For those that have just began growing sarracenia you might wanna take a look at this, and for the professionals that grow thi plant please give me comments and anything that is wrong with it:
INTRO: The North American pitcher plant (Sarracenia) is the 2nd most well known cp in the world. I would call this the most beauticul cp on earth because the flowers smell sweet and are beautiful and the pitchers are used in flower arrangements. It's sad to see that one of the most easiest cp's to take care of die due to poor nurseries with UNknowledgeble staff. Same thing with Venus flytraps, what a shame - doesn't it make you wanna run to a nursery and tell them how to care for the plants they receive. Not only that but the are being threatened in the wild and decreasing at a fast rate - already 3 species are endangered. But thanks to tissue culture, this plant is doing a bit better. Anyway, the plant sarracenia was named after the canadian physician Dr. M.S. Sarrazin. This plant is in the sarraceniaceae family.
DISTRIBUTION: this plant has the widest range then any other cp in North America. Its extent is from Florida all the way up to Canada
TRAPPING: this plant catches its prey by luring insects with its nectar, coloration, and many other things. The insect goes to the nectar and begin drinking it and it will keep moving around to find the most abundant spot with nectar which will in turn lead it down into the tube. Downward pointing hairs will make the bug make it loose its foothold and makes it go down the tube further. If it walks back, it will feel a needle like pain thats hurts alot if you were that bug, so it must walk with the hairs then against it. After the insect passes that zone it will come to a surface that is waxy and will offer no foothold making the bug fall into the tube, which is full of digestive enzymes. Then it is digested. Some species catch their prey by confusing them with windows, some catch their prey without using enzymes but rather bacteria, and some catch their prey underwater. Some people think that the hood on top of the plant is used to prevent the bugs from entering, but this is far from the truth. They use this lid to avoid rainwater from being collected.
SIZE : some pitcher plants can reach 4 feet in height and some can only reach 10 inches. Some can be prostrate plants that lie along the ground (these pitcher plants are the shortest of all) and some are upright plants that grow vertically (these pitcher plants are the tallest of them all).
SOIL : I like a mixture of 3 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite or sand, or a 50/50 of peat moss and sand or perlite. Sarracenia can live in very wet conditions and some prefer water logged conditions.
CONTAINERS : 3-5 inch pots for young plants, 1/2 gallon - 1 gallon pots for older plants. ALWAYS use the water tray method. Sarracenia make big rhizomes, so they need room for their roots unless you divide them.
WATER : ALWAYS use distilled water, always keep moist, they like lots of water
LIGHT : They LOVE full sun to a little sun, it brings out their color, especially if you have hybrids. Be careful as they may like lots of sun but if it's too hot the top of their pticher might get burned.
CLIMATE : warm temperate but a couple like cold temperate conditions
GROWING PLACES : outdoors, bog gardens, greenhouses. They can stay on windowsills as long as they have enough light and room. They are poor candidates for the terrarium but a few can stay in there for a while as long as they have lots of light.
FEEDING : they can be fed crickets , pill bugs , anything else is ok as long as its not a pest
FERTILIZERS : BE CAREFUL IF FERTILIZING, but if so then use 1/4 strength foliarly. Miricid, Superthrive, orchid and epiphytic fertilizers can used. Once a month is good enough. They don't need fertilizer however and it is easier and safer to let them be.
HUMIDITY : considering they live in the south they don't need much. 30% or more is good but it doesn't need much for good healthy. Remember to keep the soil moist at all times .
TEMPERATURES : 70-100 degrees F, keep cooler in winter, they can survive short periods of higher temperatures. Some prefer to have much colder temperatures .
TRANSPLANTING : potted plants can be divided every 3-5 years to prevent clumping. Do when they're in dormancy.
FLOWERING : sarracenia flowers are very beautiful and can be used as cut flowers but if you want seeds then pollinate them.
DORMANCY : Dormancy can be done by taking the plant out of the pot, then take the dead parts off, spray with fungicide, wrap roots with peat moss or wet paper towel, put in plastic bag, put in refridgerator and you're done. Some need very long dormancies. Put them in dormancy on Thanksgiving Day and take them out on Valentine's Day.
PROPAGATION : You can pollinate the flowers to get seed, or you can divide the clumps of plants. You can also make cuttings of the plants (remember that when you make cuttings that you should also include the white base), or you can do tissue culture .
TIPS : sarracenia is a very easy plant to grow but why do some many plants dies in nursery just like Venus flytraps? It's because of that nurseries take poor care of them and that some nurseries lack knowledge. You can find these plants anywhere: nurseries, grocery stores, hardware shops and many more places. If you find them in florist shops it will either be the plants that are available , there pitchers of there flowers , most of these are used in flower arrangements and were poached for , now some of you may be saying " So what they just cut off the flowers and pitchers , they'll grow back " . Sometimes this is not true , if the poacher cut all the leaves off then the plant would have no way to get sunlight for photosynthesis and then the plant would die , same thing with the fowers , this plant is very threatened already , if you cut off the flowers then they would make no seeds and the next generation would be gone .Again some ppl think that these plants come from hot steaming jungles but not true , they come from only the USA , some live in southern parts and some live all the way north in Canada where the cold temperate species grow .If you ever see these plants in the wild then please take picutres rather then take them , they are being threatened everyday and alreayd 3 species are alreay endangered .If your plant looks dead in winter it just wants to go to sleep so put it in dormancy .
SPECIES : alata , flava , leucophylla , oreophilla , minor , rubra , psittacina , and purpurea . There are many hybrids available and they are very colorfull .
