Question
QUESTION: hi,
  I have recently bought a nepenthe (Alata) and a flytrap from France and I brought them back to Canada few days ago. My nepenthe doesn't look really happy. I put it in my bathroom so that it could get more humidity, but somehow, (I havent remarked before) the leaves at the bottom started to become yellowish, and so is a little bit the stem. But, the rest of the plant seems fine...but I hope it is normal or I just killed it? I am only 16, so I don't keep track too much on the temp and humidity stuffs. But i give it rain water everyday, and no direct sun light.

Thank you for having read my emergency message. Please reply as soon as possible before my precious plant dies.
         
Sincerely

ANSWER: Hello Nicol,

Nepenthes like water, however; make sure you do not overdo it with watering. If the Nepenthes soil is wet constantly your plant could suffer from root rot. Just ensure that the soil is moist at all times, but never to the point of being wet. Yellow leaves are indications of too much or too little water, sunlight, and/or fertilizer. It sounds like you are being careful with the light source, but also make sure your plant gets enough sunlight to properly develop.

Root rot with Nepenthes will begin with the top of the plant, causing it to blacken and die all the way down to the soil, so it does not appear that root rot is occurring yet.

The lower leaves of Nepenthes tend to yellow and die off gradually. The bottom section of vine will grow out and lengthen, becoming woody and sparsly leaved, however; will eventually grow new vines out in all directions. When you bought the plant and moved it it might have not liked all the moving around and is expressing that displeasure by showing some discolored leaves. Your Nepenthes can adapt to almost any humidity if it is given enough time to do so slowly (not all Nepenthes are as adaptable, but alata can adapt well).

For now just keep the plant in a bright window and keep its soil moist... no water tray under the pot. Keep watch over its pitchers. If its pitchers begin to shrivel quickly, it has experienced a humidity drop too quickly. Keep the temperature comfortable, anything around 60-80F will be fine. Since it is tropical it will take offense at temperatures under 40-50F degrees. Similarly, it will not like temperatures of over 90-100 degrees.

Don't worry overmuch about your Nepenthes as it is one of the tougher plants out there despite seeming exotic and delicate. It can rebound from a variety of misshaps and surprise you with its tenacity. Just keep its environment stable for now and it should be fine.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: Hi again,

 Sorry, one last question,
  
 Is fertilizer essential for my nepenthe(alata)'s healthy development?

THANK YOU!!!!

ANSWER: Hi Nicol,

No... you should actually avoid fertilizing carnivorous plants of all types. It is too easy to overfertilize and damage or kill them than to let them trap a few insects and live. They will get all the fertilizer they need from their insect prey. If your Nepenthes loses all its pitchers and refuses to make more you can give it a foliar Orchid fertilizer, the liquid or water soluble kind, in a 1/8 to 1/4 strength mix. That would essentially be a quarter or less of what the directions tell you to mix... usually one spoon full of fertilizer per gallon of water, so you would only need one quarter spoon full or less. Only apply that with a light spray or by wiping it on the plant's leaves with a cloth. Only apply it once every couple of weeks to once a month at most. Once the plant starts making more pitchers stop fertilizing and let it catch insects.

If your Nepenthes does not lose its pitchers it will never need fertilizing at all. Make sure to always use nutrient poor Nepenthes mix, not potting soil or garden soil for your Nepenthes. Fertilizer in their soil will burn their roots and kill them like any other carnivorous plant. Such Nepenthes mix is usually one part unfertilized sphagnum peat moss, one part orchid bark, and one part coconut husk (this is a fast draining mix that holds just a little water in). Your Venus Flytrap would prefer one part sphagnum peat moss and one part perlite and will prefer more water than the Nepenthes. Leave a tray up to 1/4 the pot depth for the Venus Flytrap pot to sit in and it will be just right for the Flytrap's watering needs.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: hi,

Since you answered instantly, i will take advantage of it...hehehe
 
Now, I am worrying about my futur problems : soil and space. I heard nepenthes thrive really quickly. And since my 2 nepenthes share a single little pot. I might have to change its pot somewhere in the futur. Is that nessesary or its roots are similar to Flytraps'.(they have got little roots (i've heard))
 And about my flytrap' dormancy, I have read various sites about it and they suggest putting it in my frige during the whole winter. That sounds kind of tentative...to me. What environment is appropriate? And also, i have read that we should pour huge amount of water once a year to purify or to get rid of the minerals developped over the year. Is that true?

