I want to ask all of you who have Sarracenais it share your experiences with this. I noticed this a few years ago but I really was struck by it this year as the flowers began to come up. Is it me or do the flowers face south? now, not all of them do but a majority of mine do. I wonder if this is an adaptation geared towards bees and their navigation systems using the sun for orientation. just another interesting observation.
On the recent freezing temps:
Here in Atlanta for the past three weeks or so we have enjoyed temps in the 80s and lows in the 50s and 60s, very unseasonable! This brought the plants on like gang busters. Per usual the flavas and alatas are the first to start to flower. Then we get word that the temps will drop into the 20s last wekend!!!! Friday night was 28, Sat. night was to be 24 and Sun. was to be 35. I paniced. With too many plants to haul in and seemable no way to cover all of them I was in a panic. I had to choose, what a tough choice. I bought 300yards of frost cloth at Home Depot and went to work. The plants were taken off the water tables and placed on the ground and then the table was wrapped with the frost cloth.
Here is what I found; most all of the plants under frost cloth were protected with the exception of where the frost cloth was very close to the newly emerged pitched and open flower buds. The most interesting thing was what happened to the plants that did not get any protection. Of course the open flowers and almost open pitchers were fried, however the buds and pitchers just coming up were untouched even at 24. It would seem that these plants have built in protection against last frosts to a certain extent. I thought I would share this info with other growers.
Brooks
On the recent freezing temps:
Here in Atlanta for the past three weeks or so we have enjoyed temps in the 80s and lows in the 50s and 60s, very unseasonable! This brought the plants on like gang busters. Per usual the flavas and alatas are the first to start to flower. Then we get word that the temps will drop into the 20s last wekend!!!! Friday night was 28, Sat. night was to be 24 and Sun. was to be 35. I paniced. With too many plants to haul in and seemable no way to cover all of them I was in a panic. I had to choose, what a tough choice. I bought 300yards of frost cloth at Home Depot and went to work. The plants were taken off the water tables and placed on the ground and then the table was wrapped with the frost cloth.
Here is what I found; most all of the plants under frost cloth were protected with the exception of where the frost cloth was very close to the newly emerged pitched and open flower buds. The most interesting thing was what happened to the plants that did not get any protection. Of course the open flowers and almost open pitchers were fried, however the buds and pitchers just coming up were untouched even at 24. It would seem that these plants have built in protection against last frosts to a certain extent. I thought I would share this info with other growers.
Brooks