bad bag!
Hey guys,
I received an N. Mikei a few weeks ago, potted it in an equal part sphagnum moss/peat/perlite/coconut chips mix, bagged it up and placed in a terrarium under lights next to the rest of the neps. A few days ago, I noticed that the leaves have started blackening near the growing point; however, the growing tip appears to be (so far) unaffected. Does this seem like a problem? Anything I should do?
Yes, buy a replacement; that is an ex-Nepenthes.
If you placed the plant in a terrarium, its not hard to imagine that humidity is already quite high in that environment, correct? Placing the plant in a sealed bag is going to create a stagnant environment and honestly, I'd have been surprised if it
didn't rot. I have bought bare root Nepenthes seedlings and placed them in either my lighted terrarium or directly out in the greenhouse. In both cases, the environment is carefully engineered for high (but not excessive) humidity, air movement (
important!) and ideal intermediate/highland temps. I
never bagged any of these seedlings, even the smallest, most fragile looking ones, and every one of them has thrived and resumed growth soon after they arrived. Many of them resumed pitchering within four weeks of their arrival.
I think the popular mythology about
bagging new arrivals like this is doing most growers a disservice and is more likely to result in plant death than simply potting them up and putting them into your grow space with the rest. (This presumes your grow space is engineered to provide optimal humidity, air and light, of course) If, however, you are growing your Nepenthes on a windowsill in the home, where humidity is likely to be below 50% much of the time, then the bag method might be helpful, at least while the plant settles in. Otherwise, I'd suggest avoiding the bag approach.
Good luck with the next one.