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Moderator: Matt

By Kat-C
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed May 20, 2020 10:48 pm
#354739
Hello,

I had some spring pitchers come up that suddenly got mushy at the top and started drooping. Flowers coming out of the same growth point died. There are several plants in different pots that I'm seeing this in. Could this be a fungus? I don't see any visual evidence of it other than the dying pitchers.

Most worrisome is that a couple of the plants are in large pots with other sarrs that look healthy so far.
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By hungry carnivores
#354751
This looks indicative of a problem. However, it is very easy to jump for conclusions. Here's some questions you could ask yourself, and some possible explanations.

Is the soil wet? If the soil is excessively wet, I would dig the sarr up and look for rhizome rot, much like one would do for an iris.

Is the soil too dry? Sarrs love damp/moist conditions, some can tolerate wet but want aeration. Dryness will kill a sarr.

Are there parasites? In my yard, parasites attack my sarrs. Especially cutworms which eat up the rhizome and can introduce rot.

Is the rhizome healthy? The problem with flowers out of the growth point and mushy pitchers could be indicative of a rhizome issue. Dig up and check.

Was it too hot/cold? My sarrs get wimpy after prolonged temperatures above 90f and below 30f during the growing season. If temps are too hot, it is - best to give a lot of water to compensate for the heat.

Is there root damage/shock? If the plant cannot absorb water through the roots, problems like this can occur. The events include mineral burn, - repotting, and things eating the roots in the soil.


If you have ANY reason to suspect rhizome rot, much like you would do for a prize iris, is to gently unpot the plant (preferably using water) and inspect the rhizome. If there is rhizome rot present, cut it off until you see healthy root, and leave the plant outside for about 2 hours so the rhizome can callus up. Then plant it in well-aerated mix. Then, sterilize some more media and start transplanting other plants, maybe a dip in bleach for the roots.

Can't tell much so far from just the tips of the pitchers, if there are any more issues please do post again with more pics and parameters.
By Kat-C
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed May 20, 2020 10:48 pm
#354762
Thank you, this is very helpful. Our temps are very mild all year, so I doubt it's temperature shock. I will look for rhizome rot. I repotted all my sarrs a few months ago, so the medium (peat/perlite) should be OK. They all sit in trays of water, but the rhizomes themselves wouldn't be submerged. Still, I lost a gorgeous S Leuco Tarnok due to rhizome rot, so I am paranoid about it now.
By hungry carnivores
#354830
Kat-C wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 3:44 am Thank you, this is very helpful. Our temps are very mild all year, so I doubt it's temperature shock. I will look for rhizome rot. I repotted all my sarrs a few months ago, so the medium (peat/perlite) should be OK. They all sit in trays of water, but the rhizomes themselves wouldn't be submerged. Still, I lost a gorgeous S Leuco Tarnok due to rhizome rot, so I am paranoid about it now.
Very nice! Mediterranean climate. If your mixture isn't half/half peat/perlite, I would suggest you switch to it. I saved a carnivorous plant with root rot at a local museum by putting some antibiotic/antifungal cream on it, the kind you get at CVS. Let me know if you have any problems/rot issues that you need help with.
By Benny
Location: 
Posts:  530
Joined:  Thu Jan 16, 2020 9:46 pm
#354836
Wow! I did not know that you could do that. Very cool!
By Kat-C
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed May 20, 2020 10:48 pm
#354900
I have removed it from the medium and the dead growth point (right) looks just like the living growth point (left)
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By hungry carnivores
#354901
Wow, large plant!

I suggest you divide it stat, so nothing happens to the living crowns. Maybe keep indoors too.
By Kat-C
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed May 20, 2020 10:48 pm
#354903
Update: the two growth points separated easily without cutting so I soaked the roots and rhizome of the good part briefly in diluted hydrogen peroxide and replanted in a new pot with fresh 50/50 peat/perlite. Hopefully it will stay alive!
User avatar
By Matt
Location: 
Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#354916
Sarracenia are very resilient to being aggressively pulled apart into separate divisions and then repotted. Their only real nemesis is gray mold in the fall and winter months, which it appears that you had. A quick spray with any sort of fungicide heading into the fall and winter will prevent the mold from taking hold. Once it starts, a fungicide will often stop it if it is caught soon enough.

Looks like the mold was allowed to go pretty far in this case, so a fungicide might not be able save the dying rhizome with the wilted pitchers, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to try it.

This is the stuff we use for Sarracenia:
https://www.ortho.com/en-us/products/ga ... oncentrate

Works very quickly to eliminate the gray mold that causes the issues you're seeing.
By Kat-C
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed May 20, 2020 10:48 pm
#354923
Thank you. Did you see gray mold on the part of the rhizome that still has good pitchers? I will spray with fungicide in any case. Thank you!
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