Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 5/11/2011

Question
My plant is about 3 yrs now and has come from freezing winter. Back every spring BUT so are some strange grasses.  At first they were so tiny it didn't matter but now they are about 4" tall and getting more thick. QUESTION:  Do I dig them out or repot my plant??  I'm worried they are crowding my Pitcher plant and it is not growing as well as it should this year.  ??

Answer
Yes, grass is a nuisance, and we deal with it continuously at our nursery.  When you see them, it's a good idea to pull them out, especially when they're small.  Their roots grow very quickly and can crowd out the roots of your Sarracenia.  If the grass matures, the only way to get rid of it is to completely repot your plant.  You should rinse the Sarracenia roots in a bucket of water to loosen the grass from your plant, and then gently pull away the grass roots.  You will inevitably pull off some of the Sarracenia roots, but that's par for the course.  The plant will recover, and it's early in the growing season.  The main thing, however, is to prevent the grass from choking off the Sarracenia.  After cleaning off the grass roots, repot your Sarracenia in fresh soil.

For more information about repotting your plant, watch Volume 1 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series:
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

Good growing!
Jacob Farin