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N sumatrana

superimposedhope

Somewhat Unstable
I have recently got sumatrana. Firstly, if I remember right, on the MT website it shows an inermis looking pitcher (very wide peristome, funneling downward) but on the Exoticaplants website, it shows a very tubby rounded pitcher, looking nothing alike.

My sumatrana does not seem to care for my chamber, this is a lowland right? The leaves are looking very poor and dull as well as floppy.Humidity is 70+ and temp never fluxes, always 85degF. Whats up?

Joe
 
N. sumatrana is a heavy duty lowlander who's habitat is seal level to about 300m. This means that it likes it very hot and humid, the worst hot and muggy summer weather you can imagine, is what this plant will be happiest in! You might as well think of growing N. bicalcarata, rafflesiana, northiana or ampullaria for common comparisons. Or N. campanulata, clipeata and insignis for rarer plants of the same type of climate prefferences. The photo on MT site is an upper pitcher the other pics are lower pitchers. It seems there are a few forms shown in Clarkes Neps of Sumatra book. One has amazing tub like lower pitchers, the other has more norrmal looking lower pitchers. The uppers aren't like N. inermis but they are conicopia shaped. N. inermis uppers are that shape in profile but head on are much different looking, more like a tiny oil funnel for your car!  
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N. sumatrana is a huge sized plant, like many of the favorite lowlanders. This one can attain aproximately 4 feet in diameter. How fast it attains that size I'm not sure cos mines been on backorder for some months now but I love those behemoths and some of them grow really quickly!
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The bad look might be the recent arrival too-how "recently" did you get it? My plants don't usually settle in and grow properly for 3 months sometimes longer. My N. lowii took nearly a year to settle in, make it's first pitcher and begin growing!
 
I just got it last week.
It's leaves arent brown but they are very floppy and droopy.


Joe
 
Hi,

I got an N. sumatrana from MT in July last year. When it arrived the leaves were very soft (like N.mirabilis). Now the leaves are hardened and the plant is producing a few 2-inch size pitchers. I kept it under shade and wet (like N. ampullaria).

Interestingly, I also bought an N. northiana from MT in February last year. Both plants are about the same size and also the number of leaves but N. northiana just cannot pitcher.

Choong
 
Did it arrive potted? If so maybe there isn't much of a root system on it, it's stressed anyway so you might wanna slide it out of the pot an very carefully peel away the outer layers of soil and see how far you must dig before you come to roots.

Is it wobbly in it's pot or is it securely potted? if wobbly it might have gotten shook up and ripped off the horizontal stabilizing roots. Most Neps at the plant shop have been severed from these"surafce roots" when people picking them up and go "ooh look at this!" and then dropping it back down. Rough handling in shipping can do the same thing to a plant in a heavy pot of soil.

Anyway, I'd repot if it's in the same mix it arrived in (I like using my own soil mix anyway cos I know how to water it and how soon it'll dry out), make sure it's potted securely/tightly and does not wobble. Then give it bright light, high humidity and water sparingly til it shows signs of new growth so you don't overwater the new soil and create an ongoing problem. During the sparing water times mist it often, maybe every day so it can absorb all it's water while it's roots are gaining strength again.

Like I said, it usually takes Neps a good while to get back up to health, sometimes you gotta do surgery to make them ready to grow.

My N. campanulata and N. macrophylla arrived rootless with only black dried up stems where the roots should have been so I had to start these dime sized plantlets as minute cuttings on a bed of live sphagnum moss. Thankfully they established and are doing ok now.
 
Yes it came potted and Yes, it is wobbly. Perhaps I will do as you said.

Man, I may have 2 rootless plants going (my merrilliana too)

Thanks very much Swords

Choong, I also got a northiana from them as well as 2 others that are doing very well.

Thanks,
Joe
 
Ok well the sumatrana does have a root system about 4" long and 1"diam. The leaves are still floppy but 3 pitchers are inflating now. I did put it in new medium and stabilize it. It was very wobbly.

Joe
 
That's good. It will surely do better in time when it's not wobbling around. It will surely take some time to settle in if you've only had it a week but a good foundation for growth starts with being firmly potted/rooted. I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of those pitchers!
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Good luck with it!
 
Joe: the pic on the cover of Nepenthes of Sumatra by Charles Clarke is sumatrana. When it's happy it should look like that.

Josh is right, it is about as hard core lowland as they come.
It likes a steep slope covered in peat, continually wet, and grows up trees to a great height.
Hot, humind and full sun.
Definitely one of my fav lowlanders, I must order one from MT myself.

Cheers, Troy.
 
  • #10
Well, I put it in a container with clear cover to keep more humidity in. I'll see if that helps.
BTW, it has a rust/orange spotting on the leaves and along the center vein, but its on either side of the vein leaving a green stripe through the middle of the spotting. Any ideas and help. I DO NOT want to lose this plant.

Joe
 
  • #11
Joe,

The spotting just sounds like a reaction from low humidity and stress from all the activity. Hopefully it will do better in the dome.
For now, just leave it alone and don't pester or change growing conditions of the plant for a good 3-6 months other than to water it and trim dead leaves/pitchers. This will give it time to calm down and hopefully accept the conditons you have and start growing vigorously.
 
  • #12
Hey, I just put it in the covered bucket last night. I looked at my chamber today and the 2 newest leaves have already began to perk up and take on that glossy deep green look. It wanted higher humidity I guess. My chamber itself is 80%, but that wasn't enough. Its a 6-8 inch diam. plant with no pitchers. I have better hopes for it now. I'll just let it be for awhile.

Joe
 
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