Carnivorous Plant HELP!

Hello, I bought 3 young Nepethens Ventrata X plants from ebay. They arrived today in MN, even though the tracking for usps said expected delivery 11/14, when I looked this morning. Anyway it is around 40 degrees here and really windy, so they unfortunately sat outside for 6 hours. They arrived without any heatpack, surrounded by plastic bags with air in them. The roots were wrapped in a paper towel which was really wet/cold and the pitchers feel semi hard. 1 of the 3 plants has a brown root and leaf that is turning brown, but otherwise looks surprisingly well. The other two, look okay but like I said, feel semi frozen. Any suggestions? The seller was from a Biological Research Station, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to preservation of carnivorous plants...

Hi Dz,

Nepethens Ventrata X is a tropical pitcher so I'm not sure how they will fare. The best you can do at this point is plant them and keep them warm and humid (put a plastic bag over the pot but cut a corner out so there is a little air circulation) AND contact the seller and explain the situation. They should have been packed with a heat pack and they should have been delivered on the expected date so you could make arrangements. Its always tricky to order tropical plants in the late fall and winter - the weather is not always cooperative.

Do you have other carnivorous plants? Nepethens Ventrata X is a tough one to grow for a beginner. I would have started with some American pitchers (Sarracenia) and worked my way towards Nepethens. In fact, I have been growing Sarracenia and Drosera for many years and just got my first Nepethens.

Daisy

Hi thanks, so far the plants that arrived look about the same as they did... Not sure if that's a good thing or not.

I do have a nepenthes maybe alata or ventricosa, not sure, it was unmarked when I got it. I bought it last spring, kept it in my shady backyard all summer and brought it in when it got about 50 degrees overnight.

It doubled in size over the summer, and is growing new pitchers even since I moved it inside. I spray it twice a day and have one of those plastic pot hangers around it that I keep spraying. It's beautiful. I am hoping these other little ones will survive.

I also have one small sarracenia plant..Dana's delight. Do you bring yours inside over the winter? Right now mine is inside on a saucer full of rocks.. I am wondering about what to do with that this winter too!

My Serrancena live outside in bogs year 'round. After they die back, I cover them with burlap until they start to grow again in the spring. They can take being frozen solid but not being dehydrated. I drag my hose out there every so often and refill the bogs if it hasn't rained.

You can grow them indoors too. They still need a dormant period though. Put them in full sun in a couple inches of water in an unheated room or garage. Move them back to a warmer spot at the end of February.

Good luck with the Nepenthes. Just keep them wet and watch for signs of life.

Daisy

Thanks I will try that!