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Carnivorous Plants/When to cut flowers off

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Expert: - 1/30/2010


Question
Hi! I recently bought some Sarracenia rhizomes (I don't know what species yet) and a couple of them have small round growths forming at the base. I figure these are the flowers. Since these rhizomes were just divided, should I cut the flowers off?  And if so, how long should I let the stem get before cutting it off? And lastly, is it normal for them to start so early? The weather in Southern California has been a bit odd lately with warmer days and then rainy, cold days. Thanks!

Answer
Hello Jonathan,

It is not uncommon for Sarracenias to form a flower bud early and wait for the weather to warm up to bloom. Since these are recent cuttings, and since the rhizomes really should maintain dormancy for a while longer, (at least until full daylength sunlight is present in spring) you might want to clip the forming flower buds off when they are just an inch or two high. Clipping them too early might cause the plant to try to grow another, so allowing them to grow a few days before clipping them is best.

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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