Question
Dear Sarracenia Northwest:

I have a Darlingtonia which I bought bare-root from a reputable and reliable dealer around feb/march. It had 3 "winter leaves" which are still currently healthy looking. Of the 3 newly sprouted leaves, the tallest two have stopped growing, and the stems/leaf base is dry and black/reddish looking (though the tops are still green). The smallest sprouting leaf has basically turned entirely black. This has happened over a course of 1-2 weeks.

I live in New York/New Jersey region, and I have been leaving the plant outside to catch as much natural sunlight as possible. However, both March and April have been very very rainy, and we get highs up to the low 80's and lows of 50+ degrees here on the sunniest days.

The plant is in a 6' pot, in a ~50:50 perlite/peat mix covered with live sphagnum moss sitting in about 1-2 inches of rain water. I have been keeping a frozen pint bottle of water resting on top of the pot to keep the plant cool.

The plant does not appear dead just yet, but, it is certainly not thriving. I have also lightly sprayed the plant with a very dilute solution of powdered sulfur to treat for the possibility of fungal attack.

I was wondering what you suspect is going on with the plant- and what my next step should be-

1) should I uproot the plant to examine for fungus or root rot?
2) Dry out the plant?
3) treat with a stronger antifungal solution?
4) Leave the plant alone!(?)
5) Last rites??

Thanks!

-Jeff

Answer
Hi Jeff,

Did you get the plant bareroot or potted?  The reason why I ask that is because the standard mix is often not airy enough for Darlingtonia.  The ideal mix is one that allows optimum drainage.  We use 1 part peat moss,  1-2 parts perlite and 1 part pumice (or orchid bark).  You want a consistency that will fall apart when you squeeze the wet mix.  So start with 1 part perlite and keep adding more until the mix falls apart in your hand when you squeeze it.

What we've discovered is that Darlingtonia roots need maximum aeration.  We've experimented with many soil mixes, and we got the best results with this mix.  So it could be that the roots of your plants aren't getting enough oxygen and rotting out.

Although you're already in the growing season and there is a risk of shocking your plant if you disturb its roots, my recommendation is to repot it in a different mix.  Carefully unpot your plant and gently place it in the new mix.  It's OK to keep some of the old soil around the roots.  Again, you want to minimize root disturbance.

For your pot, use one that has a large surface area. The pot doesn't have to be tall.  In fact, we've found that short pots work better than tall pots because short pots retained less heat than tall pots. Depending on the size of your plant, use at least a 6-inch pot.  If you don't mind the aesthetics of it, use a cat litter pan.  We actually use it for our mother plants!  

During the repotting process, spray the roots and lower section of the plant with the sulfur-based fungicide, but use the recommended concentration listed on the bottle.  If you use less than the recommended concentration, you may not be applying enough sulfur to effectively treat the fungus.  Sulfur is safe to use with carnivorous plants, so use it generously.  There are more potent fungicides, but they're not safe for carnivorous plants.

To water your plant, avoid setting it in standing water.  We found that standing water retained too much heat on very hot summer days.  Instead, water your plant daily.  The soil mix is very airy and allows for optimum evaporation, which in turn keeps the roots cool.  On the flip side, it also dries out quickly, so you'll need to water daily.  Our experiments showed that daily watering outperformed standing water.  We got bigger plants and almost no losses with daily watering versus letting the plants sit in water.  

Another thing to consider is the type of Darlingtonia you've acquired.  Almost no growers make the distinction between coastal and mountain varieties.  It's really important to make this distinction because we've found that the coastal variety is much more temperamental than the mountain variety.  The Oregon coast is extremely mild.  It's rare that the temperature will ever go above 80癋 on the coast.  Summer nights will typically drop to the upper 50s.  The mountain variety, however, will routinely tolerate temperatures in the upper 90s, with occasional bursts in the lower 100s.  Summer nights will drop to the upper 40s.

In our experiments with both varieties, we typically lost 50% of the coastal variety every season, either to heat exhaustion or freeze burn.  Our losses with the mountain variety was minimal during our experiments.  In the recommended soil mix, the loss was none.

So don't be disappointed if the plant doesn't make it.  This plant is very temperamental and not very forgiving of mistakes.  Soil aeration and cool nights are the most critical factors, and it's not always possible to provide these for your plant, especially in the northeast where summer nights are often warm and balmy.  Ice only cools the roots, but the entire plant itself needs to experience the chill.  

But start off with changing the soil mix, spraying your plant with the recommended concentration of fungicide and watering your it daily.  If it still doesn't make it, consider experimenting with the mountain variety to see how it performs in your climate.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin