Question

Nepenthes Jamban  

Nepenthes Jamban   Allexperts,

I have a nepenthes Jamban that I have been giving coffee about every 2 weeks.  The plant appears that it is not growing all that well.   The outer leaves have begun to turn yellow,and begun to die.  I Have attached 2 pictures to this email.  I read some where that you can give a plant  a weak solution of sugar in water.  Would that have any effects on the plant?  Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Weylin C

Answer
Your plant is showing signs of over feeding.  I'm not sure what strength you were using, but even with coffee you need to dilute it.  It is possible that the plant suffered some root damage from the coffee, depending on the strength.

I recommend that you stop using coffee.  You should also repot your plant into fresh Nepenthes soil.  If you don't have any on hand, flush your plant with distilled water.  You may need up to a gallon of water to flush out excess nutrients.  Allow the water to drain through to flush out what you can.

Do NOT use sugar water.  Sucrose, or table sugar, is the wrong type of sugar for plants.  They also do NOT absorb sugars in their roots.  Instead, they create sugar (in the form of glucose) from sunlight through a process called photosynthesis.  If you water your plants with sugar water, you may potentially harm the roots by changing the osmotic potential.  

For now change the soil or flush it with distilled water.  Avoid using coffee or sugar water with your plant.  Water your plant only with distilled water for now.  Give your plant lots of sunlight from a sunny south window.  It may take several months for the plant to perk up again.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin