Sarracenia N.American pitcher

Sarracenia Pitcher plant

Sarracenia known as North American pitcher plants can be easy to grow given the right conditions, plants grow well in unheated or frost-free greenhouses, conservatories most will grow well outside in a peat bog garden year round especially S.purpurea ssp. purpurea, S.flava, S.x Catesbaei and S.x Mitchelliana. 

Growing Guide 

Spring/Summer:
Keep the plants standing in a tray of rainwater or distilled water around 1-2cm deep in a bright sunny position, south facing windowsill, conservatory frost free or unheated greenhouse. I find it is best not to feed plants yourself if you are worried the plants are not catching enough insects just put them outside for a few days you will be surprised what they can catch by themselves over the summer months, especially the pitcher plants.

Sarracenias can be left to flower. Never apply fertiliser to the plants. Greenfly and mealy but can be a problem with Sarracenia during the Summer months but can be controlled with SB plant invigorator available on this site. 

Autumn/Winter:
Around the end of October sometimes a little earlier you will notice some of the foliage starts to turn brown and black or die off, this is normal and nothing to worry about. At this time keep the plants just damp rather than wet, and cut off any of the dead foliage. All of these plants need a cold winter rest, so if you are growing your plant indoors, this is the time to move them out to a cooler position say an unheated greenhouse, porch or something similar for the winter months. The minimum winter temperature can be as low as 0oC, and around the end of February, plants will start to come back into growth, this is a good time to re-pot if necessary (our COM1 is an ideal compost), never 'over pot' there is no need, a 12cm pot will be fine for each plant. They can also be potted on October November time if they are getting a bit big for their pots. The plants can now be put back on a sunny windowsill and stood back into a tray of rainwater, March brings very quick growth, and the fly catching begins all over again...  

Please note that all taller Sarracenia species and hybrids will be sent out root wrapped in the growing season rather than potted to avoid damage to the plant.