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Carnivorous Plants/my pitcher plant

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Expert: - 9/5/2007


Question
I have read a lot of info online about caring for my plant, but although the foliage is really green, some of the pitchers are turning brown and drying out at their tops.  I really want to do well by my plant.  What do I do?  Clip the old pitchers off and leave the new ones?

Siyani

Answer
Hello Siyani,

There are many different genera of pitcher plants, however; by your description, I am assuming yours is a species of Asian Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes). In any case, if your plant is a Nepenthes, you can just wait for the pitcher to brown all the way back to the tendril and clip it off there. The leaf will remain green for months afterward and provide the plant photosynthesis while new leaves will produce new pitchers to replace the old dead ones. They are just part of the leaf and are not doing anything but sitting there after they die.

If your plant is not a Nepenthes, you can clip off brown sections of Sarracenias and Darlingtonia, or virtually any other pitcher plant, or wait till the entire pitcher dies back to the growth point, then clip it off there. Just leave any green, or live, sections to continue photosynthesis.

Keep up the good care with your pitcher plant.

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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