11 replies to this topic

[Mujician]

I have two Sarracenia arriving soon from triffid nurseries. They are the same plant but two different cultivars. S. Flava if I remember rightly. One is the standard form, the other is the large form that can grow to 75cms. I've not had any kind of pitcher plant before, should I put a little water into each pitcher or does the plant need to produce all of the liquid inside?

Finally, can S Flava live outside?

[wild11112]

When buying pitcher plants i always like to add some rain water to the pitchers, and so far none of my plants have died from it!

As with growing them outside it depends on what temperatures you get during the winter, since they can only survive light frosts.

Edited by wild11112, 28 June 2012 - 16:32 PM.

[ada]

They don't need any water putting in the pitchers.
They can live outside,but if they have been grown in a greenhouse,they might get "burnt" by the wind and sun because of the humidity difference.i.e shrivel and dry around the lid edges.
They are also likely to get battered about by the wind and rain.
good luck.

ada

[Daniel G]

The only Sarracenia that i'll put water into is S. Pupurea. Apart from that, no way.

[Mujician]

Okay guys thanks, not entirely sure how well my girlfriend will take the fact I'll be keeping a 75 cm pitcher plant inside!! Oh well, she'll just have to deal with it!!! I have the perfect place for it though.

[TheInactiveMoth]

I grow my flava outside, and it's fine. However, it isn't as vigorous as it could be, on account of the unreliable weather...
(... I imagine that we may fare similarly, Ilkeston isn't far from me )

[Tricky Utrici]

If you grow a flava outside, from my experience, it'll get about 50% of its' normal height, be less colourful and often mis-shaped. You'll neded to offer it some support and shelter otherwise the wind will play havoc with it.

Grow it inside, in plenty of sun, and remember to tell your girlfriend NO TAP WATER, unless it's known to be ok in your part of the world. Put it outside over winter so that it goes dormant.

[Richard Bunn]

I never go adding water myself I let the rain do it if the plant feels like it (is designed that way), although I will intervene with purpurea.

[Mujician]

We know about tap water thanks! I've made that mistake. We now have a bucket outside, and in the summer hold we're installing a waterbutt! Yes inactivemoth, that's great to know, although I bought the large flava due to it's potential size, so this one will stay inside as I want it to be big. The standard form I may plant out. My delivery on Saturday will include these two flavas, a d capensis alba, a VFT royal red, a VFT spreading form and something else I can't remember. Maybe a d spatulata. Plus a possible freebie as I got a freebie in my previous order from triffid!! They are a great shop if you haven't bought from them before!

[Richard Bunn]

If you want the best out of your Sarracenia I would advise you to keep them inside unless it's one of the low growing forms such as purpurea or Catesbaei as the wind totally destroys my plants each year. I'm just waiting for my greenhouse to be built as it is. If you can provide enough shelter then all very well and good but you need a lot of shelter from the wind.

[billynomates666]

Hi Mujician

Most of my plants are necessarily outdoors and stay out all year. The flavas I have dont seem to mind as they are in a bog with a relatively large mass rather than a pot which will freeze and thaw during winter and cause damage or death, its the desiccating winds that do more damage during winter. Being outdoors they are later to start growing and may be a little shorter than indoor plants, but hey ho they still look good to me.
As far as wind damage goes, I dont have the same trouble as Richard, but do steak and tie the really tall ones as a precaution. That said, as everyone has councilled, indoor grown plants are generally bigger, so if size is your thing go for it.

Oh and no water in flavas

Cheers
Steve

[Cedric-666]

I grow all my Sarracenias outside in Belgium. I get almost 90 cm tall pitchers with S. flava Slack's maxima and a very large form of S. x moorei. Even during this exceptionally cold summer, I got good growths with the two aforementioned plants (much less for some others). When too much water falls in the pitchers, they become too heavy and collapse (so don't put water in them). Unless you have a greenhouse or some kind of very sunny veranda, I would not recommend you to grow the plants inside. They will probably not get enough sun and become etiolated. It may also be too dry inside and the leaves could dry out. But each house is different...

If there is much wind you will have to support the pitchers with sticks or other systems.