Had it up to here with my raf!

[schloaty]

Ok Guys, I'm at my wits end. I have my Raf in with my Gracilis (growing great), my Mirabilis (growing great), Coccinea, truncata and Judith Finn (all also growing great).
However, my Raf is just not growing, in fact, it's slowly withering.
Here are the conditions:
Very humid (in a tank), very warn (around 90 day, 80 night)
Enough light to turn all nep leaves slightly red (except brand new ones, they seem more used to the higher light level)
It's potted in LFS (like all the others).

WHAT GIVES!?!

 

[schloaty]

Oops...could a mod please change the topic to "had it up to here (instead of hear) with my raf"? Told you I was at my wits end!

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Slowly withering doesn't sound good.. perhaps something is wrong with the root system.
Tony

 

[schloaty]

Tony,
Any idea what could be wrong with the roots? What should I look for? I really don't think the pot is too small....it's in a 5 inch pot, and the plant is only 6 inches in diameter....

 

[Tim]

Sounds like a fungal disease. When you say withered, does it look like drying up?

 

[GEORGE-CP]

is the plant sitting in water.

 

[schloaty]

George, yes, it looks like it's drying up. I don't have it on the tray method...should I? I have been watering it every week, and the LFS stays moiste the whole week because it's in a tank. Does it need to be sopping wet?

 

[GEORGE-CP]

I don't keep it on a tray method. what i do is mist all the plants 2 times a day leaves and soil. and water 2 times a week. keeping the soil mix wet but the soaking week. is it in pure l/f/s moss. you might want try a mix of orchid bark, charcol,l/f moss and peat moss. 1:1:1:1 mix. one thing i noticed w/ just using l/f moss the roots seem to rot in just that

 

[schloaty]

Thanks George,
Looks like I'm off to Home Depot tomorrow evening! Can I leave out the charcol? I don't think I've seen it at my local Home Depot...

 

[Tony Paroubek]

If humidity is high and the plant is kept moist but yet the leaves are wilted or shrivelled or in any way look like they are lacking water then there is a problem with the roots.

Sounds like it never established properly for you. Perhaps it was too wet or perhaps got a disease at the roots.
Tony

 

[GEORGE-CP]

home depot does have a bag that has the orchid bark,charcol already mixed together but if they don't go ahead and leave it out if ya can't find it.

also like Tony said it could of gotten a fungis or the roots didn't get established

when you do repot it leave the mix that is around the roots already so lesson the stress of the plant

 

[schloaty]

Thanks for all your help guys! I will check the roots (to make sure they are still there), and if neseccary (can't spell), treat with fungicide.

 

[Parasuco]

Superthrive promose root growth, doesnt it?

 

[The Griffin]

If Superthrive does all it claims to do, it should have a benneficial effect on the plant, especially when transplanting.
I would be shocked if your Home Depot does not have horticultural charcoal. I have seen it at everyone I have been to, from California, to Denver, to Lincoln and Omaha Nebraska. Like CP George said(I hope it was him), they probably ahve a orchid mix also that has bark,charcoal and maybe perlite. Mix that with your L/F/S ,and that should be a ood mix.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Tim]

One of the ways fungus acts is to plug up the "veins" of a plant with the mycelea, or "roots" of the fungus, so the plant looks like it's drying up.

 

[Spectabilis73]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Tim @ Dec. 02 2002,10:53)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Sounds like a fungal disease. When you say withered, does it look like drying up?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
one of my my adelae looks like that too! but I always keep about an inch of water in the tray! maybe my adelae has the same prob. yours does?

 

[Tim]

As I said before, I'm a CP novice, but I've managed/owned greenhouses all my life, and your discription sends up a red flag for fungus. I would spray the low rate of any non-copper fungicide at the lower recommended rate, then wait a week, and repeat.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

schloaty, look in the aquarium section of the store for activated charcoal. It will likely be in with the filter stuff.

 

[schloaty]

Ok...Leaving work...heading to Home Depot.


Must....Find.....Charcol
Must....Find.....Orchid....Bark
<< Slobber, slobber, drool, drool >>
Yes, Master!
I am at your beck and call, Master

Woah. I gotta get out'a work!!

 

[Joachim]

Hi,

when uprooting the plant I would recommend carefully washing away the old soil completely. If there is a build up of salts, etc. which the plant dislikes, you do get rid of this problem this way. The root system of a Nepenthes is very fragile and it is not as easy to spot if they are damaged or not. So if the plant does not recover in few days you might consider treating it like an cutting. Pack the leafes in a layer of Sphagnum with the newest rosette of leafes lying direct on the moss. This way the plant has time to develop new roots without risking of drying out, as the plant will get water through its leafes.

Good luck!

Joachim