FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I bought a hanging basket nepenthes and some of the pitchers have dieing or dead "skin?" around the top of the pitchers, whats the most common reason for this

Pitchers only live for a few months. Some can live a lot longer. When the leaf at the top of the pitcher starts curling in and turning brown, the peristome will be soon to follow. After the browning has gotten about halfway down the pitcher, cut off the tendril from the end of the leaf. It will keep your plant looking a lot healthier.

Sometimes a plant can go into shock after shipping, but it would usually be fine after about a month.

If you need more info, you can pm me about what you need to know. Or ask another member, as I'm really not as smart as some of the experts here.

Archon wrote:I bought a hanging basket nepenthes and some of the pitchers have dieing or dead "skin?" around the top of the pitchers, whats the most common reason for this

Hi is this a new plant ,was the pitchers in good health when you got it , , changes in conditions can cause pitcher's to die quicker than normal,low humidity and poor water quality are often causes too , or it can be natural die back as the pitchers usually last between 6 to 15 months depending on you conditions you give it ,if your conditions are very different to the one where you got the plant from ,that will be the cause ,you need to emulate those conditions if the plant was healthy and growing well ,as pitcher plants are a tropical plants, and need those conditions to grow well in !
J

Nepenthes seems very sensitive to growing condition change. I got a few young plants from Sarawak. There is no significant temperature and humidity different where I stay than Sarawak. Even then, all pitchers of ampullaria withered in just 2 days. Along with 1/2 of the plants' leaves. They look horrible. Other species suffered similarly though to a lesser extend.

After 3 months, all are producing strong healthy pitchers. So... be patient on new plants...

Idontkno23 wrote:Pitchers only live for a few months. Some can live a lot longer. When the leaf at the top of the pitcher starts curling in and turning brown, the peristome will be soon to follow. After the browning has gotten about halfway down the pitcher, cut off the tendril from the end of the leaf. It will keep your plant looking a lot healthier.

Sometimes a plant can go into shock after shipping, but it would usually be fine after about a month.

If you need more info, you can pm me about what you need to know. Or ask another member, as I'm really not as smart as some of the experts here.

although it keeps the plant looking alot healther it isnt healthy to cut off a half dead pitcher even as it doesnt look good its still sucking the rest of the nutrients from the living parts of it and also still creates energy for the plant via photosynthesis

Here is the plant, Its in just as good health or better then when i got it. so i dont think any are dieing faster then they should be i guess. i just wasnt sure if there was a common mistake i was doing to cause the dieing trap. i found out they were bone dry for at least a week or longer, the ones that were dieing anyway. so that might have been the problem. i filled them about 1/3 of the way up with distilled water. Thanks for all the helps!


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your plant is great I see the pitcher you are concerned about this is normal die back its how the plant works , when a pitcher dies a new one is formed up the line nothing to be concerned about all good , yes keep the pitchers water level up it will help they will last longer by the way it looks like its a N.ventrata .or some thing similar, its starting its growth spurt now you will find the pitcher tendrils will from curls in them and the pitcher will change shape and size and colour .the main stem is now in creeper mode

J

that is a good looking plant. i wouldnt worry one bit about him.

what are those succulents below it? they great too.

~RLK