5

I've had a Nepenthes (I believe Alata) for several years now. I have a question, probably because I have not been too observant: After a trap appears on a leaf and then subsequently dies off, will another trap grow where the old trap had been? Or is it "one trap per leaf."? If it is the latter, I would then cut off the dead or dying traps to give the entire plant a nicer appearance.

ejderuby
  • 250
  • 1
  • 13
quailrunner
  • 51
  • 1

1 Answers1

2

It's "one trap per leaf", so if the dry bits bother you, just cut off the dry traps. I wouldn't cut dying traps, to give the plant the chance to retract as much as possible.

Technically, the traps are part of the leaf, by the way, what we tend to see as leaf is technically just the base of the leaf. This explains why there won't be another pitcher once the first dies off.

Stephie
  • 16,017
  • 5
  • 30
  • 56
  • Hi Stephie, Your answer is exactly what I was seeking. I can now proceed accordingly. – quailrunner May 11 '17 at 02:28
  • @quailrunner You should mark this answer as the correct answer to your question. Thanks! – ejderuby Jul 16 '19 at 16:18
  • Cutting completely dead, dried-out traps does no harm to the plant since they're not providing any functionality to the plant. Traps/leaves in the process of dying, however, still provide photosynthesis and possibly are still digesting some of the bugs in the trap. – ejderuby Jul 16 '19 at 16:20