Sarracenia flava troubles

[NeciFiX]

I received a Sarracenia flava some time ago from a seller on eBay, its largest pitcher was already broken, and the others top part came off. It made new growth within a week, however, it has taken it months to make the pitchers, and one just opened the other day, about 1/3 of the largest pitcher, and it's grown about 3x slower than my Cephalotus has. All my other Sarracenia are pumping out pitchers like a kid puts quarters in the little metal arm grab machine at the Wal-Mart entrance hoping to get a stuffed animal.

The media is wet like my other Sarracenia, it is in the exact same conditions. I don't know if this is it, but, it's in like a 4 inch tall pot, and 2 or so inches wide, the media is slightly more than halfway down the pot (the surface), then the plant is potted. So I think it'd have 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch of root space. Could it be just over crowded? The original pitchers were larger than 6 inches I'm sure, but smaller than a foot.

Thanks!

~NeciFiX

 

[Not a Number]

It's probably more a matter of transplant shock than root crowding. According to Barry Rice root crowding with Sarrs isn't that big of a problem - as they have relatively weak roots.

I'd back off a bit on the watering until it starts growing actively again. If it's in the same tray as your other Sarrs maybe raise the bottom of the pot up from the tray a little.

 

[bucky78]

I don't think that it is overcrowded, I have seen plants pushing out the sides of the pots that they are in and doing really good! It probably is a little shocked but also you have to remember that it is a flava. They send up their best pitchers in the spring and then really slow down or stop in summer and may just send up phyllodia. It will more than likely be fine.

 

[NeciFiX]

I never transplanted it and it's been here for a few months and I notice Sarras seem to recover quicker, but, I think you might be right.

 

[Not a Number]

It was sent potted? Maybe the media is bad.

 

[NeciFiX]

It looks like regular peat, but, then again, I never recalled there was a huge difference between peat and potting soil, or it could have fertilizer in it, you could be right on that.

What action should I do? Transplanting it?

 

[Not a Number]

I don't know what to tell you. How long have you had the plant by the way?

If the seller is somebody with a good reputation in the CP community then it is probably ok. If the person is an unknown then I would repot.

It's also possible there was root damage in shipping. A smaller division of a S. oreophila snapped off a division I received in April. Most of the major root on the small division snapped off in shipment too. It's not growing leaves - putting the energy into growing roots but it's not dying either. The leaves that weren't damaged in shipment are still firm and green - just growing very slowly.

 

[jack]

Some plants just grow more slowly. Ex. my F. red tube is one of the slowest growing plants there could be, after four years its still only has three pitchers that are only 5 to 6 inches tall.

 

[JRFxtreme]

Just wanted to echo what Jack said. My S. flava "red tube" is reeaally slow compared to any of my other Sarras.

I'm starting to think its a weak clone. I've been having issues with it ever since I received it, sucks because its also the most expensive plant in my collection.

 

[Alexis]

S. flava is a spring grower. It's probably done its main growth for the year and will probably just grow phyllodia until next spring.

Leave it and be patient.

 

[Jefforever]

I agree with NAN, it's shock.

 

[Alexis]

Shock? You can uproot a sarracenia, send it through the post, pot it up and it will be going again in no time.

S. flava does its thing early in the year and won't grow decent pitchers until the next spring.

 

[Not a Number]

Well then, by your own argument replanting now should do no harm.

Also as you noted in the purpurea thread organics tend to do as they damn well please, so generalizations need not apply.

My flava that starting growing in mid-late Feb is still happily pushing up pitcher leaves (photos taken today):




But one one plant is doing doesn't mean that another plant, even a clone or division or growing point of the same plant is doing. I have an S. oreophila division that broke off in shipment from a division I received in March. The undeveloped pitchers that were on the smaller division are still unopened and have hardly grown in length - the root snapped off this division in transit. All the undeveloped pitchers on the larger piece have opened and it is putting up new leaves.

There is merit to your argument, it is possible that the plant in question is past the active pitcher growth phase. Contacting the eBay seller to find out when the plant started putting up new leaves could shed some light on this.

Growth is affected by many factors: how long ago was the rhizome divided (if ever, it could be from seed), when did the plant start growing this year, what were the growing conditions prior to shipment, the genetics of the individual plant, the condition of the plant after shipment - to name just a few.

Sarracenia are tough. A friend of mine received some bare rhizomes that were mislabeled as Nepenthes and not paying attention due to fatigue he potted them up in Nepenthes mix with plenty of orchid bark. They didn't die. They didn't grow very well, but they didn't die. Whether they would have survived more than one growing season is unknown because they were repotted into "proper" Sarracenia mix. Yes, Sarracenia are tough but they are not indestructable as anybody who has had a Sarracenia die on them will attest.

Neophytes (newbies) are as likely to kill as many plants by overhandling as by other cultivation errors. This is due to the novelty of these unique and wonderful plants as much as inexperience. So there is also much merit to leaving it be.

 

[Alexis]

Well yes, replanting now would do no harm, but repotting as a way of forcing it to grow when there's nothing wrong with what it's in at the moment would be pointless.
There's also a difference in the place on the rhizome the pitchers sprout from, as with the purp, and the growth habit of specific species. A recovering plant will grow in a different manner yes, but there's no wayy ou're going to get oreophila or flava sprouting a crop of spectacular pitchers in September for example.
From what I can understand from the plant in question in this thread, it's grown a nice crop of pitchers and isn't do much at the moment. Which is exactly what flavas tend to do. Yes, a few smaller pitchers will probably appear at some point, as in your photos, but poking and prodding a flava because it's probably finished it's main crop for the year and blaming it on shock is barking up the wrong tree.