FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey guys, I have a purple pitcher plant that has just come out of dormancy a week or two ago. It was really nice out yesterday but the wind was strong. I woke up this morning to look at my plant and it was "broken" right at the rhizome. I wasn't sure if the wind knocked them over or if they were falling off to have new growth. The funny thing is that the two plants are snapped in the same place and only hanging on by a strand. Just wandering if this was normal.

Were the pitchers that broke old ones from last year? I think most growers normally cut those off anyway. I have, however, noticed that on very windy days, sometimes new pitchers can get damaged. It's best to protect them a bit from the wind if possible. I don't have a ton of experience growing pitcher plants, but I think if they're grown outside, their pitchers get a little stronger and aren't as affected by the wind.

Yeah they are the old pitchers from last year. They were also starting to get nasty looking with brown spots. I figured I was going to have to cut them anyways.

Hello,

A new growth might be on it's way. Just leave the Sarrs outside and they should adapt to the wind by making wind resistant pitchers.

hb

So then do you cut off old ones?!

I have a purp right now and i will have some leucos and another variety soon..what is the way to go as far as cutting old pitchers for different sarrs?

My s. purpurea has 2 new growths and 2 that were there when i got it a month ago..they have a couple brown spots but still mostly green.

help?!

I would trim last years growth from anything except S. Purpurea. Although, if it is all brown then there is no point in keeping it around and I would just trim it off.

Check out these video podcasts for some great growing info:

I think the March podcast discusses trimming Sarracenia...

http://growcarnivorousplants.com/monthly-care/

Nice videos man, i didnt know they had those. The pitcher on mu s. purpurea still look prett good..that one pitcher had a couple brown spots but there is still a bunch of green on it and i am getting pretty rapid new growth so i think ill leave it for now.

Matt wrote:Were the pitchers that broke old ones from last year? I think most growers normally cut those off anyway. I have, however, noticed that on very windy days, sometimes new pitchers can get damaged. It's best to protect them a bit from the wind if possible. I don't have a ton of experience growing pitcher plants, but I think if they're grown outside, their pitchers get a little stronger and aren't as affected by the wind.

Your right. Any time that we move CPs out of our greenhouse to one of our front/backyard bog gardens the existing pitchers will usually fall over. The new growth will be somewhat shorter & will stay upright. We recently moved alot of our Sarrs from the greenhouse to some new bog gardens in our backyard & we are propping up the old growth with some wire until they get some new pithcers that are used to being outside. The color change is amazing. It only took about a week & some many of our plants have developed a really nice red coloration.

I will post some of the pics in our May 2009 Photo Album. Craig really did not want me too because it does not look really good with all the wire props with the plants, but the color is so nice.

Mary