Pitcher plants are great carnivorous plants to grow and care for, but sometimes they can run into some issues. Pitcher plant diseases and pests are common issues that they suffer from, for example, some of these are:
- Freezing weather
- Pesticides or herbicides
- Fertilization
- Spider mites
- Thrips
- Aphids
- Leafhoppers
- Mealybugs
Some of these are easily spotted and fixed, whereas others you need to watch out for more. Freezing weather usually will not affect the pitcher plant if there is mulch surrounding its rhizome area. However, if the plant is not fully dormant before the freezing temperatures start to drop, it can and will kill the rhizomes.
This will essentially kill your pitcher plant, as well. Though, you can check for this issue by digging up your plant and checking the rhizomes that are firm and white. Then you should replant them and get rid of any mushy sections that are not white.
This is helpful to keep your plant thriving throughout the coldest of weather. You do need to keep in mind that pitcher plants can drown if their clay soil is not getting the required proper drainage. These plants are bog plants, and they need special care when dealing with their stable soil.
You also need to avoid using herbicides and pesticides on your plant as they can endanger it, as well. Since pitcher plants are carnivorous, you may think it will eat any bugs that come its way. This may be true for larger insects; however, smaller critters may not be as noticeable to the plant compared to bigger ones.
You may also want to read our other article about How to Take Care of a Pitcher Plant to prevent issues in growing your own Pitcher Plant and avoid some issues further.
Pests that Attack Causes Pitcher Plant Diseases
For example, spider mites are tiny and attack the plant when the weather is hot outside, and the pitcher plant is dehydrated. You need to keep the pitcher plant wet to prevent any issues for it from these little spiders. They suck on the plant, which can cause injury to it. Keeping your plant watered and having drainage will allow it to avoid any related issues.
Thrips are tiny insects that you cannot see at all; however, you can see the after-effects of their damage. They cause the most problems for your plant, along with seeing the plant’s leaves being deformed. This is a sign of thrips attacking your poor plant, which can be tested by shaking the leaves that are damaged against something white. If you see black dots moving around or falling, then your plant is infected by thrips.
Other bugs that will try to devour your pitcher plant include leafhoppers, aphids, and mealybugs. These can cause issues for your plant’s health and safety. You need to get rid of them by rinsing the plant with water or using Orthene spray to keep them away from your plant. If this is not effective, you can also try neem oil against the bugs.
Be careful when using these products, however, because they can harm you if misused. So, keep this in mind when you go outside and spray these bugs on your plants.
Diseases of the Pitcher Plant
Pitcher plants can be healthy if you take care of it properly and keep the bugs off of it. However, some diseses can occur if mistreated or ignored.
The following includes:
Fertilization
Never fertilize your pitcher plants. If you directly fertilize the soil, it can produce spores from the soil called Rhizoctonia and Fusarium. These are common diseases that are fungal in nature and can make your poor plant very sick. It can also multiply the spores rapidly and cause many issues for your plants.
Since the pitcher plant is a bog plant, they are made to harvest their own nutrients needed, so fertilization is usually pointless to do anyways. These plants can adapt to soils with low nutrients, but if your indoor plant is looking unhealthy or yellow, you may need to fertilize them slightly. To do this, you need to make a half dilution of some pitcher plant “liquid plant food” and spray it onto the plant that has just been watered.
This ensures that your pitcher plant will get the nutrients it has been lacking, however, overdoing the spray can backfire and cause issues with your plant. Make sure you use caution if you do this or take your plant outside to let it catch some bugs to eat. This can help much better than using plant food on your pitcher plant.
Misc. Diseases
When a pitcher plant contracts a disease, it can cause the vascular system to be destroyed. Sometimes it may just affect the leaves on the plant, whereas other times when it enters through the roots, it ends up being deadly. Even so, if the leaves are only affected that you can see, it can still seriously damage your plants.
