What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Not something you like to see...

Words couldn't describe my anger when I went to check on my plants at the Universty's greenhouse and found some one had helped themselves to my one foot(+) tall N. gracilis leaving me with just this little stub:

IMG_0252.jpg


IMG_0250.jpg


Cut down to the woody portion, an inch above the media,(as if it were a rosebush!) and the plant had yet to send up a basal. I tore through the greenhouse complex in a rage, thinking some little punk took it for his propagation class. But alas, nothing. I've given so many cuttings of my nepenthes to the University, some willingly, and some behind my back. I didn't even mind the latter, because they were usually taking basals, and were done without harming the plant in the slightest. But this!? This is senseless. Someone obviously had no idea what (s)he was doing, and so the cuttings they took will likely die in their care anyway.

The only, the ONLY logic I could see in what they did is this: It's growing in a pot with N. x 'Ventrata,' so, maybe they thought the N. gracilis was a runner, or something. Either way they had new clue about Nepenthes, that's for sure.

As I understand it, it's a hopeless case, even with it's established root system. Oh well, looks like I know what I'll be looking for this year's NECPS plant show...


Thanks for listening to my rant,
CJ
 
no. it is not a hopeless case. keep it. you'll be surprised. i've had a glabrata come back from a situation not unlike this.
 
Oh man thats brutal! what the hell were they thinking?! Sorry dude!
 
Yeah.....tis why my plants will never go anywhere public. :(
 
Thats some serious BS. I have an extra gracilis if you'd like it just drop me a PM.
 
It should grow back just fine. Just give it some time.
 
the process will take months...even half a year....but as long as you have a great, established root system, the plant will recover.... unlike cuttings---the reason why cuttings fail in regards to the brown parts, i suspect is because of 1) no photosythesizable parts, and 2) no root system for nutrient acquisition. you have a root system, so the plant will begin to store energy to prepare a nodal/basal activation.
 
the process will take months...even half a year....but as long as you have a great, established root system, the plant will recover.... unlike cuttings---the reason why cuttings fail in regards to the brown parts, i suspect is because of 1) no photosythesizable parts, and 2) no root system for nutrient acquisition. you have a root system, so the plant will begin to store energy to prepare a nodal/basal activation.

That makes sense, yeah. I guess I was thinking that the auxillary nodes in that region were long dead- given a 2* cell wall and used for support. And if hadn't made a basal by now, it wasn't going to.
 
  • #10
Remove your plants to a safer space. Otherwise, you can expect this to happen again in the future. Its the nature of public displays.
 
  • #11
OMG!!! I would place some security cameras in there, find out who did it and go freaking ham on them!!! :censor:

If I found anyone had cut my plants down to a stub, I don't even know what I would do. :crazy:
 
  • #12
Oh, man. That's awful!

I also agree: keep the stub. I got a Nep that was badly sunburned a long time ago, and the stem died back to just a couple inches off the soil. It grew back, and now I'm trying to get rid of pieces to tame it a little.

Wish you luck there!
 
  • #13
That is truly a lame story... I'm sorry to hear it.

At least it was just a N. gracilis, still though. . . I can't even believe the nerve of that person!

I've never been in this situation but I would bet that being such a hardy species and if it has a sturdy root stock you should hopefully see a new stem forming in the future.
 
  • #14
You may be surprised at how many new growth points you may get.
 
  • #15
Remove your plants to a safer space. Otherwise, you can expect this to happen again in the future. Its the nature of public displays.

I wish I could! I'm still just a student here and it's either put them there or out in the the cold harsh conditions of New England, and they literally wouldn't last a day this time of year.

I really wouldn't mind people taking cuttings, but it was the fact that this person had no idea what they were doing that troubled me the most.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement, and even the offer for a replacement. I will just let it sit with my N. x 'Ventrata' and see what happens. The latter is pushing out some serious growth, maybe it'll act as a little "inspiration." (Ha, I wish it worked like that....)

-CJ
 
  • #16
So sorry about that! The plant will most likely grow back..remember, the roots are still alive and well.. Maybe you could set up video cameras or put up warning signs. My friend owns this 10 foot high pile of stacked horse shoes and put a sign on it that says "stealing horse shoes will bring you bad luck"... and so far its working! Maybe something like that would work, or put up a sign that says "Warning...touching the stem's of these plants will give you serious rashes" :lol:
 
Back
Top