I recently received the gift of a potted sarracenia to add to my collection of house plants. Could you please share some tips on how to keep it happy? I live in a bright city apartment with lots of natural light, which I’m hoping will suit it. Anna C, Cork
Sarracenias, or pitcher plants as they’re commonly known, are a genus of carnivorous plants that are native to parts of the northeastern US and Canada. Their common name describes their sculptural, tubular-shaped flowers and modified leaves in which rainwater collects and mixes with nectar, luring, trapping and then drowning any small insects that fall into them including flies, beetles and spiders. The plants then absorb vital nutrients released from the insects’ bodies as they decay.
Sarracenias can be very decorative house plants, but on one condition, which is that they need to be exposed to an extended period of cool but frost-free temperatures during winter (three to four months). If you live in a colder part of the country, then an unheated but frost-free glasshouse or porch is ideal for this purpose. That said, in the milder parts of Ireland, some species of sarracenia will survive outdoors in an average winter, while the species known as Sarracenia purpurea is hardy even in colder areas.
Pitcher plants’ natural habitat in the wild is sunny, open, peaty bogland where the ground is acidic and never completely dries out, especially during the growing season. For this reason, pot-grown plants should be given a low-nutrient ericaceous compost (ideally peat-free) and bottom-watered, only using rainwater. Placing the pot in a shallow saucer or dish filled with rainwater, which itself is then placed on a shallow tray of pebbles in a bright spot (but out of direct hot sunlight), is a good way to ensure sufficient humidity as well as to ensure that the plant’s roots stay damp during the spring and summer months.
RM Block
But once the plant starts to go into winter hibernation in autumn, then only water enough to stop the compost from drying out until mid-spring. At that point, they typically burst into new growth and can then be brought back indoors, when watering should again increase. But avoid fertilising or liquid feeding these plants, which dislike both.
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It’s important to note that the common pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, which is also the most cold-hardy of the 11 different species, has become invasive in some areas of Irish peatland and wetlands, where it is causing serious disruption to natural ecosystems. So great care should be taken not to grow this particular species anywhere close to these kinds of vulnerable habitats.
