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By Abcabc
Posts:  11
Joined:  Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:35 am
#87551
What's wrong with it?
Poor thing...
Poor thing...
Sarr 1.jpg (52.64 KiB) Viewed 5345 times
* Exposed to the sun atleast 4-5 hours a day
* Sits in water tray
By dimitar
Posts:  676
Joined:  Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:06 am
#87555
What is the compost that you use? Also, what water you use for this plant?
By snapperhead51
Posts:  2183
Joined:  Mon May 03, 2010 11:46 am
#87557
Hi because there is a few pitchers going weird on you and not the whole plant at once , I feel there is one of several things that could be wrong , one you have a but infestation like mealy bug or some thing of that kind , or you have the start of rhizome rot ,which stops the moisture to the pitcher or a fungal infection which can be treated .but some time blasted caterpillars do that to pitchers as well !!
but as Dimitar asked what is your potting mix made up of ,and how much water do you give this plant and where are you in this world , may help as well
J
By Abcabc
Posts:  11
Joined:  Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:35 am
#87561
Media - Sphagnum Moss
Water - Tap water ( I use it with all my CPs for 2 moth already 'cause the seller said the tap water here can be used ) and it sits in water tray

It was growing well and didn't go weird as shown above till last week.
By Grey
Posts:  3255
Joined:  Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:48 pm
#87563
It takes a while for the negative effects from using tap water to become visible. Even though the seller told you the tap water may be safe, you can never be sure. Tap water is regularly treated with chemicals to make it safe for us to drink, I believe this can alter the ppm of the water (higher PPM means harder water, which is bad for carnivorous plants).

Do you have a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter? If you do, stick it in your tap water. If the reading is below 50ppm then it's safe for carnivorous plants -- but read the water regularly.

Edit: Honestly, I don't really trust tap water regardless of its ppm. That could just be my neurosis but I'd sooner not risk it :lol:.
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By dimitar
Posts:  676
Joined:  Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:06 am
#87571
So I thought. Tap water lead to quite undesirable infections that destroy the roots at first, but very often the whole plant dies.This is your problem. I advise you to cut deformed pitchres and to start using rain, distilled or RO water. Do not think that there will be some sudden change in your plant and it will improve immediately when you start using rain or RO.Improvement will be next season after dormancy. At this stage I would try to keep the whole plant.

Good luck!
By Grey
Posts:  3255
Joined:  Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:48 pm
#87582
I agree. Even if the ppm of tap water is below 50, I still wouldn't trust it.

What you could do is completely uproot the plant (gently) and remove as much sphagnum from the roots as you can. Check the roots, check the base of the plant where the pitchers form: are the roots okay? Are they brown and mushy? Is there any mold?

If you find any that are brown and mushy or have molded slightly, cut them off -- but only the mushy and moldy bits. That should help stop the spreading of any root problems.

Once you've done that, gently pat the roots dry with a paper towel. What I tend to do if I've had a mishap or need to clean the roots of a plant is pour pure water into a bowl and gently dip the plant's roots into the water, then gently pat them dry with more paper towels. I do this two or three times; it'll help remove excess sphagnum as well. Don't leave your plant to soak -- we don't want to add root rot to any potential problems.

Empty the plant pot completely and rinse it in pure water, then fill it with the fresh growing media of your choice and repot your plant. From then on, water with pure water.


I feel obliged to add that I am not adverse in keeping Sarracenia. This is what I do with other plants and so I hope it is adequate. If it will in any way harm the Sarracenia, please let me know and I will edit my post. Thanks.
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By Matt
Location: 
Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#87597
I agree with John (snapperhead51). That looks like it could be some sort of insect infestation. I'd try treating the plant with an insecticide and see if that helps.

Also, I agree with Grey...I'd be very skeptical of tap water and I certainly wouldn't take anyone's word that your tap water is OK to use. Get a TDS meter to test it. They're not terribly expensive and worth their weight in gold for anyone growing CPs.
By victor
Location: 
Posts:  2028
Joined:  Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:42 am
#87633
The water for all CP's should be either rain water or distilled water.
If you have to use tap water let sit over night for 2 days then use it.

Also sarracenia prefer a better mix of peat moss and perlite that just plain sphagnum moss.
By snapperhead51
Posts:  2183
Joined:  Mon May 03, 2010 11:46 am
#87655
it seems you have been given some good advice here all ready , mite add your seller did not !! please dont use tap water on any CP's at all ever , even tap water that has been standing for several days will still holds mineral solids high levels of slats and chemicals even filtered tap water will not do , Rain water or RO water that you do your self is the only way to go , hear some people buy RO water only to find its just filtered water ,ripped off !! so best to test it ,then you know its ok , you can buy at tester off ebay very cheaply TDS meter !!and may be a ph meter too is helpful off ebay as well .
using sphag moss is ok for sarras but not the best strata for them and if any salts or chems are in that water shpag will hold it in , best to use sphag peat moss and sand , I use Canadian sphag peat called TE-EM the best to use by far !! and silica sand washed, size 8/16 inch ,we find the best suited to our sarra mix,, proportion approx 60% peat and 40% sand but not over important more sand is probably better than less ,I have even use up to 50 / 50 mix with no change in the growth of my sarras !!
please get your sarra out of that mix ASAP wash off the whole plant get rid of any all ready rotted rhizome or roots and ,get a bucket of rain water and risen the whole plant in it several times change the water and do it again till the rain water in the bucket is clear then re-pot the plant ,is the way I would attempt this , Grey has a good method as well , if any rhizome rot is there get rid of it,cut it off, as it will continue to move along the rhizome and kill the plant stone dead!! find where its got rot, and keep cutting till the rhizome is totally white flesh on the inside no brown or dark spots in it , the outer skin is all ways brown, but a darkish when it got rot and soft easy to crush in you fingers, where live or good rhizome is solid very firm will not crush or crumble when squeezed .
hope this helps a bit if you need any more info just post again what you need to know
J
By victor
Location: 
Posts:  2028
Joined:  Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:42 am
#87704
You always post a lot of stuff John. (this is a compliment)
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By snapperhead51
Posts:  2183
Joined:  Mon May 03, 2010 11:46 am
#87712
victor wrote:You always post a lot of stuff John. (this is a compliment)
thanks just hope its helpful to some one some time, been growing these for a long time now so not much I have not seen or heard about , but here I still lean a lot from people too so it goes both ways ;)
J
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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#87750
snapperhead51 wrote:thanks just hope its helpful to some one some time, been growing these for a long time now so not much I have not seen or heard about , but here I still lean a lot from people too so it goes both ways ;)
I'm very grateful to have your experience and knowledge on these forums John. You are an incredible wealth of knowledge and you are very quick to answer questions. You are definitely making an impact in many young grower's lives through your posts, including mine :)
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By Grey
Posts:  3255
Joined:  Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:48 pm
#87770
Matt wrote:
snapperhead51 wrote:thanks just hope its helpful to some one some time, been growing these for a long time now so not much I have not seen or heard about , but here I still lean a lot from people too so it goes both ways ;)
I'm very grateful to have your experience and knowledge on these forums John. You are an incredible wealth of knowledge and you are very quick to answer questions. You are definitely making an impact in many young grower's lives through your posts, including mine :)
Here here!
By snapperhead51
Posts:  2183
Joined:  Mon May 03, 2010 11:46 am
#87771
wow all embarrassed here :oops: thanks for you support :mrgreen:

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