Question
QUESTION: I got a N. Maxima ?won it actually ?a couple of days ago, but I don't think it抯 doing so well. There are 2 plants in the pot and they are young ?the leaf span from one side to the other is about an inch.

The first day I put them outside in a propagation dome, which may not have been the best idea but I knew it needed more humidity than my other plants (this is my first Nepenthes). The next day they looked a little sickly with leaves starting to turn brown and a couple of the little pitchers browning.

So I switched it to inside by my window. I抦 using the tray method in a glazed ceramic pot. Now the leaves on one of them are almost half brown and there is only 1 pitcher left that is not browning and drying at the top.

Is there something I can do without buying a ton of supplies, or should I just be patient and wait for new growth? I live in zone 9 and my window faces northeast and gets a lot of sun.

Thanks,
Liz


ANSWER: Hi Liz,

The best thing to do is contact the nursery from which you got the plant.  They grew the plant and are familiar with its care before it left the nursery, so they should be able to guide you through a process that will ease the transition from their nursery to your home.

It's very unusual for leaves to turn brown so quickly after receiving the plant.  When this happens, I usually suspect frost damage that occurred somewhere on route from the nursery to your home.  It's difficult to determine what route the postal system takes or if they left a cargo outside during the night, but frost damage might be the most likely issue based on the time frame and the symptoms you've described.

With frost damage, there's nothing you can do except give your plant the best possible growing conditions.  Move your plant to a southern window.  While it may seem very bright to you, a northeast window isn't bright enough for Nepenthes.  Beyond providing more light, you simply need to wait to see if the damage affected the entire plant or just the leaves.  To be sure, you should also contact the nursery for advice.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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

QUESTION: Hi, thanks for the quick reply. I should have been more specific, sorry - I actually got it at the bay area CP society meeting, so it wasn't in the mail before and I'm not sure if it's from a nursery or if someone donated it. Maybe I'll try those message boards too. It's been in nice weather the whole time. Unfortunately I don't have a south facing window but I'll try putting it on the patio where I think it will get more light. In terms of water, I've seen that leaving it in a tray isn't necessarily a good idea because the water is sitting, but how else can I do it - would it be enough to just make sure I change the water every couple of days? Is misting it regularly enough in terms of faking the humidity?

Sorry for all the questions. I would buy the DVD you guys have since its for growing without a terrarium/greenhouse but I have a mac! Thanks again.

Answer
It's really unusual for Nepenthes maxima to decline so rapidly.  It's a fairly tough species.  It grows slowly when young, but it speeds up rapidly by its third year.  Since you didn't receive the plant through the mail, I'm very suspicious about how the plant was cared for prior to you getting it.  Besides frost damage, the other issue would be improper care technique on part of the previous grower.  I don't like to jump to conclusions like that too quickly, but in this case, it's a strong possibility given the new information you've provided.  It's likely the plant was in low light conditions with high humidity, such as in a terrarium.  Plants grown in this manner are very weak and cannot deal with sudden changes in their environment.  

If this is indeed the case, you'll definitely have a challenge on your hands.  Even for us, we may or may not be able to rescue a plant in this state.  It all depends on how weak it was from the beginning and how much damage occurred during the transition process.

In any case, lighting is your best bet.  Do what you can to increase the lighting.  Your plant gets its energy from light, and if the lighting is too low, it can't generate sufficient energy to recover.

Use strong fluorescent lights in this case.  It's a lot gentler on your plant (in regards to UV light), while still providing sufficient intensity.  Use 40-watt compact fluorescent bulbs, and keep the light about 6 inches above the plant.  

In regards to humidity, since you've had the plant out of the terrarium setting for a few days, it's not going to matter anymore.  Any damage to the leaves from the sudden drop in humidity is already done and can't be reversed.  So you might as well leave the plant alone.  Spraying it only works to increase ambient humidity if you plan on spraying it every half hour.  After the mist dissipates and dries up, humidity drops back down to ambient levels, and the plant has to readjust it's internal leaf structures to accommodate the change.

It'll take several months for your plant to fully recover, so be patient and stay on the course.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin