The NO B.S. care guide to growing PURPLE PITCHER PLANT for CANADIANS!
A personal favourite of the carnivorous plant family. Native to Canada and provincial flower of Newfoundland and Labrador. Easy to grow and hardy. Like most carnivorous plants they have some specific care requirements for success. Be sure to provide plenty of bright direct sunlight, above average humidity and to keep soil consistently moist. Never fertilize the soil and only use a carnivorous soil mix. You can gamble with your tap water if it is below 90 PPM (TDS), but for guaranteed results, use only distilled or rain water. Provide a winter dormancy for continued good health. For more in depth care and FAQ read below.
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
SARRACENIA PURPUREA (SAR-UH- SEN-EE-AH PUR-PUR-EE-EH)
ORIGIN:
EASTERN SEABOARD, U.S.A, AND ALL OF CANADA (EXCEPT NUNAVUT & THE NORTHWEST TERRRITORIES) (ZONES 3-8)
SIZE:
HEIGHT: 8 – 12 INCHES (20 – 30 CM)
DIAMETER: 12 – 16 INCHES (30 – 40 CM)
SOIL:
DO NOT USE REGULAR POTTING SOIL!!
THESE GUYS NATURALLY GROW IN BOGS. SO THEY PREFER NUTRIENT DEFICIENT, MOIST, ACIDIC SOIL (PH BETWEEN 4.0 – 5.0).
USE OUR CARNIVOROUS MIX OR MAKE YOUR OWN WITH A BLEND OF EQUAL PARTS PEATMOSS, PERLITE, & SILICA SAND.
LIGHT:
4-6 + HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT DAILY. BEST PLACED IN A BRIGHT SOUTH FACING WINDOW OR OUTDOORS IN THE OPEN SUN.
WATER:
STAY AWAY FROM TAP WATER!!
UNLESS YOU HAVE TESTED YOUR WATER WITH A TDS (TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS) METER AND THE READING IS LESS THAN APPROX. 90 PPM.
OTHERWISE, IT IS BEST TO USE RAINWATER, REVERSE OSMOSIS OR DISTILLED WATER.
SARRACENIAS DON’T LIKE TO DRY OUT SO KEEP SOIL CONSISTENTLY WET. FOR BEST RESULTS KEEP POT SITTING IN A SAUCER FILLED WITH WATER.
HUMIDITY:
SARRACENIAS PREFER A RH (RELATIVE HUMIDITY) AROUND 50-70%.
ACROSS CANADA, THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE IN THE SUMMER.
INDOORS, THIS CAN BE ACHEIVED BY ALLOWING YOUR POT TO SIT IN A TRAY OF WATER OR MISTING OCCASIONALLY. MOST CANADIAN HOMES SIT AROUND 30 – 50% RH.
FEEDING:
NO FERTILIZER ALLOWED!
INSTEAD OF NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL, THESE GUYS USE INSECTS ABSORBED FROM THEIR TRAPS AS FERTILIZER.
HOWEVER, YOU DO NOT ACTUALLY NEED TO FEED THEM FOR THEM TO LIVE, THEY JUST CHOOSE VIOLENCE!
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO FEED THEM, ONLY USE INSECTS, NO MEAT! ANY LIVE INSECT FOUND AROUND THE HOUSE OR FREEZE-DRIED MEALWORMS FROM THE PET STORE.
LIKE NEPENTHES, YOU CAN FEED THE SARRACENIA A PELLET STYLE FERTILIZER SPARINGLY, DROPPED INTO ITS TRAP.
POTS:
SARRACENIA HAVE LONG ROOT SYSTEMS, SO THE TALLER THE POT THE BETTER, MINIMUM 5-8 INCHES IN DEPTH.
5-8 INCH DIAMETER POT WILL SUFFICE, OR USE A WIDER POT TO ALLOW PLANT TO MULTIPLY.
AVOID USING TERRA COTA, UNGLAZED CERAMIC, CLAY, METAL, OR CONCRETE POTS!
WINTER CARE:
WHILE SARRACENIA PURPUREA ARE NATIVE TO CANADA, AS A GENERAL RULE, WHEN GROWN IN POTS, TRY NOT TO LET THEM GET BELOW -10 DEGREES CELSIUS.
YOU CAN BRING THEM INDOORS AND CONTINUE TO GROW UNDER LIGHTS, BUT THEY WILL NOT THRIVE LONG TERM UNLESS YOU GIVE THEM A PROPER WINTER DORMANCY!
WINTER DORMANCY IS A STATE OF REDUCED METABOLIC ACTIVITY (PERIOD OF REST WITH NO ACTIVE GROWTH). GIVE AT LEAST 3 MONTHS OF REST (DECEMBER-FEBRUARY) WITH REDUCED LIGHTING AND COOLER TEMPERATURES.
DURING DROMANCY, IT IS NORMAL FOR THE TRAPS TO DIE BACK, SO DON’T WORRY IT IS NOT DEAD!
PLACE IN A COOL WINDOWSILL THAT RECEIVES SOME LIGHT (UNHEATED GARAGE OR SHED) BUT IS PROTECTED FROM HARSH FROST.
SOME EVEN HAVE SUCCESS PLACING IN A SEALED CONTAINER IN THE CRISPER DRAWER OF THEIR FRIDGE.
ALLOW PLANTS TO SLOWLY ENTER DORMANCY DUE TO COOLER NIGHTS AND LESS DAYLIGHT DURING THE FALL.
F.A.Q:
1. NORMAL LIFECYCLE– YOUR OLDER TRAPS WILL DIE OFF OVER TIME AFTER HAVING SPENT THEIR ENERGY, ALLOWING NEW SHOOTS TO GROW IN THEIR PLACE.
2. DORMANCY– YOUR PLANT IS GOING INTO DORMANCY! THIS IS GREAT NEWS. MOST OF YOUR TRAPS WILL DIE BACK AND IT WILL COME BACK BIGGER AND STRONGER NEXT YEAR!
2. POOR GROWING CONDITIONS– CHECK THAT YOU HAVE MET ALL THE ABOVE CONDITIONS! LACK OF LIGHT, WRONG SOIL, AND WRONG CONTAINER CAN ALL CAUSE DYING TRAPS. IF YOUR CONTAINER IS TOO SHALLOW AND THE ROOTS ARE SITTING IN THE TRAY OF WATER THEY CAN GET ROOT ROT, TIME TO POT UP TO A TALLER CONTAINER!
IF IT IS A WELL ESTABLISHED PLANT, WITH MULTIPLE RHIZOME DIVISIONS OR YOU WANT TO HARVEST SEEDS, THEN GO AHEAD. OTHERWISE, CUT THE STALK CLOSE TO THE BASE BEFORE IT FLOWERS TO PRESERVE ENERGY AND FOCUS ON PRODUCING MORE SIDE SHOOTS.
YOU DON’T! THEY DO JUST FINE WITH SUN & WATER. HOWEVER, THEY WILL DO BETTER WITH ADDED NUTRIENTS FROM INSECTS. THEY ARE QUITE GOOD AT CATCHING PREY BY THEMSELVES OUTDOORS. INDOORS, IF YOU DO WANT TO FEED THEM, KEEP IT TO ONCE EVER 1 – 2 WEEKS AND NEVER FEED MORE THAN HALF OF THE TRAPS AT THE SAME TIME.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
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