Question
Nepenthes
Hi Sarracenia Northwest,
I have recently discovered a passion for carniverous plants and due to your great website I have increased my flock but I'm really worried about one of my newer acquisitions. I ordered a Sanguinea Nepenthes a little under two months ago. It came in great condition however in the last two-three weeks the top, larger leaves have turned an ugly brown and only the two little shoots give me faith that the plant is still alive. The attached picture is what it looked like shortly after receiving it. It has not grown at all and I have played with varying amounts of sun and always keep it moist. I have it shaded by some herbal plants for the time being. I live in Northern California, Zone 8 I believe, in a higher humidity area. I was planning on keeping it as an indoor plant however I'm afraid it may not make it much longer!! I have read your care sheets from top to bottom but my poor plant is not happy!!!!
AnswerHi Brigitte,
Thank-you for the picture. Tell me more about how you are watering. This appearance looks like the plant has been sitting in water. Nepenthes don't like that. They will definitely rot out if kept waterlogged. It's better to water them once or twice a week and call it good. They will tolerate some drying. Also, don't fall into the "move it here, move it there" trap. That'll really stress a plant out since they never have a chance to adapt to the local microclimate. Find a sunny window and just park it. N. sanguinea definitely likes full sun in a window. After that you should just give it time and see what happens. I see some new shoots at the bottom; those may grow and dominate over time.
If the plant does recover, consider transplanting to a larger pot. Larger pots help to moderate watering issues.
On a side note, if you go to the Nepenthes care page you'll see a picture of a cat sitting next to a Nepenthes sanguinea. The photo was taken in my bedroom. The window is a west window with strong afternoon sun. The plant is in an 8" pot, and was watered when the soil felt dry. The air in that room is bone dry. We've found that often plants that are "babied" too much have more problems.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
