TerraForums - Carnivorous Plant Community
Welcome to TerraForums — a long-running carnivorous plant community established in 2001. Register for free to join the conversation, ask questions, and connect with growers from around the world.
i got a ?
- Thread starter Joe Dirt
- Start date
Share this page
they are like VFT's
they digest them, but leave the exo skeleton, when there are lots of bugs i empty em out, i only had to empty em out once that was when i flipped it upside down when i was repotting mine, but wow, before you do it, get a gas mask, the stuff inside the pitchers SMELLS BADLY !!! =D
they digest them, but leave the exo skeleton, when there are lots of bugs i empty em out, i only had to empty em out once that was when i flipped it upside down when i was repotting mine, but wow, before you do it, get a gas mask, the stuff inside the pitchers SMELLS BADLY !!! =D
nepenthes gracilis
Nepenthes Specialist
DO NOT EMPTY YOR PITCHERS OUT!!! You will make the palnt produce more enzymes to digest more prey that is caught and upset the chemical balance of the fluids. THe pitcher is there for a reason! To HOLD the stuff in that it catches.
nepenthes gracilis
Nepenthes Specialist
Well that can happen but not generally. Usually the enzymes will break down alot of the old exoskeleton's and make room for more insects if needed. I have never had that happen though. But if it does happen I would leave it UNLESS fungus developes or the bugs are overflowing form the pitcher, then I would start to think about clipping it.
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Quote: from nepenthes gracilis on 6:53 am on May 18, 2002
Usually the enzymes will break down alot of the old exoskeleton's and make room for more insects if needed.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Exoskeleton is indigestable! That is why it remains!!
Just let the pitchers catch there fill. There is no need to empty them out. The pitcher may suffer a little 'indigestion' and begin to rot away a little, but it will not harm the plant! Its just best to leave it be!
Usually the enzymes will break down alot of the old exoskeleton's and make room for more insects if needed.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Exoskeleton is indigestable! That is why it remains!!
Just let the pitchers catch there fill. There is no need to empty them out. The pitcher may suffer a little 'indigestion' and begin to rot away a little, but it will not harm the plant! Its just best to leave it be!
Sometimes a pitcher will fill 'too fast' and the pitcher will develop some unsightly patches, due to bacterial activity. Also, sarcophagid flies love to lay their eggs in tubes filled with dead bugs, so it won't be uncommon to peer down into a pitcher and see hundreds of maggots slithering all over.
Whether you want to avoid this is a matter of personal taste. Some people put cotton balls in their pitchers to keep them looking in tip-top shape. Others, like me, just let nature take its course.
Whether you want to avoid this is a matter of personal taste. Some people put cotton balls in their pitchers to keep them looking in tip-top shape. Others, like me, just let nature take its course.
nepenthes gracilis
Nepenthes Specialist
Richard, what i meant was that the exoskeleton compacts more towards the bottom.
ahh ok, so i wont empty em out, but if i gota repot i always turn the plants upside down and itll start to smell =D
but i wont replant for a while now, looks really nice in the 6" pot
mine is turning red coulor now!!! i have been putting it in more sun and im starting to see red veins and a red mouth
but i wont replant for a while now, looks really nice in the 6" pot
mine is turning red coulor now!!! i have been putting it in more sun and im starting to see red veins and a red mouth