Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 08:00:58 +0800 From: "John H. Phillips III" <phillips@library.ucsf.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2506$foo@default> Subject: Re: Questions from new Nep grower
At 08:24 AM 6/27/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi there. I'm new to the CP group and have a few nep questions for the
>experts. I got my first Nep a few weeks ago, an alata which has been
>hanging in my kitchen window since I bought it. (My kitchen is all south
>facing windows fromhip-high on up to the 12' ceilings and is definitely
>warm and humid!) Anyway, I fed the plant a couple weeks ago, with pet-store
>bought crickets, and just in the last week I've noticed the pitchers are
>dying off. I am wondering why this is happening, and I am sure that several
>things may be a factor?
(SNIP
Hi Dana,
The pitchers are probably suffering from a drop in the humidity. My
experience has been that are more susceptible to damage from a drop in
humidity than the leaves are. Nepenthes often need time to adjust to a new
climate, and it may be awhile before it wants to grow new leaves and
especially pitchers. BUT there is a limit to how little humidity Nepenthes
can tolerate, and this also varies from plant to plant within the same
species, and even more so with hybrids. Give your N. alata time, don't over
feed it, keep up the misting and see how it goes. You might want to
purchase something to help you keep tabs on the humidity in your kitchen,
just so you know exactly what conditions your plant is adjusting to.
>also have pssibly overfed the pitcher, but I also dumped out some of the
>excess when I read not to overfeed. The plant itself looks great, and even
>looks bigger and is certainly doing some growing; no wilting of other signs
>of stress, and is showing no signs of sunburn or anything. I know it's got
>some little red nubs on the ends of the leaves, and I am hoping it will
>produce more pitchers soon.
Keeping an eye on the developing pitchers will be a good indicator of your
plants humidity needs. Watch the new leaves your plant puts out, not the
older ones. If the ends die off or fail to develop, you may need to find a
more humid place for it.
> I am planning on adding more to my collection,
>and would like to smooth out any wrinkles before they get here! Also, is it
>normal for new nep leaves to spiral and curl as they grow? My alata seems
>to be curling a bit on the new growth, and a madagascariensis I got last
>week seems to be doing the same. Will these staighten out?
Is there any other damage to the leaves? Any discoloration? What color are
they? This may just be due to stress as a result of being moved from a more
humid environment.
Let us know, and happy growing,
John H. Phillips III e-mail:phillips@library.ucsf.edu
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