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Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:38 pm
by Arachnomatt
I got his N. lowii x ventricosa in the post today, it is my first Nepenthes. Sadly the topmost leaf/stem appears to have snapped in transit as you can see from the picture below :cry:
Will this fix itself or is there anything I can do?

Thanks in advance,
Matt.
IMG_0898.JPG
IMG_0898.JPG (1.79 MiB) Viewed 3035 times

Re: Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:45 pm
by Hurtrus
It looks like the growth point is fine, as is evident by the new leaf that is emerging. If the growth point is broken, it will put out basal shoots and continue growing, it would just temporarily slow the over all growth. Plants are tough and resilient.
That leaf is not going to make it, but the plant is going to be fine.

Re: Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:46 pm
by sanguinearocks101
It will be perfectly fine except for the snap on the leaf. That leaf got snapped, not the whole growth point. The leaf won’t heal itself but it will still be alive, I snapped part of a leaf on one of my Nepenthes and the leaf still continued to live. It has been at least 3 months since I snapped it. It might turn brown a little bit around the snap.

Re: Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:52 pm
by Arachnomatt
@Hurtrus, @sanguinearocks101, Thank you both so much :)
That is a relief to hear, shame though as the leaf looks like it would have been a large overarching one.
Should I cut it off to save the plant resources? Or leave it as it is?

-Matt

Re: Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:56 pm
by Hurtrus
I would leave it, and if I did cut it, it would be at the point at which it is broken. It will still photosynthesize the light, and feed the plant that way.

Re: Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:58 pm
by sanguinearocks101
Definitely leave the leaf as it is. The whole leaf will still live as my picture above shows and Nepenthes absorb the nutrients back from dying leaves.

Re: Is this as bad as it looks?

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:01 pm
by Arachnomatt
@Hurtrus, @sanguinearocks101, Fair enough, that makes sense.
I will leave it as it is and see how he grows :)
Thanks again,
Matt.