Sarracenia Pitcher Plants

CARING FOR AMERICAN PITCHER PLANTS

Sarracenia

These tinyUS Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia spp.) are relatively easy to grow and will even thrive if grown outdoors in Missouri during the summers, provided they are watered well.  There are dozens of beautiful hybrids available with plants ranging from 6-12" tall up through 36" or taller, and with various accent colors! Most species will need protection from the extreme cold if grown outside all year. Most can be overwintered in a garage or basement. The more delicate species may need to be moved indoors into a very cold space, eg. basement. 

Pitcher plants (Sarracenia species) are native only to portions of the United States (the southeastern coast, northeast and upper Midwest) and Canada. Insects are attracted to the scent of nectar at the edge of their pitchers, and can easily lose their footing, tumbling down into the pitcher. Once inside, they encounter a very slippery surface and downward facing hairs that make it impossible for them to crawl up and out. In some pitcher plants, they drown in the water that sits in the pitchers; in dry pitchers, they die of exhaustion. The juices of the ill-fated insects are then absorbed into the plant's leaves.

Soil: Pitcher plants grow well in a mixture of 2 parts sand, 2 parts peat moss, and 1 part perlite. Use white sandblasting sand (silica sand). Break up and moisten the peat moss (use rain water or distilled water) before mixing with the sand. Wear gloves. Do not use ordinary potting soil or garden soil.

Water: If you have killed a carnivorous plant, it was probably the water you used. Typical tap water or well water has too many minerals and salts that will build up in the soil of your plant, and within about six months it will die. An occasional watering with such water will not be deadly, but be sure to flush it out thoroughly with pure water after using tap or well water. You can buy distilled water (the kind you put in your iron, not mineral or spring water), collect rainwater from a downspout, or use a reverse osmosis water purification system. Filtered water from a system such as Brita can be used in a pinch, but should not be used as a permanent water source.

Watering Frequency: During the growing season, spring through early fall, pitcher plants like to stay very wet, even soggy. Sit them directly in one to three inches of pure water in large saucers or trays. This makes for easy vacation tending: just sit them in more water than usual while you're gone for a few days. To prevent mosquitoes from breeding in this water use mosquito dunks or granules, they contain a bacteria called Bti that kills mosquito larvae but does not harm other organisms. The water in the trays can dry up occasionally but be sure not to let the soil in the pots dry out. One species, the Parrot pitcher plant (Sarracenia psittacina), likes it VERY wet: sit this species in water all the way up to the rim of the pot, and do not let the water dry up. During late fall through winter, pitcher plants need to go somewhat drier, though never bone dry. Keep them moist, but do not sit them in a lot of water during winter.

Light: Pitcher plants like a lot of sun and prefer to spend their summers outside. Be sure to acclimate them the first time you put them out in direct sun: start them in a little morning sun, gradually moving them to full sun over a week or two. If grown indoors, give them the sunniest windowsill possible. Grow lights are not good used alone for taller pitcher plants: since only the tops of the pitchers can be close to the lights, the lower parts of the plants do not receive adequate light. Grow lights could be used, however, for shorter pitcher plants, or to supplement the sunlight from a window for taller plants.

Pots: In general, the bigger the pot, the better. Pitcher plants have deep roots, so choose deep pots that are at least as deep as they are wide. Start young plants in 4 to 6" pots. Eventually, they will fill a 10" to 14" pot. Plastic pots work best. Large plastic pots with rubber plugs in the bottom can work well: keep the plug in during summer, and remove it for drainage in winter.

Fall and Winter Care: Pitcher plants need a cool winter rest period and will not do well if kept warm year-round. From late fall through February, keep your plant in the garage or a cold cellar (night temperatures between 25 and 45 degrees). If there is no window set up a shop light above your plants, attached to a timer to give them about ten hours of light a day. Keep your pitcher plant only barely damp in the winter, don't let it sit in water. You can also refrigerate a pitcher plant for a couple of months, just stick the pot in a loose plastic bag and put it in the fridge. Check it every week or two, and water it if it starts to dry out (it should be barely moist). You don't need to provide light while it is in the fridge: total darkness is okay if it is consistently cold. Some pitcher plants maintain their old pitchers through winter; some die back. Trim off any parts of the pitchers that turn brown. Watch out for fungus or mold; it is a good idea to treat with a fungicide before refrigerating. In March, after your plant has rested, place it back in a sunny window and start watering it more. It should bloom and start growing new pitchers.

Feeding: If your plants spend the summer outdoors, they will catch all the food they need. If you want to feed your indoor plants, place insects such as flies, beetles, moths, or crickets inside the pitchers. Only feed during the growing season; carnivorous plants don't eat while they are resting in the winter. Do not use chemical fertilizers on your plants, the salts can damage and/or kill them.

Pests: You might be hoping that your pitcher plants will kill all the bad bugs in your house and garden. Unfortunately, they don't eat mosquitoes (which are attracted to blood, not to nectar), but they will eat a few houseflies, wasps, moths and bees. As to houseplant bugs (mealybug, scale, aphids, spider mite), pitcher plants can be attacked by them the same as any other plant. Slugs can also be a problem. The easiest way to deal with pests is to drown them by submerging the entire plant in pure water for 24 hours. Pitcher plants normally experience brief flooding, and will not be harmed by it, but it should kill most of the pests.

Dividing: If you follow these instructions, by the end of a year or two, you will find that your plant has grown well and may have multiple crowns. You can easily divide these, creating several plants from one.  Gently unpot your plant, and pull/shake the loose soil from the roots. Once loosened, you can grasp the individual crowns and gently pull apart. Pot each up individually, or together in a large pot. The crown should be just barely buried, and the soil should be gently firmed down. Dividing is best done at the end of winter, just before the plants start to grow. Repotting without division can be done at any time during the active growth period. Some species of pitcher plants grow new crowns more rapidly than others.

Mini-bogs: You can easily create an attractive patio planter "mini-bog" by using a large (12" to 18" wide) plastic decorative container, such as those that are made to look like terra cotta planters. They often have a plug in the bottom that allows you the flexibility to leave the plug in during the summer, removing it during the drier winter. In a large pot, you can plant a couple of pitcher plants, some sundews, bladderworts, butterworts, and live sphagnum moss to create a very pretty little carnivorous scene.

Bog Gardens: Pitcher plants are reasonably winter hardy in the St. Louis area if they are planted in a special bog for carnivorous plants. See our separate care sheet to learn how to make a bog.

Other sources:

• The International Carnivorous Society Growing Guides