If I want to repot them in a nicer looking pot, is there a easy way out? Because i heard that carnivorous plants are really vulnerable to repotting, like they will die if we put the wrong soil, and theories kin to that.

Does nepenthe need a dormancy as well?

I am SO SORRY that i am having so many questions! But I really care about my 2 plants, and I would be depressed if they die...

Sincerely
Nicol


Answer
Hi Nicol,

Actually Nepenthes grow rather slowly compared to other non-carnivorous plants. I have a N. sanguinea that started off about 3 inches tall with tiny pitchers about a year and a half ago. It is now about a foot tall and has 9 inch pitchers. That would have given most garden plants time to grow much more than that. Nepenthes are tropical plants that will do well year round indoors in a sunny window at regular room temperatures. Nepenthes roots are rather small compared to the roots of other carnivorous plants actually. Use a 5-8 inch pot as your plant gets bigger to keep its roots above any excess water and give it plenty of room to grow out.

Venus Flytraps are very different from Nepenthes in more than one way. Venus Flytraps are temperate garden plants that require very intense light, like roses and other garden plants do. They prefer full sun outside if possible or at the least a sunny window with strong florescent light supplementing the window light for 16 hours a day. The florescent light should be about 12000 lumens, about like 4 40 watt tubes from a set of shop lights of the cool white or true daylight variety. Those lights should be right over the plant, about 4-5 inches from its leaves. Clearly it is preferable to grow Venus Flytraps outside if possible.

Venus Flytraps, being temperates from North Carolina, need a dormancy in winter that is brought on by short day length light from November to February as winter encroaches. These short day lengths will cause the plant to produce hormones to protect itself from cold weather and it will slow in growth. When cold weather strikes, it will almost completely stop growing and might even lose some leaves. It is best not to allow a Venus flytrap to freeze solid as you could freeze dry the plant and it would die from such treatment. If you keep it outside it will naturally go dormant in winter, however; with winters so low in temperature there in Canada you would need to protect the plant. Best bet would be a cold window indoors so the plant gets some light in winter and feels a draft of chilly air to keep it sleepy. The best temperatures to keep the plant at in winter would be just above freezing, I generally ensure mine get about 40 degree weather when I overwinter them. In pots they are not well insulated from cold weather as they would be in the wild, so they cannot handle being iced over continually in pots. Cold weather dormancy can be tried in the fridge, but it is not as healthy for the plant as just leaving it in an open pot in a winter window or outside if weather permits.

Venus Flytrap roots are actually called rhizomes as they reproduce by splitting off rootlets that sprout into tiny Venus Flytraps from the main bulb like mass of roots shortly after producing flowers in spring. The adult roots are generally small, but can reach down to a foot seeking water. In comparison with the adult plant size, that is actually not a small root system. A well watered Venus Flytrap will not grow large roots, so a 5 inch pot will be just right for them in general.

Carnivorous plants potted in the wrong soil will die quite quickly. Repotting the plants is really not difficult as long as your gentle with the roots and use the proper premoistened soil. There are several places that sell carnivorous plants and soil that you can get premixed soil from so you know your getting the right stuff. Sarracenia Northwest and California Carnivores are two such places you can get soil from.

Top watering continually is actually a good idea all the time. Just pour water onto the soil and let the excess drain out into the Venus Flytrap's tray. With the Nepenthes you can simply let the extra water drain out and remove it. It is a good idea to just water the Nepenthes a little each day or two until just a little water starts running out the drain holes. Watering from the top does help in removing excess minerals and impurities from the soil, however; yearly you should simply repot the plants in new soil to give them a fresh start. Peat moss does break down slowly, but eventually begins to smell bad and build up bacteria where water stands in the bottom of the pot regardless of how much iodine and acidity is present. The acidity of the moss inhibits, but does not completely stop bacteria from thriving.

One last thing, do not get depressed if a plant or two dies. It happens. I have lost many times that number of plants through my life. It is sad, but it is a learning process. Once you get it right, you will still lose a few every once in a while. They are living things that can succumb to infections and old age or accidents that you have little or no control over. All we can do is reduce the incidence of those factors by providing the best home possible for them.

Have fun growing your Nepenthes and Venus Flytrap,

Christopher