S. Oreophila help - pictures included

[samuel1988]

Afternoon everyone (afternoon from the UK),

I was just wondering if there is anything wrong with my pitcher plant (and what I can do to help it) from looking at the pictures below.

A few traps have collapsed due to stem breakage (maybe due to the wind?) and there are holes in some of the traps.  Also I was just wondering why there is a 'dent' in some of the pitchers - is this a response to helping to avoid trapping too many flies?

Thank you for your time and help,

Samuel

Attachments:

[adelea]

The dent could have been caused by somthing (animal/human) touching the pitcher while it was newly forming, as for the holes/rot, it is a matter of to much, or to much of a fleshy insect, i get it now and then when the pitchers are so full of bugs (mainly flies) that the digestive juices are below the dead bug level, this creates a rot that eats away at the trap, you can combat it by controlled feeding, or, as i do, add small quantities of safe water (distilled, rain....) just enought to cover the insect corpses, also some beetles are capable of boreing out of a trap.
The colapses may be due to weight (to many bugs), wind, heavy rain, if the plant is weak (not enough sun, to low water, to long without dormancy, ect..)or a larger animal, like a bird or mammal has tried to raid the trap, birds are common with mine.

[samuel1988]

Is the assumption that all pitcher plants have a digestive pool of fluid a wrong one? I had presumed they did as I was not quite so sure how it actually eats the flies as I had presumed that some pool of fluid reservoir what be present.

[adelea]

After all of my sarra's open they have small amounts of digestive juices in them, then as they gradually fill the level rises slowly (somtimes to slowly, as the trap catches insects at a rate thet surpases its production of fluid, or perhaps they have a maximium fluid level?, this is when rot occours in my plants, but as i said is combated by using water to top it up), my pitchers have never dried up, other than when their about to die, with the exception of purpurea, but they rely heavily on rains to fill them.
This is a nepenthes forum, so think nepenthes, their traps are rather similiar in function, and even design, a lower basin to digest the insects that have fallen from the lip, which allures by scent, the lid to keep rain out, and a limited life exspectancy per trap, this varies plant to plant in sarra's as it does nepenthes (e.g alata traps may form, open and rot in a matter of weeks, however a veitchii trap can last close to a year)

[samuel1988]

I will fill up a few traps with some waterbutt water to see what happens.

Would you suggest using a few bamboo canes and some string to hold the plant up?

Will the whole plant die if the traps all rot? Or could there be enough energy stored to help spure on new growth if all the traps die of rot?

I will try get some more picks as I think have some new growth coming along.

I am quite curious as to can insects fly out of the traps if they fall in?

Thank you for your time and help,

Samuel

[adelea]

They should'nt all rot, unless it is going dormant, in which case it will grow phylidia leaves (i think), but i don't let my plants go dormant (i'm in the tropics), if the plants does rot entirly then it is most likly a fungus, mite or disease attacking the plant, also, only fill the traps to just above the insect level, not to the top, as for bamboo, go for it, it gets pretty windy here so i have plastic rods in their pots and plastic coated wire to keep them all up.
Also i grow all of my sarras in 25cm tall pots with a 20cm water level, in summer it would be recomended, if you are in a cool climate you will have to drop the water table to 1/2 or 1/3 the pot height, these plants like it wet.
As for flying insects, generally they need room to take off, and the water in the basin of the trap also slows them, so normally no. however i there are some beetles here in north queensland, australia, that fly in and out, but flies won't.
As a whole, your plant does'nt look that bad and seems healthy, it also looks like a mature plant, so it shoud have a thick rhiozom with lots of energy stored, if you do have trouble with this species i'd suggest getting a purpurea, they are more tolerant of both heat and cold than most other carns, can survive a mild drought (no water in its tray for a few weeks) and if you grow them in full sun for 6+ hours in a pot that is 20cm tall, water table of 15-20cm and in a soil of 1:1 peat/sand or pure spag, they thrive, they will also tolerate full shade, although form narrow green traps.
Hope this was helpful, goodluck

[samuel1988]

can I put pond water in the trap? (My waterbutt has run out of rainwater!)

[adelea]

Depends on the purity of the water, if it is a base water it's usless, but if its slightly acidic you could use it, i'd be more inclined to buy a small bottle of distilled water, its only a couple of dollars for a bottle, don't use bottled water like mount franklin, as many of them have chlorine and salts in them, they are not true spring/natural water.