Feeding Nepenthes?

[badlandsghost]

OK, something I haven't been able to pin down.

One of my plants is a nepenthes, not sure of the breed. I've got 4 pitchers, but all but one has a "trapdoor/cover" over the actual pitcher, so nothing can get in.

Is this normal? Will the "lids" open up when the plants to feed again? Or is there something I need to do to aid the process?

Any helps appreciated,

J

[peterhewitt]

Nepenthes pitchers usually have a lid to prevent rainwater from entering. Sometimes the lid can be a bit deformed due to low humidity. You can drop suitably sized insects in to the traps if you wish. Otherwise your plant should catch insects on its own.

[badlandsghost]

Well, the thing Is that the "lids" are completely sealed on 3 of the 4 pitchers (the 4th has no lid at all, and appears to be dying off).

That just seemed kind of odd. Also, I thought they were supposed to keep a little water in them to trap/help with digestion?

Thanks
J

[peterhewitt]

If the pitchers are still sealed they are still developing. They grow, have an active life span, and then start dying off.

[zhilin]

You'd better post some pics and then we can figure out what really happen to your plants.

[taz6122]

3 out of 4 being sealed and not filling with liquid tells me there's something amiss. Could be a humidity or light issue or even worse. Pictures of the plant, container and medium would help along with what the medium is, light it's getting and watering habits.

[badlandsghost]

OK, till I get a chance to do the pics:

the 4th pitcher had no cap to start with, and I dropped a few small bugs (fleas and ants) down there just get things going. about 2 weks later
The plant looks healthy, about the same as the original.maybe a hair worse due to shipping. So, am I correct that when it gets "hungry" they'le open up?

thanks,
J

[peterhewitt]

No. The pitchers develop if conditions are good. Since Nepenthes grow in nutrient poor soils, they are always "Hungry"
The pitchers can abort development if conditions change suddenly or the plant dries out.
The pitchers should open once they have reached there full size.

[badlandsghost]

OK, really dumb q...
How the heck do you post pics? the forums I'm used to have an attach button. I found the insert function, but adding as html would probably make a mess of things

(feeling really dumb )

J

[taz6122]

Copy the IMG code from your hosting site and paste it in your message here or copy the address of your picture and place it between the brackets after hitting the insert button.

[ICPS-bob]

Aug 19, 2010 8:31:21 GMT badlandsghost said:

How the heck do you post pics?

For a more detailed guide on posting photos, see
icps.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photos&action=display&thread=1401