When you Pitcher Plants Arrive.
So you have purchased one or more of our lovely Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia). There are a few things that you must do with them on arrival.
If your pitcher plant arrives potted
Unpack your plant gently, it will be in some form of waterproof wrapper, either a plastic bag or occasionally cling film (or sometimes both!!) As you may know Sarracenias (Pitcher Plants) have very little root and so, unlike many normal plants, they may not be rooted into the compost as well as you would expect. If the plant has become dislodged from its pot, don’t worry! Gently repot into the container and place in its permanent living quarters. Make sure that it is sitting in about an inch of rain water and lightly shade with a bit of fleece for a couple of days until they acclimatise to their new surroundings
If your plant arrives bare rooted
Often it is better to transport the plants without the soil that they are potted into. If this is the case again, your plant will be wrapped as above with some moist tissue around the roots. Unwrap gently taking care not to damage any part of the plant.
It is essential that the roots never dry out. They will die instantly if they do. Pot immediately upon arrival into your pre prepared compost (50:50 peat and perlite mix) into a 4″ or 1 litre plant pot. Water well and place in a tray of rain water. Again shade gently for a couple of days.
For more information on Pitcher plants view our “How to grow Pitcher Plants – a beginners guide to Sarracenia“
There is also a lot of information available at www.sarracenia.co.uk with information on how to care for your Sarracenias and how to pollinate them, take a look at his seed grown Sarracenia collection, they really are something special!
