N. Maxima, fungus

From: Joe Martinez (joe@jmmsoftware.com)
Date: Mon Jul 17 2000 - 13:05:33 PDT


Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 13:05:33 -0700
From: Joe Martinez <joe@jmmsoftware.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2141$foo@default>
Subject: N. Maxima, fungus

I purchased my first two Nepenthes at the ICPS conference.
I bought a N. Khasiana from a California Carnivores, and a
N. Maxima from an unknown vendor (His table was facing
the wall opposite the lecture room (facing away from the
lecture room). I think his badge said, "San Jose".

I put both plants in my newly set up terrarium. The plants
are in saucers. I water them from overhead until maybe a
centimeter of water is in the saucers, then when the water
evaporates from the saucers, I repeat the watering overhead,
and so on. Does this sound like a reasonable way to do it?

Lighting consists of two shop lights (4 bulbs total). Two bulbs
are cool white, 40W, and the other two are Coralife Nutri Grow
plant bulbs. They are meant for freshwater planted aquariums.
The shop lights sit on top of the glass top, about 10-12 inches
above the plants. Humidity has been mostly in the 90's.

The N. Khasiana is doing great. The N. Maxima, not so
great. Within days of getting the plants home, the pitchers
were turning brown. Whenever a new pitchering leaf grows,
the baby pitcher turns brown before it even grows up. Soon
after bringing it home, I also noticed a white cottony, spider
web-like growth on the soil. I assume that it's a fungus, and
I'm guessing that it's what's killing the pitchers. I got some
of the Bonomyl fungicide from Peter Paul's and sprayed both
the plant and the soil with it a few days ago. It didn't seem to
have any affect on the white growth on the soil. It's too soon
to tell whether or not it will help the pitchers.

Does the fact that it's a "systemic" fungicide mean that it won't
work topically on the soil? Is there something else that should
try?

Luckily, whatever it is has not spread to the N. Khasiana.

-Joe



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