FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello everyone,
I'm new to both this forum and to carnivorous plants in general.
I have recently purchased this Pinguicula gigantea on ebay and it arrived in great condition, as pictured here:

Now, only 2 days later it has wilted dramatically, as pictured here:


I have kept the substrate (organic peat and sand 70/30 mix) moist, and it has been under a grow lamp throughout the day. As of yesterday evening and today I have been setting out in part sun for a few hours each day to no avail.
I understand some butterworts can survive a die-back, but I am unfamiliar whether tropical species like gigantea can survive it. I have a P. primuliflora that experienced a slight decay of old foliage upon arrival, but the new growth looks green and healthy so I chalk that up to shipping stress. The gigantea is in much worse condition than the primuliflora, despite being kept under similar conditions.

If anyone has any advice to promoting the plant's well being I would very much appreciate it!

I think they like it on the drier side. It is very prone to rot.

I have killed several gigantea. They do not handle change well. I would not keep moving it in and out of the house. Give it stable, good conditions and you might just get lucky. Bright light, even moisture and drier as sanguineea suggests.

Alright guys, I'm gonna move it outside and keep it there per your suggestion. Thank you for the input!

also, do you guys think this specific plant is salvageable?

I wouldn’t put it outside now; that’s just more stress. An east window is plenty of light

Also, it’s not a bog plant in any way, and you have it in a heavy bog type substrate. I’d go with about 75% turface or perlite, 24% peat. Actually I use 25% cactus and succulent soil. It’s got some lime in it, which they like. One person I know is growing mexican pings in pure perlite. The goal is some water retention along with air circulation.


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Bob Beer wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 8:37 am I wouldn’t put it outside now; that’s just more stress. An east window is plenty of light

Also, it’s not a bog plant in any way, and you have it in a heavy bog type substrate. I’d go with about 75% turface or perlite, 24% peat. Actually I use 25% cactus and succulent soil. It’s got some lime in it, which they like. One person I know is growing mexican pings in pure perlite. The goal is some water retention along with air circulation.

Thank you for the advice Bob, I am going to try my luck again with another P. gigantea and I will heed your advice this time.

I have a P. primuflora that is doing great under the same original conditions of the gigantea (other than a couple curled leaves), however I have a question about my P jaumavensis.
It appears to be healthy due to the fast new growth, but it has lost several leaves to mold spots that seem to just appear overnight. Does anyone know any reason for this or any way to prevent it? I remove the leaves when it is obvious they are completely dead so as to try and prevent the mold from spreading.

Bob Beer wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 8:37 am I wouldn’t put it outside now; that’s just more stress. An east window is plenty of light

Also, it’s not a bog plant in any way, and you have it in a heavy bog type substrate. I’d go with about 75% turface or perlite, 24% peat. Actually I use 25% cactus and succulent soil. It’s got some lime in it, which they like. One person I know is growing mexican pings in pure perlite. The goal is some water retention along with air circulation.


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I have my pings in pure perlite; I just received them yesterday and they went straight in, then I put domes on top of them to help acclimate (and keep my cat out of them lol). Mo wilting or anything, and one is a P. Gigantea

A tip - Take some pullings, or refer to the forum in Pinguiculas called Pinguicula Propagation that is Foolproof, if you don't know how. I always take pulls on arrival, no matter the condition of the plant. Pings are weird in that they grow very loosely attached leaves.

@Earthy, @Earthy,

Earthy wrote:

Bob Beer wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 8:37 am I wouldn’t put it outside now; that’s just more stress. An east window is plenty of light

Also, it’s not a bog plant in any way, and you have it in a heavy bog type substrate. I’d go with about 75% turface or perlite, 24% peat. Actually I use 25% cactus and succulent soil. It’s got some lime in it, which they like. One person I know is growing mexican pings in pure perlite. The goal is some water retention along with air circulation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have my pings in pure perlite; I just received them yesterday and they went straight in, then I put domes on top of them to help acclimate (and keep my cat out of them lol). Mo wilting or anything, and one is a P. Gigantea

I have another P. Gigantea coming and I am getting pearlite today, thank you!

hungry carnivores wrote:A tip - Take some pullings, or refer to the forum in Pinguiculas called Pinguicula Propagation that is Foolproof, if you don't know how. I always take pulls on arrival, no matter the condition of the plant. Pings are weird in that they grow very loosely attached leaves.

I will make sure to do this, it s a good suggestion, thanks.

see here 'in situ' http://www.pinguicula.org/A_world_of_Pi ... card_5.htm
for me your gigantea is not in the good substrate.
if you want to save it, you need to change the substrate and above all leave it dry for a few weeks.
and then just in case, make leaf cuttings

Alright looks like I have another 'situation' on my hands.
I have another P. Gigantea, this one arrived slightly wilted and it's looking like this so far:

I have it in a window that receives morning light (hopefully thats okay?)

It is laying on top of dry chopped long fibered sphagnum which is above 50/50 peat and sand mix.
It has shown no improvements yet, and the pullings I took are not doing well:

I know they grow slowly and die off quickly, but I would like to see some progress in a 24 hour period, which is something I have not observed.
I am going to do my best to at keeping this guy alive, but perhaps they are just cursed species for me.
Needless to say if this guy dies I will be waiting a while before I try another gigantea, I have some other pinguiculas being shipped so I will practice with those.
any advice would be welcome!

Leaf pulls can take a few weeks to show up their beginning development. Important thing to watch for is the tip where the leaf was attached to the plant. You will see some small bumps in that area initially. Minimal handling is best. Since its in a bag, no sun, just bright indirect light.

when a plant is shipped, it is kept in 100% humidity. if it is taken out of the bag, the humidity levels are much lower hence the shriveling up. try to aclimate it to the normal humidity levels over 1-2 weeks. same goes with light.

I'm far from an expert so take this post with a grain of salt.

Was the chopped sphagnum placed there for shipping? It doesn't seem necessary for anything else. I'd get rid of the chopped sphagnum as it'll only serve to keep the bottom of the leaves wet. I'd also put the ping in a slightly bigger container... if you plan on using the tray method, it'll keep the water from making direct contact with the roots; if you plan on overhead watering, it'll make it so you don't have to water as often.

The leaf pulling looks like it's wet. In my limited experience, keeping leaves dry while still in a humid environment increases strike rate.