Question
Chewed Leaf
Hi there,
Recently, I noticed that a pest of some sort has been nibbling away at the new leaves causing damage, and in some cases chewing off the midrib. Is this likely to affect the plant's health at all? On the topic of new leaves, they are very thin compared to the nice thick lower leaves of the plant. They look like they would struggle to hold the weight of a pitcher. The leaf pictured is around 18cm long and 1.5cm wide. Are these small leaves normal? Finally, one of the lower large leaves is heavily speckled with orange dots. Bear it in mind that the plant has been growing outside all summer, is this a good or bad sign?
Many thanks in advance, Chris.
AnswerHi Chris,
Since you had the plant outdoors, it may be likely that a pest had bit into the leaf as it was developing. Another factor could be debris hitting the plant, which can occur during strong winds or heavy thunderstorms. This is quite common, but not an issue unless it's happening continuously.
As for leaf size, Nepenthes will naturally produce smaller leaves when they're exposed to lower humidity and/or strong UV light. This is also not a problem unless you simply don't like the aesthetics of the smaller leaves. If that's the case, then you may need to consider keeping your plant indoors next summer.
The orange spots are most often benign. Leaves will develop spots as they age. Older leaves will naturally lose their waxy coat, which makes them more vulnerable to rust spots, a benign fungal infection. The spots may also be from pests, but if the spots are only on older leaves, you may have nothing to worry about. If you think it's a problem, upload a close up photo of the leaf.
As to the overall health of your plant, as long as the plant has lots of leaves and the leaves are green and firm, your plant is healthy. It just has some minor damage that are mostly cosmetic.
For more information about growing Nepenthes, watch Volume 3 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series.
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
