Care of Sarracenia Plants
- 1). Fill an 8-inch diameter or larger pot with three parts sphagnum peat moss and one part sand. Dig a hole in the garden slightly larger than the pot and set the pot inside the hole so the rim is even with the surrounding soil level. Choose a garden area that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight.
- 2). Plant the sarracenia in the pot at the same depth as it was in its nursery pot. In larger pots, space multiple sarracenia 8 to 10 inches apart.
- 3). Water the potting mixtures when the surface begins to feel dry. Thoroughly saturate the potting mixture then allow the surface to begin drying out before watering again. According to the University of Florida Extension, rainwater is best, followed by distilled water or water from a reverse osmosis unit. The salt found in soft-water systems will kill sarracenia.
- 4). Cut off the flowers with a pair of shears as they begin to wilt. Cut the old, dead pitchers from the previous year from the plant once new growth begins in spring.
- 5). Cover the plants with a 4-inch layer of straw mulch once they begin to die back in late fall. Mulch protects the roots of the plant from severe freezes and cold-weather soil heave during the winter months. Remove the mulch in spring before the plants begin actively growing again.
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