AboutSarracenia Northwest Expertise Got a carnivorous plant problem? The growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin have helped thousands of growers around the world, and they can help you too. When you submit your question, they will diagnose your situation and offer a solution to help you get your carnivorous plant back on track.
Experience With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. Get the straight facts from the guys who grow and propagate thousands of these plants every year.
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).
Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)
Question I keep reading that coffee grounds added to the soil for most plants can be beneficial; is this the same for pitcher plants or are the coffee grounds likely to do damage or kill the pitcher plants (I have a Dana's Delight hybrid and a Judith Hindle hybrid)?
Answer Hi Jason,
Never tried it. I used them on my garden successfully, and everything I've read says they release a fair amount of nitrogen for regular plants. This is usually bad for carnivorous plants. They are quite acidic, however, so it might be worth a try. Experiment on a plant your willing to sacrifice. We'd love to hear your results. Chances are with Sarracenia, the plants will start looking bad before they die, so you could transplant them back into regualr peat/perlite mix if they start showing signs of nutrient toxicity.
