Purple pitcher plant?

[witch247us]

I was at Lowes today, and they had all these cp's, so I had to get some... I know its not the best idea to get your cp's at a department store, but I had to! Anyway, I got a purple pitcher plant, and I was wondering what other name it might go by... I also got two sundew plants, a red spine vp, and a cobra lily... ( = Well, I have got to be going. TTFN.

Blessed Be,
Jordan

 

[wolf9striker]

Your purple pitcher plant is more then likley a S. purpurea venosa

 

[elgecko]

Welcome to the forums.
I got my first plants from Lowes. Depending how long they were there, they can be in good condition.
Your addiction is just beginning.

 

[Brian_W]

Greetings,

I have rescued a few CPs from Lowes. Around here the purple pitcher plants they get in are S. purpurea ssp. purpurea.

Brian

 

[Anoxos]

Locally to me, they are S. purpurea ssp. venosa. Local to you, who knows.

But at any rate, it is S. purpurea something. Get it healthy and in good light. Let it perk up, and soon you'll be able to tell which subspecies it is from the coloration.

 

[witch247us]

Thanks for all the replies! ( = Ok, about the light, I am unclear on what kind of lighting to use... I am growing them in my room, in a little greenhouse type enclosure, and I was wondering if I needed to get some artificial lighting to put above it? Well, if you could possible point me in the right direction, that would be awesome! Prices, places to get them, type of light bulb, etc... ( = Thanks so much!

Blessed Be,
Jordan

P.S. I am totally obsessed with these plants! Have been sense the 4th grade. Its just now, I can actually obtain my plants. ( = I do want to get the book, The Savage Garden. Looks good...

 

[scottychaos]

If you can, you should put them outdoors in full sunlight..as much direct light as you can give them.
yes, the current leaves will burn, like a sunburn, because they arent used to the light, but as new pitchers sprout they will be able to take the light..

thats the best option..natural sunlight is best, very bright, and free!
and growing them outdoors has the added bonus of the plants being able to catch their own food.
and you will also have to think about dormancy this winter..growing outdoors helps with that too..
if outdoors isnt an option, then others here will be able to point you to artificial light ideas..
Scot

 

[witch247us]

Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ July 08 2005,11:35)]If you can, you should put them outdoors in full sunlight..as much direct light as you can give them.
yes, the current leaves will burn, like a sunburn, because they arent used to the light, but as new pitchers sprout they will be able to take the light..

thats the best option..natural sunlight is best, very bright, and free!
and growing them outdoors has the added bonus of the plants being able to catch their own food.
and you will also have to think about dormancy this winter..growing outdoors helps with that too..
if outdoors isnt an option, then others here will be able to point you to artificial light ideas..
Scot

Uhm, I don't know if its hot enough down here, and the sun hasn’t been out for a while... Plus, that would mean transplanting them, and I am no where near confident enough with them to do that... Thanks though. I also have two sundews, two flytraps, and a cobra lily. ( =

Blessed Be,
Jordan

 

[witch247us]

Ok, I finally got some pictures of my plant life... I am not going to post them all, or any of them, except the purple pitcher plant I am confused about. If you want to see the rest of my plants, let me know, I will then put them up on my website, but It takes a lot, and I doubt anyone needs to see my plants... ( = So, here he is. Let me know if he looks unhealthy, to watered, dieing, etc. And I don’t know if there suppose to be purple, or if the leafs are going to curl in, but my plant doesn’t really have anywhere to catch bugs... lol. Thanks so much.

 

[scottychaos]

its a purple pitcher plant.
a variety of Sarracenia purpurea.

its not a Cobra Lily,
"Cobra Lily" is Darlingtonia californica, different plant.
it has been getting WAYYYYYYY too little light.
(before you bought it..not your fault)
its growth is very spindly and weak.
quite abnormal actually, deformed, due to low light..
thats how all of the "home depot/lowes" plants always look..they are light-starved by the time you buy them..
it needs tons more light.

google "sarracenia purpurea" and you will see what its supposed to look like..and what yours can recover to easily with proper conditions.

you can transplant it easily without disturbing it much.
just lift the whole mass of moss out of the container it is in, and move the whole thing over to a regular pot that has drainage holes in the bottom..
then sit the pot in a tray of distilled or rainwater, and sit it outdoors in full sunlight.

or, drill drainage holes in the container it is in now, and sit that container in a tray of water.

dont worry that the leaves burn..they will..new pitchers that emerge will be able to take the full sunlight, and they will be normally shaped..
once you get 2 or 3 new pitchers, just cut off all the pitchers you have right now..


what are your outdoor temps??
anything between 60 and 90 is fine for the summer..
it doesnt need hot streamy tropical rainforest conditions..
average USA summer temps anywhere in the lower 48 is perfectly fine..

you should transplant it, put it in a water tray, and get it outside...
anything less will weaken and probably eventually kill it.
Sarracenia actually make terrible indoor houseplants.
they arent tropical plants.
they need warm summers and cool winters.
outdoors is the best place for them.

Scot

 

[witch247us]

Wow, thank you very much! ( = I am going to look up sarracenia purpurea on google like you said. Now that I know there name, it will make it a lot easier for me to research it. So, no artificial lighting will help this plant? I don't think we get enough sunlight to help, but then again, I don't know how much sunlight would actually help... Thanks again.

 

[LeftCoast]

Welcome to the forums, witch247us!

I'm relatively new as well...but regarding lighting, I would think outdoor light is always going to be better than artificial light (unless you live someplace like Alaska).

 

[witch247us]

Yes, I am aware of the power of sunlight... But I am wondering if that power isn’t so plentiful where I am at, if I should use artificial instead... We don't get a lot of sun, very cloudy a lot of the time. 8D But I guess its not cold… I live in Forest Grove, Oregon, if that helps any. Well, thanks again.

 

[LeftCoast]

It's pretty cloudy/foggy here (SF) too, and my plants do very well outside. I imagine it's very green up there. If the trees and plants are happy, your CPs should be too.

 

[witch247us]

:::...UPDATE...:::
I just got back from the back yard, lol, my purple pitcher is set out on a tray filled half way with purified water. I drilled three holes in the bottom of the plastic container my plant came in for drainage/absorption. I placed it on my outside altar, because if anyone knows nature, its mother earth. ( = Well, thanks for all your help. I will keep ya updated on her health.