Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 4/15/2010

Question
I ordered two jumbo venus flytrap bulbs from a nursery online. Upon opening the package i noticed that neather bulb had any roots on them. Will they eventually develope roots again? Or did i get ripped off. The bulbs are solid with a bit of color but mostly white, as if they were taken out of winter storage. But bare as a babys bottom when it comes to roots.  Thanks  Randy

Answer
Hi Randy,

First, if you ever suspect that your plants are not of good quality, you should immediately contact the nursery from which you purchased the plants.  This will save you time as some businesses require that you contact them within a specific time frame if you're not happy with the plants that you receive.

Personally, I would never send plants to growers if they don't have any roots.  Plants won't have any roots if the grower had recently divided the plant and wasn't careful about making sure roots were attached to each division.

Will it grow?  Yes and no.  If you plant it immediately and care for it as recommended by the nursery that you got it from, then you have a chance.  In any case, without any roots on the plant, you'll have to be extremely patient because it'll take longer for it to reach peak size this season.  Make sure to snip any flower stalks because you'll need the plant to focus on producing more roots.  

Again, contact the grower if you have any questions about your plant.  He would have more information about how the plant was kept prior to shipping.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin