How to Pollinate a Sarracenia Flower

[KingDom079]

Following a post in the N. A. Pitcher Plants thread about preventing unwanted pollinations, I thought I would throw my two cents in FWIW. I also bag my flowers before the petals open, but with a much easier, albeit more expensive, material-- satchel bags intended for party favors, potpourri, etc. found at craft stores, i.e. Michael's. Last year I lucked out and got them 2 for a dollar. Yesterday they were a buck apiece! The advantages are that the mesh is tightly woven, breathable, and best of all-- easily opened and reclosed with the aid of the drawstrings. I have reused mine for the past 3 years and they show no signs of wear. The only precaution you must exercise, as Brooks has stated, is that wind and rain may weigh down the bagged flower stalk. If the cross is not sheltered from the elements, I would suggest staking to prevent the weight from snapping the flower stalk. Take a look below.



and

[Bugweed]

COOL!!!! And there is a Michael's right down the road. Thank you King Man!

[JBL]

My wife provided a great tip on getting these bags for less than a dollar each. Go to www.orientaltrading.com. The item is called 'sheer polyester mesh drawstring gift bags'. item # SP-3/497. They are 4 3/4" X 6 1/4" with drawstrings at 12/$7.95! Aren't wives great?? Even when they think we lost our marbles...She's buying 'Pop Rocks' at the same site, so I guess those who live in glass houses...

Important Update
Looked again at catalog. The page before had 'Sheer Organza Wedding Gift Bags. These seem to be pure white, not silver or gold as above item. They also come in three sizes:

SP-3/459 Small (3 1/2" X 4 3/4") at $4.95/dozen: could be used for smaller flowers like S. rubra complex?

SP-3/458 Medium (4 3/4" X 6 1/4") at $7.95/dozen: S. purpurea species?

SP-3/457 Large (6" X 8") at $9.95/dozen: for S. flava

[PlantAKiss]

Thanks for all the tips folks. This is such a great reference tool.

[Est]

Crikey and blimey! This is the first time I've seen this topic, only saw it because of the topic reminding us to look at pinned things. Hehe.. Anyway, thanks a TON to Brooks for creating this article, and to PAK for posting it. Sure this'll come in handy. Unless I kill all my plants *cowers at thought of a furious bugweed*

[PlantAKiss]

Yes, that's a great article by Brooks! I'm glad you found it.

[blokeman]

thanks for the effort you put into this Brooks, well worth the effort, i know it will come in handy one day or another, and surely everyone that has a sarracenia must read this article.
Thanks a bunch
Steven

[kamiljablo]

Thanks everyone for all the info! I was wondering....can someone post some pics on how to do this since the old pics have been deleted? Thanks Brooks for this helpful thread!