The distinctly shaped pitcher plant is a star in the carnivorous realm. The complex and extravagant pitcher trap functions cleverly. When first discovered, the pitcher plant’s shape was believed to be an unusual water-holding device for drought conditions. Its carnivorous nature was not suspected. The first description of the pitcher plant was given in 1658 by the French governor of Madagascar, Étienne de Flacourt. The small vase he described is a leaf that balloons into a hollow, sealed pitcher and, when mature, develops a pop-up lid.
Glistening nectar and a gaudy pattern on plants lure insects into the pitcher, which holds digestive fluids for unsuspecting victims. Crawling insects follow nectar trails up the pitcher’s length and become intoxicated. Color patterns lead the prey to the treacherous parts of the leaf, and they eventually fall into the tube. Fluttering insect wings may create a vacuum, causing them to be pulled deeper into the pitcher. The pitcher’s interior is too waxy and smooth for the victim to get a foothold or covered in downward angled hairs that are inescapable. The plant secretes enzymes in the deepest inner part of the tube that quickly digest prey.
There are many species, subspecies, varieties and hybrids of Sarracenia. The northern purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea, is the only one found north of Virginia. Another popular pitcher plant is Sarracenia flava, yellow trumpet. The plant can grow to about 20 inches and can mature to 36 inches or more. Unlike S. purpurea’s collar, S. flava’s horizontal lid covers the flared mouth and broad lip, or peristome, keeping out rain.
Pitcher plants grow best outdoors, though some are suited to greenhouses and a few may be grown reasonably well indoors. Most species are happy in warm, temperate climates and are tolerant of light frosts and brief freezes. S. purpurea ssp. purpurea requires cold, temperate climates and can tolerate an extended deep freeze in winter.
Confirm with your nursery or retailer that the plant you have selected is fully winter hardy in your USDA zone (or suited to indoor growth if that is your plan). If your plant will grow outdoors but is not fully hardy, you will need to move your plant to a cold greenhouse, garage or enclosed porch for the winter where light continues to be available and temperatures stay cold enough to maintain dormancy but do not fall below the plant's cold threshold. In warmer areas of the country, your pitcher plant may need protection from scorching, mid-summer sun.
Full sun conditions are best for your pitcher plant. If your plant is looking floppy or losing its color, it probably isn't getting the light that it needs.
It is hard to grow the taller pitcher plants indoors and give them all the light that they need. But lower growing pitcher plants, like Sarracenia purpurea, S. psittacina, and S. rosea, which would be shaded by taller plants in their natural habitats, will fare better. Photoperiods of 8 to 10 hours in the winter, and 16 to 18 hours in the summer are fine if you use artificial lighting. Artificial light is not as strong as natural light and extended hours are necessary. Most indoor pitcher plants will need a period of winter dormancy with lower temperatures and reduced water (see Winter Dormancy).
Keep soil moist to very wet. The most common way to grow pitcher plants is in pots placed in a pool of water kept an inch deep. Do not completely immerse pots or allow them to ever go dry.
Use only rainwater, distilled water or reverse osmosis water. Most tap water is not healthy for your pitcher plant.
Transplant pitcher plants during dormancy every three to five years.
Sarracenia thrive in one part sphagnum peat moss to one part perlite or sand (coarse builder’s sand, not beach sand) mixed together. Do not use any potting medium with added fertilizer. Starter four-inch containers made of plastic or glazed ceramics are best. Terracotta dries out too quickly. They can be drained or undrained pots. Over time, plants mature in six to eight-inch pots or larger.
Pitcher plants will catch all the insect prey they require outdoors. Do not use fertilizer supplements in their soil. Indoors, you can feed your American pitcher plant dried crickets.
Native pitcher plants require three to five months of winter dormancy, with reduced temperatures and photoperiod. The most critical element that triggers dormancy in Sarracenia is light. Dwindling light will naturally induce dormancy in plants, regardless of temperature. However, there is more to dormancy than just light. To ensure a fully dormant plant, temperature and moisture levels should fall as well, while continuing to keep the growing medium damp.
If your pitcher plant is not fully hardy in your area, it may need the protection of a heavy pine mulch (for marginal hardiness) or to be brought to a cold space that is free of frost but well lit, like a cold garage, greenhouse or sun porch.
Sarracenia propagation is by offshoots produced by mature plants. The best producer of many offshoots is Sarracenia rubra. Propagation is best done in winter or early spring. To overcome shock during transplanting use vitamin B1 solution or Superthrive to soak divisions. When placing divisions, place the rhizome horizontally and the roots downward; the growing points should be at the soil surface. Remove any emerging flowers that exhaust the new division.
Seasonal behavior: Sarracenia may flower in spring and will produce new pitchers in summer. Before dying back during winter dormancy, new non-trapping leaves may grow. As they enter dormancy, trim back only the brown parts of leaves as the living portions are continuing to provide resources to the plant.
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