General

Certain Sarracenias produce their best pitcher early in the season - Most notably: Sarracenia flava, oreophila, and to some extent S. minor.. S. alata, rubra, and leucophylla produce their best pitchers in the fall.

Growing Media / Pot Size

I grow most sarracenia in a 50/50 mixture of sphagnum peat moss and silica sand. Make sure not to use white or beach sand since it is high in salts & calcium, which will kill your plants. For the commercial operation, mature plants are grown in gallon pots and the younger plants are in 3 inch pots. We use larger tubs for our personal plants since they definitely like the room for deep roots.

Temperature / Light

If it is at all possible, you should put your plants outside for the growing season. Sarracenia can take full sun and the pitchers develop their best color when grown outside. When first putting them outside in the spring, make sure to acclimate them to full sun slowly over a week or more. Pitcher plants like warm humid conditions with summer temps between 70-100 degrees. NEVER allow them to dry out! Winter temps should be between 35-45 degrees.

TERRARIUMS: Attempt to mimic the seasons by gradually adjusting the photoperiod between 14-16 hours for "summer" and down to 8-10 hours for "winter". Place the terrarium in an unheated room or by a drafty window, to provide cooler conditions.

Watering / Humidity

The relative humidity should be above 50% at all times. Spring to Fall your plants can be kept standing in trays of water. The tray should be filled with at least 1 inch of water. Certain species like minor "giant" and psittacina "giant" only seem to get very large when grown almost submerged. Others like the typical minor and rubra ssp. rubra grow much further away from standing water, in moist sand. The trays commonly used under window box planters make excellent decorative trays for the windowsill. Periodically allow the trays to go dry for a day or so, to kill mosquito and other bug larvae.

Dormancy

During the winter months, keep the soil just damp and put in a cool area such as a garage. You may want to spray the plant with a fungicide, such as Benomyl, to prevent fungal growth.

Propagation

Divide rhizomes while transplanting in the early spring, before vigorous growth resumes.

Seed Germination

We sow the seed on the surface of 50/50 peat and sand. After stratifying for 4-6 weeks, the seeds start sprouting in 4-6 weeks. This cool period breaks down chemicals that naturally prevent premature germination (during the season the seed is produced) and naturally occurs during the fall and winter. Don't worry, you can simulate this in your refrigerator. They are kept 4-6 inches from standard shop lights, or outside in full sun, standing in 1/2 inches of water. From seed, it may take sarracenia 4 to 6 years to reach maturity and they can live several decades.

1) Place the seed in a moist paper towel and put in a plastic bag
2) Then place it in the refrigerator about four to six weeks
3) Prepare pots of media - 50% fine sand and 50% Canadian peat
4) Use a spray bottle to flush the seed onto the surface of the media
5) Place in a bright location and sit in half an inch of water
6) Sit back and wait about 4 weeks for germination!