N. bical

[machete]

I just got a few nepenthes. One is a bical. Everything is fine, except one of the leaves and pitchers is dying. It is slowly turning black from the pitcher to the leaf.
Should I cut this part off? or just let it die back?
Temp is 85, humidity is 90+. it is a 4-5" plant. also looks like a new leaf is already coming through, I have had this plant for only a week.
Thanks

 

[eplants02]

I'll wait till the entire leaf turns black then cut it off or cut portions of the leaf as it continues to turn black.

Also one more thing when N. Bicalcarata turns black it means there isn't sufficent amount of humidity. Pitcher disformation is a result of low humidity. About your growing conditions, the humidity level looks fine but try to raise the temperature since N. Bicalcarata likes it HOT.

 

[machete]

I think it might have got the damage in while being shipped.
I thought 85 was ok?

 

[eplants02]

Yes, 85 is okay but I would suggest a higher temperature would be better.

 

[D muscipula]

... but it will grow just fine at 85F. Mine only gets that warm during the day, and it is producing healthy pitchers. I know what you mean about it turning black. I think that's what happens with age, but in the case of my plant, it seems to happen whenever it gets a little bit TOO cold at night. Considering how fast mine grows, i imagine at 85+ degrees constantly it becomes a rodent-eating monster in a year or two. Personally, i'd like to keep mine in the small terrarium it is in as long as possible, so i leave it to the whims of the sun and my room temperature.

 

[swords]

My bical leaves will turn black if it is too wet. I just had a pitcher & leaf turn black when it was sitting cramped in the corner of the terrarium and the water stayed condensed on the leaf. Thankfully bical is a rapid grower and doesn't seem to notice shipping that much, even bare root!
You will like this plant, just give it a couple months to settle in!

 

[machete]

Well, that could be the problem. How are you guys dealing with moisture with such high humidity? If I keep the humidity up, moisture is sure to collect on the leaves.
Swords, what do you do to the dying pitchers and leaves? Cut them off, or just leave them?

 

[RamPuppy]

I always cut as much of the dead tissue off as fast as I can, reason being, depriving fungus and other stuff nutrients to grow. After you have had one horrible wildfire case of fungus drilling holes in every plant in your terrarium, you will find prevention is better than cure...

If it's dead, it generally doesn't matter to the plant, so, clip it, leave a mm or two of dead tissue over the good, and keep going.

on some plants, I have found if I clip on the good side of the leaf, and cut about a mm or two of good tissue away, the remaining tissue actually lasts LONGER, probably because bacteria and what not are not invading good tissue around the dieing tissue. who knows... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

It's all personal choice.

 

[Kim]

More than likely, if you just got the bical recently, it was probably grown with very very high humidity which results in transpiration when you receive it with drying leaves and dead pitchers. This is a common problem at first. Usually, the plants will adjust to new conditions and begin to harden off. Good luck and happy growing.

Kim