Ventricosa/ gymnaphora help!!

[twotut]

I have 2 nepenthesis ventricosa and 1 gymnaphora. My questions stem from the twisting leaves on one ven. and how the h@%* do I grow the gym. The ven I'm worried about, just finished flowering(male). The top 2 layers of leaves are twisting down and curling inwards IS THIS NORMAL? My second ven has beautiful flat leaves and hasn't bloomed yet.
The little gym is slowly waisting away and I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFO ON HOW TO GROW IT ! I EVEN HAVE THE "SAVAGE GARDEN" and still not enough info. Any ideas? .........please?

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[twotut]

Help?

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[twotut]

Help?

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[peterhewitt]

Your Ventricosa looks like it could possibly be suffering from a mite attack. This can deform leaves this way. Check on the undersides of leaves with a hand lens for signs of them.
Another problem could be light. Some of my more sun loving Neps produce curled in leaves just like that.
N.Gymnamphora is a highland plant, so cool nights must be provided.
Yours looks like the root system is rotted, so i would take those shoots and try to re-root them, i doubt they will survive on that stem.

[leilani]

I rarely offer cultivation advice but since Jeff sent you here ......

You should be able to grow both of these plants were you are.

Your N. ventricosa don't look that bad. It (they) may have used a good deal of energy in flowering and they do look spent. Still, ventricosa is resilient and, if conditions are right, will recover in a couple of months.

I notice what looks like carpeting in your pictures and am wondering if you are growing these in you air-conditioned house? If so, this might explain the rather dry look. Also, I can't tell for sure, the potting mix they are growing in looks rather dry.

At your elevation the temperatures should be good most of the year but you will still need to protect your plants from your cold winters.

The N. gymnamphora looks pretty close to toast but it does have several new buds (gymnamphora makes a lot of buds) and could regenerate over the coming months.

I would personally go with a looser, chunkier potting mix. Keep them away from the air-conditioner and water them a lot. I'd try growing them outside most of the year for the good air circulation and natural humidity. If you grow them indoors try to find a location with bright light and good air circulation (preferably outside air).

Don't worry about special conditions for either of these plants. Concern yourself more with good basic conditions: good light, plenty of pure water, a well drained container, good air circulation and the higher the humidity the better. If you can provide these thing and as the plants respond then, you might try a mild fertilizer somewhere down the line.

[twotut]

Thanks Guys!

We have a swamp cooler and the table that holds my orchids, violets, nepenthesis and a dash of succulents sits on the left side and a little behind the cooler. The cooler is perched up above and in the ceiling and doesn't blow directly on them. My other cps sit on metal shelving next to our huge 6ft windows During the hot summers the cooler keeps the house nice and cool, especially at night. So the temps aren't really a concern of mine. On the ventricosa I've looked under the leaves but I don't see any bugs....not that I know what I'm looking for...but nothing is crawling around. The gymnaphora...I'm not sure how to re-root....take a cutting and plop it in new soil? I have found leaves that look like they aren't wilted on the very bottom of the plant.....so could there be a tiny chance?
Thank you guys for helping me on this. The basics are all I need, really. Like, can pings sit in water? I thought I knew the answer but apparently I've kept them too dry. Geez....the fricken basics are hard enough!
So thanks again.!!
marian
twotut

[peterhewitt]

I think that if your plant has healthy roots and leaves, it should recover from the shoots. As far as taking cuttings is concerned, you could remove just one shoot with a sharp instrument and plant it in 50-50 peat perlite mix in a covered propagating tray, it should root in a few weeks to months. This may not be necessary if you think the plants roots are ok. Then it may recover from those shoots. I would take just one cutting to lessen the chances of losing it myself.

[peterhewitt]

As for Pings, i believe the best place to get info on them is
www.pinguicula.org/

[kain]

My wife keeps her pings almost floating in summer and only slightly drier in winter. They seem to do well - blooming and etc.