Question

Viking x rafflesiana  
Viking x ampullaria   QUESTION: Hi guys,
I received a Nepenthes Viking x ampullaria and a  Nepenthes Viking x rafflesiana in the mail yesterday.

The N.Viking x rafflesiana is looking pretty bad.
I wanted to know if keeping both of them in a open end style aquarium would be sufficient enough for the humididy.
I have a 2 40 watt florescent shop light over the top of the aquarium, it is probably  4-5" away from the plants.
I think they do OK but I wanted to make sure!

Thanks,Jake

ANSWER: Yes, your plant is showing signs of excessive transpiration, moisture loss through the leaves.  This happens when a plant grown in very high humidity is placed in conditions of low humidity without an acclimation period.

The transpiration doesn't look severe at the time you took the photos, but you should take some measures to avoid additional moisture loss.  First clip off the three most bottom leaves on your Viking x rafflesiana.  Those leaves will likely turn brown within a week or so because of the excessive transpiration, so you might as well cut them off to prevent further damage to the plant.  

Next, mist your plants and cover them with a clear plastic bag.  Bring the opening of the bag to the bottom of the pot.  There's no need to form a tight seal.  Keep the opening loose.  The bag will keep the humidity higher around your plant.  Make sure the soil is very moist.  

Keep the bag on for at least a week, maybe two.  By then you should see some improvement in the newer growth.  The older growth may or may not improve in appearance, depending on the severity of the moisture loss.  The newer growth should recover nicely.

After a couple weeks, make a small hole in the bag.  You're now going to transition your plant to lower humidity.  Make sure the hole is small.  If you make it too large, you'll end up with the same problem.  Keep the diameter about 1/2 inch.  Monitor your plant.  If all looks good after 5 days, make another hole in the bag.  Keep doing this until your have a half dozen holes.  This will take about a month.  After that, you could likely remove the bag altogether.

If at any time you see wilting in the leaves, your plant may have experienced a sudden drop in humidity.  If this happens, you need to replace the plastic bag and start the process over.

All other factors you mentioned seem fine.  Write back as a follow-up if you need further assistance.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jacob,

It looks even worse than when I took the picture earlier today !
I though I would show you an other photo.
As you can see in one of the pic's, I put I put plastic wrap over the top of my setup.( and over the light)
I am not sure if this is as good as a plastic bag, I will cover them with the plastic bags and take off the plastic wrap. If you think the plastic wrap is better,Let me know.
I do not know why, it will not let me uplode pictures.
If you want another picture of the plants current coundition and the set up I can send an other folowup question. (It looks worse)

I did notice that with the plastic over the top it seems to stay nice warm and humid.

I think the plant will recover, It will just look ugly ! =)

Thanks,Jake

Answer
A plastic bag is better because it will keep the humidity around the plant much higher.  Only time will tell how well your plant will recover.  Not much else you can do other than wait.  The plant needs time to adjust to the change in humidity.  There may have been some cellular damage, so it will look worse as those cells die off.  The main point is that you want to prevent further damage to healthy plant tissue.  As long as the growing tip remains healthy, the plant will recover.  You may need to give it 6-12 months before it has a new set of leaves.