FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone!
I live in the desert, and water is super expensive here (that probably makes no sense to most of the country, where tap water comes out for free). My sarrs are getting to be too much for me to water, and they're already under 70% shade cloth.

I'm wondering, could I chop half the pitchers off to reduce water usage, or will that kill them?
Also, would it be sacrilegious to just toss some of them in the compost?

evenwind wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 10:11 pm Rather than composting them, why not run a giveaway?

Because the plants are over 3' tall from root to pitcher, and it would be very expensive to ship. Which brings me back to the first question -- could I chop all the pitchers off mid-season, or will that kill 'em?

Probably won't kill them, but it probably won't really affect your water usage either. A plant that big will have a large amount of transpiration anyway. You'd have a greater decline in water usage if you trimmed the vines themselves, removing those leaves.

ChefDean wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 10:43 pm Probably won't kill them, but it probably won't really affect your water usage either. A plant that big will have a large amount of transpiration anyway. You'd have a greater decline in water usage if you trimmed the vines themselves, removing those leaves.

Oops! Sorry, I should have clarified . I’m talking about sarrs. I have no problems giving haircuts to nepenthes

With Sarrs, that would cut down on transpiration, but they're building up their rhizome to withstand dormancy. Cutting them now will likely just prompt them to grow more pitchers, which will take energy away from it going to storage.
Maybe find a way that slows evaporation from the tray.

ChefDean wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 11:29 pm With Sarrs, that would cut down on transpiration, but they're building up their rhizome to withstand dormancy. Cutting them now will likely just prompt them to grow more pitchers, which will take energy away from it going to storage.
Maybe find a way that slows evaporation from the tray.

Hmm… what if I start with flavas? They should be done for the season, right? Or I can just deal with it for a few more months, and y’all need to remind me to do some giveaways this winter :b

I meant to include that the plants are using the pitchers to photosynthesize and create energy for storage now. Plus, they're likely still digesting any bugs that they've captured. If you remove them, you remove the buggy nutrient source, and they may end up using energy to grow new pitchers or phyllodia to continue to photosynthesize. Whether they'll grow them fast enough to return that energy to the rhizome for dormancy will be a gamble.
That's why I suggested trying to find a way to slow evaporation from the tray.

elaineo wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 12:11 am Hmm… what if I start with flavas? They should be done for the season, right? Or I can just deal with it for a few more months, and y’all need to remind me to do some giveaways this winter :b

Cut off any phyllodia on the flava's, along with the flowers. When my kids underwatered my plants while I was on vacation, those were the first things that the plants sacrificed.

I'd send you some rain if I could. The weather forecast says my area is supposed to get 6-7 inches of rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby over the next 4 days.

ChefDean wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 1:49 am I meant to include that the plants are using the pitchers to photosynthesize and create energy for storage now. Plus, they're likely still digesting any bugs that they've captured. If you remove them, you remove the buggy nutrient source, and they may end up using energy to grow new pitchers or phyllodia to continue to photosynthesize. Whether they'll grow them fast enough to return that energy to the rhizome for dormancy will be a gamble.
That's why I suggested trying to find a way to slow evaporation from the tray.

The plants are packed pretty tight... I'm not sure how to slow evaporation, aside from adding more shade

If the plant doesn't get enough energy to the rhizome for dormancy, is that any different from me splitting the rhizome and giving half to a friend? Either way, I just end up with a smaller plant next spring, right?

Is it possible to place landscaping fabric around the plants to cover the soil to slow the evaporation. Something that has a similar effect that mulch has without harming the plants. Hope this helps!

This is what my pots look like. I don't know if there's any soil left in there. How do these things work in the wild? Are there deer or elk to keep the vegetation trimmed back? Otherwise they would just take over the continent, right?

elaineo wrote: ↑Wed Aug 07, 2024 5:08 am Are there deer or elk to keep the vegetation trimmed back?

Deer and cattle refuse to eat them (at least, not in my neck of the woods). The only things that keep them in check are water supply and soil type.