FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have a question about my Nepenthes Ventrata. I’ve recently came back from a vacation and saw my nep had a black part on its stem. I researched this and saw mixed opinions on what it is. Some say it’s stem rot, and others say it’s normal. Is this something I have to be worried about? If so, how to I fix it?

Thanks and have a great day.

Do you have a photo that shows the rest of the plant ?
Describe it. Is it growing new leaves? How are they? Growing pitchers?
A good overview photo of the plant would help.

It’s not growing new leaves. One leaf started blackening so I’m going to prune it. It’s not growing pitchers nor does it have any.

Okay.

Ventrata don’t really do well in compact media like peat moss. They prefer straight up LFS. Not only is this airy but it drains well, which brings me to my next point. They also don’t like to sit in water, so they need a well draining pot. Also, how much light is it getting? Ventrata like dappled sunlight, not direct, and moderate humidity. They should also be kept in conditions that get no colder than 50F at the coldest. They are a temperate plant after all.

My ventrata isn’t in peat moss. It’s in sphagnum moss + perlite for air circulation and moisture. My pot has one big hole but I’m going to try to drill more holes into the bottom. I have a full spectrum led grow light and keep it like 1 foot away from the plant at a decent intensity. I’m having problems with humidity and need suggestions other than a humidifier or fish tank. It is in correct temperatures. Do I need to worry about the black spot shown in the photo?

If you're not able to set up something elaborate for it and just need to stabilize the humidity in the short term, you can put a grocery bag over it (the thin kind for produce works great) with some holes poked in it and mist a few times a day. I would start to be concerned about ventilation after doing it for more than a week or two, however.

I am very split on there being a real problem. It looks a little "moist" for the normal hardening process. To be honest, I'm pretty aggressive about things like this so I would personally lop the top off as a cutting (keeping it bagged and moist). Best case, you now have two plants, and if at least one half doesn't bounce back it was probably going to die anyways.

Good luck with it, whichever way you go

Alright, thanks for the advice.