Question
nepenthes sanguinea pr
i was trying to see whats wrong with my nepenthes sanguinea.the growing conditions are as is...in a window in my house with artificial plant lights above it to make up for short winter days...in a south facing window...gets watered with tap water once every two to three days...growing medium is from you for nepenthes...just planted in new medium (same medium just fresh) when problems started to occur. the older growth still looks good but the newer growth has little red spots in the leaf and are yellowing and turning brown on the edges and tips... already checked for pests,none to be found...still producing leaves, no pitchers of course, but the brand new leaves are curling up and in....seems like some kind of deficiency but i dont know...thats why I'm asking you...please help.
AnswerHi Lucas,
Thank you for the information. Yes, this helps me out a lot! The only bit of information that I might need is your location to assess climate issues. Unfortunately, I don't have the previous photograph that you submitted either. That was a much better one because it showed the entire plant. For now, I'll just need to use your description.
The symptoms you've described could be related to constant cool temperatures. I don't know what the weather is like in your area, but being close to a cold window could contribute to the symptoms you've described.
The other issue might be your water. You mentioned using tap water. Make sure to allow the water to drain through completely. You can let the plant sit in a small amount of the run off water, but avoid large amounts of standing water. With cooler temperatures, allow the soil to dry slightly on top before adding more water.
The other issue is lighting. You didn't say what type of artificial lights you're using nor the wattage and distance. This sort of information would be helpful to determine if the plants are getting burned from the lights or not.
When you say also say the newer growth has the symptoms, do you mean just the two larger leaves or the actual new growth that's emerging. This would help me determine if it's simply a transient issue or something that more systemic.
Overall, it's not a serious problem, at least not yet. For now, water less frequently and provide warmer temperatures at night. You can also spray your plant with an insecticide, such as a pyrethrin formula (Safer?makes a good one for plants). This will kill off sap-sucking pests that could transmit a viral disease. And yes, plants can get viral infections. The leaf curl you've described could be a virus, but leaf curl can also occur in cold temperatures and excessive watering.
So after making the recommended changes, you'll need to wait for at least a month to determine the benefits of those changes.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
