How do you take care of a pitcher plant outside?

Outdoor specimens live in slightly acidic soils. Pitcher plants must be kept wet and can even grow in water gardens. The plants need boggy, moist soil and will perform well at the margins of a pond or bog garden. Pitcher plants thrive in full sun to light shade.

Then, how do you take care of a pitcher plant?

Pitcher plants can grow in soggy soil with the water level in the saucer as deep as 1/2 the pot, but most carnivorous plants prefer damp to wet soil, so keep the water at about 1/4 inch and refill as soon as it is nearly gone. Water from below, by adding water to the tray, rather than watering the plant.

Beside above, are you supposed to fill pitcher plants with water? But if you want to do it, knock yourself out. I recommend that you only use purified water. Since these plants do much of their digestion via bacteria, you should probably keep the pitchers filled with a bit of water at all times so the bacterial populations are healthy.

Similarly, how often do you water pitcher plants?

However, most pitcher plants do just fine in a less controlled environment. Use filtered, distilled water or rainwater instead of tap water. If you use hard water from the tap, water deeply with distilled water every two to three weeks to flush minerals from the soil.

How do you take care of a pitcher plant in the winter?

Caring for Pitcher Plants in the Winter In extreme cold, apply a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plants to protect the roots. If you have varieties growing in water, break the ice and keep the water trays full. Caring for pitcher plants in winter in colder zones will require you to bring them indoors.

36 Related Question Answers Found

Should I trim my pitcher plant?

First, if your pitcher plant blooms, you should prune off the blossoms of a pitcher plant when they wilt, just as you deadhead other plants. If your pitcher plant has yellow or brown foliage, that part of the plant is dead. Trimming a pitcher plant to remove dead foliage is not difficult.

When should you repot a pitcher plant?

Pitcher plants, like other plants, do best when you repot them early in the spring before they have a chance to produce new growth. When your plant is still dormant, right before the spring arrives, remove it from its pot and gently remove as much planting medium as you can using a chopstick or other small object.

Why is my pitcher plant dying?

As fall approaches, a normal plant will begin to go dormant and stop replacing the shed pitchers. Although pitcher plants are bog natives, they don't tolerate standing water like their carnivorous contemporaries, immediately reduce watering to dry out the soil around the plant's crown.

Why is my pitcher plant turning black?

When pitcher plant (Nepenthes) leaves are turning black, it is usually the result of shock or a sign that the plant is going into dormancy. Something as simple as a change in conditions the plant experiences when you bring it home from the nursery can cause shock.

How long does a pitcher plant live?

there is no way of telling , there are plants in the wild that will and can live several decades if left alone in there habitat even longer , , home growers have had a plant for 20 years , I have had some for 15 or 16 years , so its not really how long they life rather how well can you care for them.

Can you propagate pitcher plant?

A faster way to propagate is by rooting pitcher plant cuttings. Cut pieces of stem that have two or three leaves on them, and clip off half of each leaf. The pitcher plant cuttings should root within two months, and can be transplanted after they begin to grow new leaves.

How do you fertilize a pitcher plant?

A high nitrogen pitcher plant fertilizer is perfect to fulfill the plant's needs. A mild fish fertilizer diluted by one-quarter every two to four weeks can be added to the pitcher. Young plants and seedlings benefit more from fertilizer and may be soil fed.

Do pitcher plants eat mosquitoes?

The pitcher plant, also known as trumpet leaf, doesn't repel mosquitoes; it attracts and eats them and uses them as nutrients to grow. Venus flytraps, which eat many types of insects, including mosquitoes. They only eat a few insects week, and they are tropical plants.

Why are my pitcher plants leaves turning brown?

It looks like your plant isn't getting enough humidity. The pitchers naturally dry up over time and turn brown, but if that's happening AND there aren't new pitchers forming, it needs to be more humid or you should mist it more often.

How much sunlight does a pitcher plant need?

Pitcher plants must be kept wet and can even grow in water gardens. The plants need boggy, moist soil and will perform well at the margins of a pond or bog garden. Pitcher plants thrive in full sun to light shade.

How big do pitcher plants get?

If feeding any insects, keep this to a minimum because too many insects can cause the plant to wither and die. Pitcher plants range in height from 4" (10 cm) long (parrot pitcher plant) to more than 3' (1 m) tall (yellow pitcher plant).

Why is my pitcher plant not growing pitchers?

Failure to produce pitchers is an indication that the plant isn't receiving adequate light. Water and potting mix – Pitcher plants don't appreciate the minerals and additives in tap water. If possible, give them only filtered or distilled water. Better yet, collect rainwater and use it to water your pitcher plant.

Do pitcher plants smell?

Some people have noted that Sarracenia pitchers often exude a smell, usually because of the rotting insects trapped in the pitchers.

How long does it take a pitcher plant to digest?

The insects will slowly digest in the pitcher for the life of the pitcher (a week to two months). In short, an insect will never be completely digested by a pitcher (e.g. it will never "disappear" because it was fully digested).

Do pitcher plants have flowers?

Pitcher Plant Flowers. Unlike the pitchers, which are deadly to visiting insects, pitcher plant flowers are perfectly harmless. In fact, the flowers function like regular flowers by providing insects (mostly bees) with nectar and pollen.

How does a pitcher plant work?

The rim of the pitcher (peristome) is slippery when moistened by condensation or nectar, causing insects to fall into the trap. Furthermore, some pitcher plants contain mutualistic insect larvae, which feed on trapped prey, and whose excreta the plant absorbs.

How do you make carnivorous soil?

Create your growing medium by combining 50 percent sphagnum peat moss, 30 percent horticultural sand, and 20 percent long fiber sphagnum moss and saturating it with water until it has a mudlike consistency. Fill the planter (outside the plastic pot) with the soil mix.