saying that he puts his vfts in that room during winter for the express purpose that it gets quite cool. They're not actually in the terrarium with the neps. When you said give the neps warmer temps, probably the first thing that came to mind was heating the room, rather than just the Terrarium. You know they sell these electronically heated basking rocks for reptiles in pretty much any major pet store chain. Get one of those and put it along one of the walls of the terrarium, plug it in and voila. You've got a decent heat source! One, especially, that's safe to be used outside of water, unlike most aquarium heaters I've seen.
 
  • #15
Should I bother to mention that growing Dionaea and Nepenthes in the same tank is inviting trouble? No. Probably not.

I never said I was growing Dionaea and Nepenthes in the same tank. I'm growing Nepenthes and tropical Drosera in the same tank, and Dionaea, Sarracenia, Utricularia, Habaneria, Colopogonand two other species of Drosera in the same room several feet away away.

I think he was saying that he puts his vfts in that room during winter for the express purpose that it gets quite cool. They're not actually in the terrarium with the neps. When you said give the neps warmer temps, probably the first thing that came to mind was heating the room, rather than just the Terrarium. You know they sell these electronically heated basking rocks for reptiles in pretty much any major pet store chain. Get one of those and put it along one of the walls of the terrarium, plug it in and voila. You've got a decent heat source! One, especially, that's safe to be used outside of water, unlike most aquarium heaters I've seen.

Exactly this. The room isn't cold because of the VFTs, the VFTs are in the room because it's cold. The terrarium is on the warmer side closer to the rest of the house, and the VFTs are on the floor near a window where it's colder. Just that the heating vent is closer to that side, so if I open it the VFTs will get woken up early. I was thinking of putting a reptile rock in, but the terrarium bottom is often wet to keep the humidity up and also because Nepenthes pots drain to the floor so I'd need one that works in water and dry. The lights they're under actually provide a decent amount of heat similar to how it can feel warm on a twenty degree day as long as you're in the sun, and I think that's what keeps them going. I'll look for heat rocks though.
 
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  • #16
Also gonna throw out there that I feel like cold media/roots and root hair death may be what leads to the cold spots on the leaves. Don't know how feasible this is, but I do it for African Violets: it would help if you had the option to use warm tap water to water your plants. Obviously it will cool to your GH temp over time, but you won't get the cold water shock that can really harm roots.

As far as the VFTs are concerned, if they awaken and you can reliably keep temps above freezing, nothing bad will happen to them. No reason to sweat bumping the overall temperature. The VFTs in the UGA collection are getting 65-75F nights consistently throughout the winter because they're grouped in with all the lowland tropicals like Neps and orchids. They emerge earlier, but there's no downside to this at all. If anything, by elongating their growing season I find they have better offsetting and seed set.
 
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  • #17
I never said I was growing Dionaea and Nepenthes in the same tank. I'm growing Nepenthes and tropical Drosera in the same tank, and Dionaea, Sarracenia, Utricularia, Habaneria, Colopogonand two other species of Drosera in the same room several feet away away.

That was not made clear in the discussion. Regardless, those conditions are far from ideal for an intermediate species like sanguinea. To avoid problems like the one you've already experienced, you ought to raise the temps in their tank by at least ten degree F.
 
  • #18
Also gonna throw out there that I feel like cold media/roots and root hair death may be what leads to the cold spots on the leaves. Don't know how feasible this is, but I do it for African Violets: it would help if you had the option to use warm tap water to water your plants. Obviously it will cool to your GH temp over time, but you won't get the cold water shock that can really harm roots.

As far as the VFTs are concerned, if they awaken and you can reliably keep temps above freezing, nothing bad will happen to them. No reason to sweat bumping the overall temperature. The VFTs in the UGA collection are getting 65-75F nights consistently throughout the winter because they're grouped in with all the lowland tropicals like Neps and orchids. They emerge earlier, but there's no downside to this at all. If anything, by elongating their growing season I find they have better offsetting and seed set.

I'm 90% the leaves that were affected were touched by snowmelt directly. The past few years have never caused the Nepenthes a problem and none of the other five nepenthes were effected, and as I mentioned earlier there was cold water potentially dripping on it due to a bad decision. The past night was even colder in that room and nothing got worse, so I think this was a one time thing.
 
  • #19
It appears you've been given information from several growers indicating that your temps are too low for this species, but you've decided you're going to continue doing what you're doing - so, best of luck. :)
 
  • #20
It appears you've been given information from several growers indicating that your temps are too low for this species, but you've decided you're going to continue doing what you're doing - so, best of luck. :)

I have had the best of luck for the past couple years with it. I don't see why you don't believe me, but if you want pictures of it while it's still alive in a couple months, and then then when it's alive next year, and then the year after, I'd be happy to oblige.
 
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