FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Alright! So I purchased a couple Sarracenia two days ago and I've been really giddy to repot them. I'm guessing they're typicals bc they weren't labeled. Although idk if saying typical is proper since I know that's what an unlabeled VFT would be called. One appears to be S. purpurea based on characteristics I've read. Guessing the other, S. flava? Please feel free to correct me, I'm new to this Family/ Genus so I don't quite have the botanical nomenclature down.

I've been researching and I continue to see it's best to not disturb them during growing season or just before dormancy. Makes sense. My area is considered Zone 10a, Mediterranean climate.
As of right now, sunlight duration is just short of 12.5 hrs. Mid-October will be 11.25 hrs. A month ago, during mid-August duration was slightly over 13.5 hrs. Just to give you an idea since I'm well aware dormancy is moreso triggered by light duration opposed to just temperature.

That being said, the media seems to be alright if I have to leave them in there for a little longer. Mostly peat, but there is some perlite. If it's okay to repot now, best believe that's what I'll be doing! What do you think??

I'm asking bc when I repot my VFTs mid-June (during growing season) they didn't seem to fuss and are doing extremely well. They are a different Family tho so that might be a factor.

Many thanks!

your S. Purpurea looks a lot nicer than ours we just got at lowes a couple weeks ago! I went ahead and repotted ours - the couple of pitchers that were already dying back continued to die but the remaining three are no worse for the wear.

ours has more coloration but its a shell of a plant right now haha

So it is a S. purpurea! Haha. The others I saw weren't too bad either since I checked out two Home Depot's.

I really want to repot them just so they're more comfy and in cuter pots. It's all in technique, right??

This afternoon I potted some Cephalotus clumps received in the mail last night so keeping my fingers crossed with those little guys!

take my calling it that with a grain of salt it was my first Sarracenia! ours was labeled at least though!

I had a pot that was near perfect sitting around to off it went into there, then a wife's bowl that she really likes to sit it in (she unhappy about that I need to get it in the water tray instead now that its acclimated!)

Lol. I'm sure she'll appreciate it once it's growing beautifully!

In terms of pot size, I feel like I need to do more research. The ones I'd like to pot these Sarrs in are tall, but have a small diameter. There's so much to learn!

once again take any and everything I say here with a huge grain of salt, but since I was just looking at this stuff last week to do the same, I more or less kept finding that they liked short squat pots, since they kind of grow sideways underground but roots dont grow very deep, we went with about a 6" deep pot that is about 5" across which seems a bit much for our tiny plant at the moment but ...it was sitting around!

Mawy_Plants wrote:So it is a S. purpurea! Haha. The others I saw weren't too bad either since I checked out two Home Depot's.

I really want to repot them just so they're more comfy and in cuter pots. It's all in technique, right??

This afternoon I potted some Cephalotus clumps received in the mail last night so keeping my fingers crossed with those little guys!

I have only repotted vfts, but they seem to be awesome happy when they are repotted.

I was wondering where you get a clump of Cephalotus? they are the cutest little guys in umm pots?

Fly Trap Hunter wrote: I have only repotted vfts, but they seem to be awesome happy when they are repotted.

I was wondering where you get a clump of Cephalotus? they are the cutest little guys in umm pots?

The process is similar I would think. Media and how careful you need to be I'm guessing are the only differences. I get more overwhelmed with deciding pot size to use for which Genus/ Species. Lol.

My Cephs are potted in massive pots compared to their size. I decided on this due to the fact they aren't fans of repotting, so I've read. Figured to get them in a large home to stay in for a while.

I ended up buying mine from Carnivore Culture. If I'm not mistaken, I grabbed the last clumps they had. They were $10 each so I had to! I got them the following afternoon, wrapped very well in LFS and the baggie they were in was surrounded by packing peanuts to minimize all the travel movement.

You may as well wait till the plants go dormant to negate any risk of growth check by repotting, unless it is necessary due to poor media etc. You can repot at any time of year, but if you damage roots etc you run the risk of introducing pathogens into the plant via the damage.

It looks like you have a purpurea and and a hybrid with purpurea in it, bot look light starved, as is normal for most shop bought plants. Introduce them to full light gradually and they should colour up nicely.

Cheers
Steve

Many thanks, Steve!

That's interesting you said it could be a hybrid. I wouldn't have even thought of that. All the other Sarrs I've seen on display at Home Depot are S. purpurea so it makes sense it could have be a cross with one.

I have just left them in there so far and only watered once since I saved them. They're in decent media so I'm not too worried. I almost went ahead and repotted yesterday, but I didn't. Lol. I guess since I'm new to these, I want to just wait it out with the season ending soon. Also I have been slowly acclimating them, they're currently in a mostly shaded area, SE facing so they do get dappled with light depending on the time of day. They're hanging out next to my Cephs and sowed D. capensis seeds, and newly repotted VFTs that I saved this past week.

Would you say nearing the end of dormancy would be best to repot? I have read that it's good to save dried pitchers for insulation. Does that always apply or depending on the winter conditions?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions. Researching does provide lots of information, but experience from another is just as helpful if not more at times!

unless the vendor planted them badly, the answer is no. let them grow strong before you replant them

I have had trouble watering my plants from what is most likely the same vendor without repotting them, on all 4 of the pots (2 s. purpurea and 2 neps) from the past two weeks... they were filled with about 80% pure peat or more, and then the tiny rootball wrapped and topdressed with LFSM which is then just pressed onto the top of the pot, so the top medium ends up being one very hard dry clump while the peat underneath I have no idea about -- I have one more plant not repotted yet (the other nep) and I am having the same issue with it.... tray watering it drinks up every last drop but then top watering the top still feels near bone dry. I understand why the cheap and quick repottings they do for plants like that though I guess!

edit to add: trouble knowing how watered the plants were/when they needed more. the consistency for top vs bottom of plant it was near impossible for me to tell by the ways I would normally see if it was about time

Thanks for the input mouthstofeed and riveraXVX!

I was really taking notice of the media inconsistency yesterday trying to see if it needed more watering. The top was nearly a solid clump of what doesn't appear to be peat, at least to me. Underneath has chunks of perlite mixed in peat, I believe. I would hate to overwater since temperatures are gradually decreasing.

After more time for observations about how the plants have been in their current state and replies from members, I would feel more confident repotting knowing the quality of media opposed to the large distributors'. Plus as riveraXVX said, I'd have a much better idea when to water.

I have a Nep from Lowe's (Sarrs are from HD) and I believe it's just in LFS. At least that was the media used on the VFT I repotted from the same vendor. Still haven't repotted since wanting to do more research on what conditions it prefers. **I have another post regarding my Nep if anyone would like to suggest anything!**

If it helps any, I'd be happy to provide a photo later today for a closer look at the media the Sarrs are currently potted in.

Hi MP, you can stand the Sarracenia plants in a tray of water about an inch deep and water from the top to flush the media and introduce oxygen to the roots, till they start going dormant, then keep them just damp till spring. Sarracenia like it wetter than VFTs and Neps.
I leave the pitchers on my outside plants to give them some protection from winter. Covering the rhizome with old pitchers is not a great idea as they will shed their prey onto the soil and introduce nutrients, plus air movement over the rhizome is a good idea to prevent mould and rot.
You are absolutely correct about the best time to repot being eat the end of the dormancy period I do it in March and early April over here in the UK.
Cheers
Steve

I appreciate the advice, Steve!

I wasn't sure if I should leave them in standing water, it is pretty breezy and warm here so it keeps me hopeful that they won't be too wet. Would that depend on the height of the pot? These guys are still in their small 2" pots. I have also added some DI water into their pitchers. I've read S. purpurea enjoys that, and since you said the other is most likely a hybrid, I went ahead and added to that one too.

Would you mind clarifying the part about dried pitchers over the rhizome? From my understanding, do not let it decompose onto the soil due to nutrients being introduced by the insect carcasses? But you do keep them on through winter for protection?

Also I don't know if you saw my last reply about the media. I have attached pictures to give a better idea of what it is and if they'd still fare well in this mixture.

Thanks again for chiming in!