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Carnivorous Plants/Nepenthes and Sarracenia pitchers

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Expert: - 9/17/2011


Question
Hallo.
I would like to ask you if the pitchers of Nepenthes and Sarracenia should be full with water, half full or empty.

Answer
Hello Sed,

It is according to whether you are talking about Sarracenias or Nepenthes and what particular species of each you are inquiring about as to whether there should be any water in their pitchers or not.

The basic rule I go by is if a pitcher plant of any species or genus has a lid over the top of the pitcher opening, it allows very little, if any, rain water in, so the plant produces its own fluid whenever it feels the need to. If there is no lid, or a very small lid over the opening of the pitcher, the plant likely allows water to drip into the pitcher when it rains and can be filled about half-full of water every so often.

The main thing is not to overthink these plants. Just do what seems natural to them and they will do just fine.

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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