WEBSITES :
www.petflytrap.com
INTRO: The North American pitcher plant (Sarracenia) is the 2nd most well known cp in the world. I would call this the most beauticul cp on earth because the flowers smell sweet and are beautiful and the pitchers are used in flower arrangements. It's sad to see that one of the most easiest cp's to take care of die due to poor nurseries with UNknowledgeble staff. Same thing with Venus flytraps, what a shame - doesn't it make you wanna run to a nursery and tell them how to care for the plants they receive. Not only that but the are being threatened in the wild and decreasing at a fast rate - already 3 species are endangered. But thanks to tissue culture, this plant is doing a bit better. Anyway, the plant sarracenia was named after the canadian physician Dr. M.S. Sarrazin. This plant is in the sarraceniaceae family.
DISTRIBUTION: this plant has the widest range then any other cp in North America. Its extent is from Florida all the way up to Canada
TRAPPING: this plant catches its prey by luring insects with its nectar, coloration, and many other things. The insect goes to the nectar and begin drinking it and it will keep moving around to find the most abundant spot with nectar which will in turn lead it down into the tube. Downward pointing hairs will make the bug make it loose its foothold and makes it go down the tube further. If it walks back, it will feel a needle like pain thats hurts alot if you were that bug, so it must walk with the hairs then against it. After the insect passes that zone it will come to a surface that is waxy and will offer no foothold making the bug fall into the tube, which is full of digestive enzymes. Then it is digested. Some species catch their prey by confusing them with windows, some catch their prey without using enzymes but rather bacteria, and some catch their prey underwater. Some people think that the hood on top of the plant is used to prevent the bugs from entering, but this is far from the truth. They use this lid to avoid rainwater from being collected.
SIZE : some pitcher plants can reach 4 feet in height and some can only reach 10 inches. Some can be prostrate plants that lie along the ground (these pitcher plants are the shortest of all) and some are upright plants that grow vertically (these pitcher plants are the tallest of them all).
SOIL : I like a mixture of 3 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite or sand, or a 50/50 of peat moss and sand or perlite. Sarracenia can live in very wet conditions and some prefer water logged conditions.
CONTAINERS : 3-5 inch pots for young plants, 1/2 gallon - 1 gallon pots for older plants. ALWAYS use the water tray method. Sarracenia make big rhizomes, so they need room for their roots unless you divide them.
WATER : ALWAYS use distilled water, always keep moist, they like lots of water
LIGHT : They LOVE full sun to a little sun, it brings out their color, especially if you have hybrids. Be careful as they may like lots of sun but if it's too hot the top of their pticher might get burned.
CLIMATE : warm temperate but a couple like cold temperate conditions
GROWING PLACES : outdoors, bog gardens, greenhouses. They can stay on windowsills as long as they have enough light and room. They are poor candidates for the terrarium but a few can stay in there for a while as long as they have lots of light.
FEEDING : they can be fed crickets , pill bugs , anything else is ok as long as its not a pest
FERTILIZERS : BE CAREFUL IF FERTILIZING, but if so then use 1/4 strength foliarly. Miricid, Superthrive, orchid and epiphytic fertilizers can used. Once a month is good enough. They don't need fertilizer however and it is easier and safer to let them be.
HUMIDITY : considering they live in the south they don't need much. 30% or more is good but it doesn't need much for good healthy. Remember to keep the soil moist at all times .
TEMPERATURES : 70-100 degrees F, keep cooler in winter, they can survive short periods of higher temperatures. Some prefer to have much colder temperatures .
TRANSPLANTING : potted plants can be divided every 3-5 years to prevent clumping. Do when they're in dormancy.
FLOWERING : sarracenia flowers are very beautiful and can be used as cut flowers but if you want seeds then pollinate them.
DORMANCY : Dormancy can be done by taking the plant out of the pot, then take the dead parts off, spray with fungicide, wrap roots with peat moss or wet paper towel, put in plastic bag, put in refridgerator and you're done. Some need very long dormancies. Put them in dormancy on Thanksgiving Day and take them out on Valentine's Day.
PROPAGATION : You can pollinate the flowers to get seed, or you can divide the clumps of plants. You can also make cuttings of the plants (remember that when you make cuttings that you should also include the white base), or you can do tissue culture .
TIPS : sarracenia is a very easy plant to grow but why do some many plants dies in nursery just like Venus flytraps? It's because of that nurseries take poor care of them and that some nurseries lack knowledge. You can find these plants anywhere: nurseries, grocery stores, hardware shops and many more places. If you find them in florist shops it will either be the plants that are available , there pitchers of there flowers , most of these are used in flower arrangements and were poached for , now some of you may be saying " So what they just cut off the flowers and pitchers , they'll grow back " . Sometimes this is not true , if the poacher cut all the leaves off then the plant would have no way to get sunlight for photosynthesis and then the plant would die , same thing with the fowers , this plant is very threatened already , if you cut off the flowers then they would make no seeds and the next generation would be gone .Again some ppl think that these plants come from hot steaming jungles but not true , they come from only the USA , some live in southern parts and some live all the way north in Canada where the cold temperate species grow .If you ever see these plants in the wild then please take picutres rather then take them , they are being threatened everyday and alreayd 3 species are alreay endangered .If your plant looks dead in winter it just wants to go to sleep so put it in dormancy .
SPECIES : alata , flava , leucophylla , oreophilla , minor , rubra , psittacina , and purpurea . There are many hybrids available and they are very colorfull .
WEBSITES :
www.petflytrap.com