Expert: Christopher Littrell - 6/10/2007

Question
I've had an Alabama Sweet Pitcher Sarracenia for nearly two years now, but this year it's done something strange. None of its pitchers are growing upright. Almost all have some angle to them, or curve out, or twist, etc. Very few have opened up to form pitchers, and those that have have not opened up very much. Most are just those flat leaves that Sarracenia will sometimes grow.
I'll admit it had a rough year last year, but aside from the leaf problem and a few bug bites, it's very green and seems to be doing just fine this year.
My other Sarracenia had the same problem last year, after I rescued it from a hardware store, but this year it's doing just fine. What causes them to grow like this sometimes?

Answer
Hello Sean,

The bug bites you mentioned would likely be part of the problem. As a matter of fact, Sarracenia Northwest just answered this type of question for another grower a few days ago and your symptoms sounds similar. Whenever a plant grows deformed leaves, it is usually due to some type of sap sucking insect like aphids or mealy bugs. Any insect that sucks the sap out of a plant usually attacks young leaves, causing the leaves to grow deformed as they age. Mealy bugs and aphids tend to camouflage themselves under leaves or are colored like the leaves they prey on, so can be difficult to detect. You can drown them out by placing the entire plant under water for a day at a time or by using water based insecticides like pyrethrines or neem oil based insecticides. I have not used Ortho insecticides on my carnivorous plants before, however; Sarracenia Northwest does, and I trust their advice implicitly. You might look up their advice on the third of this month among the archives on Allexperts as well to double check.

Keep fighting those pests,

Christopher