Re: Mystery Sludge

dave evans (T442119@RUTADMIN.RUTGERS.EDU)
Tue, 25 Jun 96 17:21 EDT

> From: RSbra123@AOL.COM
>
> Some plants of mine have a strange black 'sludge' on them It seems to be
> growing (?) on some surface moss and on the bottom of some leaves of a d.
> adelae. It's also on the pitchers of a couple of heliamphora nutans.

Ron,

Welcome! This sludge maybe a type a algea. I have seen
different types of goop in greenhouses. Seems in the wild, a
number of CPs, heliamphora and Nepenthes, grow along with weedy
algea and mosses which can grow even better when introduced into
a greenhouse. I don't know what you could do to kill it without
doing the same to your plants, but try growing them in less humidity.
This will cause the algea to retreat to the soil surface at least.

Dave Evans

P.S. a fungicide named Maneb may work, but take care I don't know
if Heliamphora can stand it!