A Common Cause for Floppy Sarracenia Pitchers

[@robhrouda]

I'd love to see more videos like these - where you diagnose a common or even uncommon problem, and recommend solutions.

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. Stay tuned!

[@Dan_Slee]

Great job diagnosing this particular case, great info. That said... another big reason for floppy sarracenia pitchers is poor breeding and poor selection bias. Selection bias meaning people more often keep plants that grow big early (from seed) and discard the rest. Many people keep plants due to good coloring, even though they have poor form. This is a bigger problem in cultivated Sarracenia than is generally talked about.

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. Yes, that can be a factor, but that's not what the video or the question was about. Besides, given how Juthitip Soper grows for us, I can't say that it falls into this category. The focus of this video was to diagnose what was happening to the specific plant presented to me. Based on the information the grower provided, I concluded that the base of the pitchers were weakened from the collection being overcrowded. Once that is corrected, his plant will stand up straight again. If a grower presents us with a poorly bred plant, then I can address that, but I have to stick to the topic in all cases I present in this format.

[@Dan_Slee]

@@SarraceniaNorthwest Understood, and why this particular example was perfect to address. A known cultivar where you have experience with it, and know its growth habit. Great explanation and summary of your diagnosis of the issue this grower is facing.

[@davidb5255]

A load of my juthatip soper pitches have flopped as well however it's from the recent rain and wind. The rain has filled the large and upright pitchers so full that the plant can't sustain the top heavy weight when the wind blows. If I empty the pitchers quickly they usually stand tall again, if you leave them to long they can either snap or bend the pitchers low down so it never quite straightens.

[@mrski3570]

I had the same problem... High winds battered my plants twice this year. I try to give some shelter but this of course reduces light🙄 Pitchers did fill up with rain water also and toppled over, some recovered, some did not...🫤

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. When grown in proper sunlight, rain and wind are often inconsequential. We had a violent rainstorm last week, and all of our Sarracenia are still standing tall. Even after a violent hailstorm in June, the plants still stood up. We showcase our plants in our monthly care videos, too, so growers can see what's going on and how we care for our plants. But, this video is about inadequate lighting from overcrowding. If the new growth doesn't get adequate lighting, as it was with this grower, the plants will never stand up straight. I have to go by what the grower presented to me.

[@davidb5255]

@@SarraceniaNorthwest This was an excellent and well presented video and I'm not questioning your conclusion for this grower. Just commenting that for some of mine which I'm sure got enough light early on, the big wide mouthed autumn pitchers of Juthatip Soper can hold a lot of water which makes them top heavy. A lot of the narrower mouthed pitchers or ones with lids which better cover the opening where not bothered by the rain at all.

[@mrski3570]

@@SarraceniaNorthwest I believe this is the case. I've started sarracenia on an indoor window sill in the past, only to put them outside later and have them flop over. Since then I get them outside as early as possible... Better growth outside in stronger light certainly...

[@mrski3570]

Useful video. Many thanks! Nice bath tub...! I have an old bath tub, maybe I could give it a try...🙃

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Go for it! They're fun to put together. The garden also develops its own ecosystem over the years.

[@lynnadams2545]

Glad to see your last two videos. My plants are darn near perfect according to them. Been growing them now for four years and really enjoy watching them. Thanks.

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

LOL! Glad your plants are growing well and that these videos are helpful. Keep on growing!

[@florinmihai]

Came from the email as fast as I could. I faced the same issue, thank you for the explanation.

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Glad it helped. Make sure your plants get full sun!

[@Tommyr]

Thanks Jacob! Hi to Jeff and the gang!

[@MikeDawson1]

excellent video, these are great!

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Glad you like them! Thanks for watching.

[@newmanmansell760]

I enjoyed watching😃🤲🌟Very helpful information

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@vicstee482]

wow thank you. I have the same issue and mine are also crowded! will address this next spring :-)😁

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Glad the information was helpful! Make sure to also watch our monthly care videos. www.growcarnivorousplants.com/monthly-carnivorous-plant-care/

[@jimmiescott985]

Big thanks on the video

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thank you for watching!

[@61mab]

Always a great job, thank you! (5 mi.inland from Santa Monica, Ca.)

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Our pleasure! Thanks for watching.

[@LanceKirkman]

Thank you!

[@richardhartoch3890]

Nice review. My plants seem to have a preference for honey bees. Is there anything I can do?

[@susanmercurio1060]

It sounds more like the honey bees having a preference for your plants. Maybe the plants smell very sweet to the bees.

