You Grow Girl™

It's amazing how one plant can really lift your spirits. I was feeling sort of depressed last week and out of the blue my pal Ernie gave me a carnivorous plant called Sarracenia spp. a.k.a. Pitcher Plant.

I have to admit it's no secret that I've been wanting one of these plants for some time now. Currently, the only carnivorous plant I have is a Drosera spatulata otherwise known as the Sundew. Besides that I won a bunch of different seed packets on eBay for Cobra plants, varigated Pitcher Plants, Venus Flytraps and different Sundews.

The first few hours I received the plant I just sat there looking at it. By first glance I was convinced the nursery tag was wrong and that it wasn't a Pitcher Plant but a Cobra Lily. Both plants have impressive-looking parts: their swollen heads, modified red fang-like leaves and green tubular bodies. But apparently, the pitcher plant (which I supposedly have) grows out of this look and more into the mature, plant with less of a puffy head and more of an open "pitcher-like" head. The jury is still out on whether or not I'm convinced this is a Pitcher Plant. I'm pretty sure it's actually a Cobra.

According to the Carnivorous Plants FAQ, a Cobra Lily has a "pitfall trap for insects attracted to its red 'fangs.'" So does the Pitcher Plant. Hmmmm....

The FAQ goes on to suggest that "cultivation [of Cobra plants] is difficult, as it expects cool conditions, especially cool roots, high humidity, and a long cold-weather dormancy. Pitcher plants, especially the erect trumpet species, require extremely high sun. This means that they are not suited for terrarium culture."

The FAQ almost screams when it says "Do NOT try to grow Pitcher plants in terraria or indoors. They will not get enough light."

Apparently the only exceptions to this are Sarracenia purpurea, S. psittacina, S. rubra subsp. rubra, or seedlings of most species.

"If your erect trumpet Pitcher plants are all floppy and keep toppling, they are not getting enough light. The Pitchers should be able to support their own weight."

Of course, the nursery tag only says Sarracenia spp., so I don't know if I have the right one suited for indoor cultivation. I'm hoping it's a rubra subsp.

Still seeking more specific info, I did some additional research in my favorite carnivorous plant book The Savage Garden by Peter D'Amato.

Here's what I discovered from The Savage Garden:

PITCHER PLANTS

• The suggested planting medium is live long-fiberedSphagnum. Or you can try a mix of one part peat to one part perlite.

• Plastic pots with drainage holes are best.

• Use the tray method of watering (from bottom) to keep the soil permanently damp to very wet.

• Prefer warm summers and chilly winters. Full-mostly sunny spots makes them happiest.

• Require 3 to 4 months of winter dormancy with reduced temperatures.

• Great for bog gardens and Mediterranean-like climates.

• Good for the sunniest window in the house.

• Superb housefly catchers. Outdoors they eat ants, flies, wasps, beetles and moths.

• Primary pests are aphids, scale and mealybug.

• Potted specimens should be divided and transplanted every 3 to 5 years during dormancy.
  

COBRA PLANTS:

• Plant in one part long-fibered Sphagnum moss to one part perlite as well.

• Plastic pots with drainage holes are fine, but avoid dark colors like black which could warm the soil too much in the sunlight. Try using a pale-colored pot or even a terra cotta pot instead.

• Water with cool water only using the tray method. "Ice cubes of purified water placed on the soil on a very hot day, can save a cobra's life."

• Likes full sun to partially shaded areas.

• Cool summer nights are prefered. Cobras are frost tolerant!

• Great as bog garden plants and can grow well under lights in basements.

• Place in east-facing or even sunless north windowsills.

• Likes crickets and dried insects.

• Can use an orchid or epiphytic fertilzer twice a month during growing season only.

• Pests include scale, mealybug, thrips, aphids and caterpillars!

• This plant is NOT deer proof. They like to eats its puffy heads. These plants are often called "deer licks" by the natives.

• Divide plants in the winter. Use overhead watering until plants establish themselves.
  
  
• Can also propagate through stolon (long runners) cuttings.

I highly suggest if you plan on growing ANY carnivorous plants to check out
Peter D'Amato's amazing book
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants. Knowing the origin and growth habits of your plant can save you plenty of money, time and heartache in the end.

Other carnivorous plant books I suggest adding to your collection: