Question
The overall size of my ping has struck my half since I got it 3 weeks ago, both in number of leaves and in length of leaves. New leaves are emerging but they are a quarter or half the length of the oldest leaves. In addition to that rust colored spots are forming on oldest leaves. I was giving it too much water 2 weeks ago but now am watering correctly. Is my plant going dormant or is something more serious going on?

Plant was purchased from your nursery 3 weeks ago. It have not re-potted it so it is your soil mix for pings. It is living on a radiator in my kitchen under a 100w CFL that is on for 13 hours a day. The radiator is on, I am not sure how hot the plants are getting.

Answer
Hi Gary,

First, get the plant off of the radiator.  The constant bottom heat will eventually weaken your plant.  It's very unnatural for Mexican pings to be exposed to constant heat.  Usually they experience a significant cool down at night.  The constant heat means that they'll be less efficient with photosynthesis, the process of manufacturing sugar for energy.

Over watering is also a factor.  Too much water can cause root rot.  

This species also goes dormant in winter. When they go dormant, they produce shorter leaves and will eventually die back to a bulb just beneath the soil surface.  It'll remain in that state for 4-6 months.  However, it's a bit early for it to go dormant.  Usually they'll go dormant in early January, but I don't know if the over watering and sudden decrease and/or the constant bottom heat triggered it to go dormant.  In any case, move your plant away from the radiator.  

Later this month, we will release volume 2 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series.  In this volume we will focus on tropical sundews and Mexican butterworts.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin