Expert: Christopher Littrell - 8/20/2009

Question
Hello,
I would like to buy a Sarracenia for my nyc apartment. I have cockroaches and would like to have a plant to help control the problem. Do you know where I can buy one in the city?
Thank you for your help.
Jessica

Answer
Hello Jessica,

Buying carnivorous plants is typically done by people admiring the different as well as the beautiful. People that buy them simply to control an insect pest are in for a disappointment for many reasons.

Carnivorous plants tend to attract insects, some of which are not trapped, but will reside near or on the plants.

Carnivorous plants do not devour everything they come in contact with, they wait for insects to trap themselves, of which only a small number actually do.

Sarracenias in particular are notoriously difficult to keep healthy indoors as they need full sun or an equivalent in artificial lighting that most people simply cannot or do not want to acquire. Sarracenias will eventually weaken and die off indoors unless artificial lights of at least 25000 lumen level is provided and/or additional light from windows would be a plus. I do grow Sarracenias indoors in a south facing window and I have 12000 lumens of florescent light over them for 16 hours a day only an inch from most of them. I would say that my Sarracenias would do much better should I be able to get them in direct sun outside.

If, after all the negatives are considered, you still want a Sarracenia, you can acquire them online at sites such as cobraplant.com. Do some research on the site and see what you can and cannot grow in your environment and determine what you really should do about your roach problem. A few roach motels and an exterminator might be the way to go.

Christopher