Carnivorous Plants/sarracenias

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Expert: - 10/20/2008


Question
We have a peat bog garden that we grow a collection of Sarracenias as well as the usaul suspects for a carnivorous bed. We were just wondering, would you cut down the Sarracneias in the autumn or let them just die down ready for winter dormancy? Can you do this to all Sarracenias or only a select few?

Answer
Hello Daniel,

Most Sarracenias can be cut back about half way down their pitchers in late fall just before your ready to winter them. The only Sarracenia this is not advisable for would be S. purpurea due to its slow growth rate and tolerance for cold weather. It is likely to keep more leaves over winter and will need those live leaves in spring to help it gather energy from photosysnthesis as it wakes up. The other Sarracenias can be cut back quite viciously as they will regrow new leaves for spring more quickly than S. purpurea and will let the old leaves die back some over winter anyway.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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