[@richardhartoch3890]

@@susanmercurio1060 I know the bees find the plants attractive. So many piled inside. Are you seeing that situation also?

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. Your question goes beyond the scope of this video, but I'll address it These plants can capture bees of all types. That's always a possibility. But, the real question is why this might bother you. If it's about population decline, I would point out that the amount of bees pitcher plants capture is inconsequential to the overall decline bees experienced from improper use of pesticides within the agricultural industry. That's where the focus needs to be. Each pitcher can hold only about a dozen insects at the most, so I don't see Sarracenia being a significant contributing factor in this regard, especially when an entire hive with over fifty thousand bees can easily be wiped out from bees gathering nectar from a flowering tree that was sprayed with a systemic pesticide. And yes, this has happened because it was on our local news several years ago when people found loads of dead bees under a tree. I always have to point this out when people get fixated that their pitcher plant captured a honey bee. xerces.org/wilsonville-bee-kill If the concern is because you view bees as being beneficial and nothing beneficial should ever be captured, I would also point out that carnivorous plants have always been part of the ecological landscape throughout the southern and eastern regions of the United States, just like wolves, black bears, and mountain lions. Pitcher plants are equal opportunity predators. They'll also capture ladybugs alongside wasps and yellow jackets. Furthermore, yellow jackets and wasps also play important roles in keeping other insect populations in check. So, if you're concerned about any beneficial insect being captured, regardless of how you define beneficial, then you may need to grow these plants in a greenhouse. That's the only solution I can come up with.

[@Dan_Slee]

@richardhartoch3890 this used to bother me to, but keep in mind WHEN the bees are being caught as well. I rarely find honeybees inside of pitchers in the spring when there is food a plenty available for that bee and hive to take the time to be tempted by the sarracenia pitchers. At the end of the growing season, when flowers are more rare and its before winter sets in, that is when I tend to find them being caught. And in this instance, its not a bad thing. A hive does not need all of its drones to survive the winter, and in a way they can be a drag on resources if too abundant. A significant % of the drones of a hive tend to die in the fall/early winter each year. So the sarracenia feeding on them then is not a bad thing.

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

​@@Dan_Slee, I understand that, too. Yes, pitcher plants mostly capture drones at the end of the season when they're kicked out of the hive and need food. But the original question submitted was about what can be done to prevent capture, and that's what I was responding to. If you're ok with drones being captured, great. There's nothing you need to do. If it bothers you (or any reader) that any beneficial insect is captured, regardless of how you define beneficial, then grow them in a greenhouse. We both think the same thing regarding the issue of drones. I extended the concept beyond how we define beneficial and what the real threat to bees is since I didn't know the intent behind the original question. Perhaps I'll do a video about this topic since it often comes up in these forums.

[@user-km2bm8dj9t]

I’ve purchased a sarracenia purpurea recently and put it on the windowsill with a small grow light, now it has a flower bud even though it should go into dormancy soon. Do I still put the plant into dormancy or do I skip it this year? Also, should I cut the flower bud?

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thank you for watching! You might be interested in a video we did about growing S. purpurea on a windowsill. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmO6mJKKhbx4hqM

[@MrTheWaterbear]

Likely due to wind?

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. It's a possibility, but not probable given the information he presented to me. I can't rule out that the new growth was getting inadequate lighting when his collection is overcrowded. If it weren't overcrowded, then I might entertain the possibility that wind was a factor, but not with what he presented to me.

[@jret65541]

Mine get too full of rain and flop

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thanks for watching. That is a possibility, but we experience lots of rain at our nursery too. Our Sarracenia still stand up straight, even after violent rainstorms. Lighting is a key factor. If the lighting is inadequate, that only increases the possibility of pitchers falling over. In this grower's case, overcrowding more likely weakened the base of the pitcher, as we have seen this happen in countless other growers' collections over the years. This is just one of many questions of similar nature.

[@williammoore2982]

I believe the reason some of my pitcher plant flop over is because they have become top heavy, full of bugs and rain water!

[@SarraceniaNorthwest]

Thank you for watching! Yes, that can happen, but it's important to discern an older pitcher from early season and one recently opened in late season. Early season pitchers can get full with insects, but it's also natural for them to flop over in late season, with or without bugs. Late season pitchers should still stand up straight when it receives sufficient sunlight.

[@williammoore2982]

@@SarraceniaNorthwest Thank you for your reply. I'm finding out that the leuco's seem the most sturdy and of course the purpureas.