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Carnivorous Plants/red spots
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Question
Hi! I have a 4 years old sarracenia alata growing ouside in by south facing back patio. I gets lots of full sun and is watered rugularly. I have noticed lately that each pitcher has red spots appearing along the border of their lid/hood. The spots don't seem to be present anywhere else but there. This is only with the old pitchers, the new growth and pitchers are fine. Could you please help me? I'm very concerned.
Hello Victor,
Your Sarracenia sounds healthy to me. As pitchers age, they develop red coloration, sometimes even flushing red all along the length of the pitcher as many of mine do. Red spots might also be an indication of mold growing on the nectar drops. The mold is generally harmless. If you think it is mold, you can take a moist rag or paper towel and try to remove it. If the spots do not come off, they are naturally occurring spots on the pitcher itself due to age and light intensity, which is a good thing. If the plant stops growing, grows malformed pitchers, or some other problem like that, then there is something wrong.
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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