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Mass pitcher blackening

Hello guys!

My friend bought a N.Ventricosa recently (Of course, I had *nothing* to do with it...), it had an absolutely ridiculous amount of pitchers, 25 of them to be exact o_O!

But now he caled me and said many of them are blackening...
I did tell him everything he had to know about nepenthes, not to leave it in water, mist often and the like.  Since it was growing well in it's pot before and wasn't transplanted, it's not the soil, so when I asked him a few questions he told me he fed all of the pichers with some koi pellets I gave him.  Otherwise, he said he didn't seed any spot or pests in it.

....25 pitchers being fed at once... looks like an indigestion to me...  Am I correct?
 
The koi pellets are the culprit.
 
Well, whenever you bring a plant home, you change its conditions. This will cause a period of stress as it adjusts, even if you don't transplant. I think it's just adjusting to its new home. I feed koi pellets and never have had this happen, though I just give a pellet or two.

Capslock
 
Yes, that's true. Severe shock will cause blackening-as in sudden cold conditions. Usually Neps shed their pitchers by drying out-the lids shrivel and then the whole pitcher turns brown and dried looking. This is typical of a change in cultural conditions. But when they turn black-its either indigestion or extreme cold.

Trent
 
True, except that for some reason, my N. ventricosas turn black instead of brown when drying out. Their "drying out" color is just naturally darker than others. Could be either one, we need pictures!!

Capslock
 
Need pictures?  Let's see, I know he sent me one somewhere... here it is :

noir.jpg



Does that help any?
 
I'll go with Capslock now that I've seen the picture. Looks like a change of cultural conditions.

Trent
 
All right, so what to do now? Wait?
(and btw, is it acceptable to be feeding so many pitchers at the same time?)

Thank you guys!
 
Just wait it out for it to adjust. Yea I think as long as he keeps portions small enough feeding them all would be fine:)
 
  • #11
I wouldn't feed it koi pellets. Stick to what the plant is designed to catch, or don't feed it until spring/summer. Most CPs (even tropicals) do fine without feeding for periods of time. I'd rather have a healthy plant then one with rotted pitchers from too rich of food sources.
 
  • #12
The ventrata i just got is doing the same thing. Hardening off is always sort of.. well.. hard on the plant. You always seem to lose a couple of pitchers.
 
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