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Carnivorous Plants/sarracenia
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Question
Hi! I'm planning on buying some sarracenia online this year.
I was just wondering if you could suggest me a good time to purchase them?
Hello Victor,
Virtually any time is fine to buy carnivorous plants, basically whenever a vendor is selling them, however; be mindful that in Winter, Sarracenias will be dormant and must be placed in cold, moist, Winter conditions until Spring arrives. It might just be best to wait a few more weeks, then buy Sarracenias from your vendor just before Spring. That way, you will have plants ready to spring back into growth, figuratively speaking, and you will be able to enjoy them all growing season until next Winter. Also, dormancy, right before growing season, is the best time to repot and ship plants of that sort as they are rather unresponsive to the rigors of shipping and root disturbance so much as when they are actively growing.
Christopher
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Answers by Expert:
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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