Carnivorous Plants/Tarnoks

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Expert: - 9/30/2007


Question
I was considering buying a Tarnok pitcher plant, but was wondering about the effect moving it at this time of year may have on it. I live about 30 miles south of Fresno, CA, so am in Zone 8.  Our daily highs right now are in the mid to low 80's F, with the nights dropping to the low 50's F.  During Dec and Jan we will experience a few scattered overnight freezes, but the lower highs during the day will be in the 40's, even if we drop into the 20's for a few hours overnight.  I usually cover up some plants (the bird of paradise and Joshua trees) when this happens to protect them and would do the same for the Tarnok.

Answer
Hello Lynda,

Tarnok varieties of Sarracenia leucophylla live in zone 8 naturally, so growers in the U. S. will likely have it in similar enough conditions that they will not experience any ill effects of being shipped to you at this time of year. The only considerations would be getting sufficient light (outdoor growing optimal for Sarracenias) and ensuring that drastic humidity changes and drastic temperature changes do not occur. Tarnoks are hardy temperates, so will be fine so long as you keep them from totally freezing in the coldest weather of your area... pots make bad insulation, so even hardy potted plants need covering or mulching in cold weather as you indicated.

One other consideration would be buying from a grower or nursery that has a good track record of fast shipping (the faster the process, the less stress on the plants) and of growing the plants in as natural a conditions as possible. If you were to buy from a nursery that grows their plants indoors under grow lights you would have plants shipped to you that would need slow adaptation to ultraviolet light and potentially lower humidity before you place them outdoors.

In a couple of months the Sarracenias will be going dormant anyway, however; they are safe to ship at any time in temperate regions (and even best to ship when their dormant).

Happy growing with your Tarnok,

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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