Question
QUESTION: We're in NE Ohio, and we're having a relatively mild winter.  We've had a few very cold days/nights, but not sustained periods of cold like our normal winters.

In the fall, we placed our American pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, and sundews in the stairwell to our basement (that leads to the outside) and covered them with hay for the winter.  A few weeks ago, we checked on them.  They all have thick, white cotton-like areas surrounding the leaves.  The American pitcher plants are affected more than the others.

We cut off the leaves that had the mold on them.

We're very worried about them.  What can we do?

ANSWER: Hi Celia,

You're going to need to do a couple things here.  With all your plants you'll need to lift them out of their soil and see if the fungus has damaged the plants.  If you were seeing the mold growth on the rhizomes, it may have invaded into the live tissues.  If rhizome tops are still colored and not mushy, you may be fine.  Otherwise, if rhizomes are brown and mushy, and roots are black, they are probably dead.  Sometimes, however this cottony mold can just be on the soil and not harm the plants, but you'll need to determine this.  Send my a clear photo and I can help you with that if you're not sure.

Next step, transplant those that are still alive into fresh media.  You need to spray these well with fungicide.  See this podcast for more information:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVUrMaGjVs  If you have plants that were not affected much, you should spray those too since you have the fungus present.  When you spray your plants, be liberal with the spray.  You don't want this getting started again while you have your plants in storage.  As soon as you think your past severe frost, move your plants outside.

In the future if you overwinter plants in this spot be sure and spray with a fungicide before covering them.  Use a sulfur based fungicide since it's an excellent preventative.  (It's not as good for curing an existing problem.)  Really saturate them, and check them about every two weeks.  Reapply the fungicide if it looks like mold is starting.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your help.  After removing the infected stalks, the fungus did not come back.  Per your advice, we transplanted them into fresh media.  

We purchased fungicide (Safer Brand 5452 3-in-1) and wanted to spray the newly transplanted plants.  The two active ingredients are Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids (.75%) and Sulfur (.4%).  Are the potassium salts OK to use on carnivorous plants?

Thanks again for your time and help!  --Celia <><

Answer
Hi Celia,

You might want to save that one for the vegetable garden.  The potassium salts are insecticidal soap, and are known to damage many carnivorous plants.  

See if you can find Safer's product that contains just sulfur, or check in a garden center for wettable sulfur powder.  The Safer product with just sulfur is labeled Safer Brand fungicide.  They also make it in a concentrate you mix with water.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com