Fortunately, Sarracenia are not particularly hard plants to grow. In fact, they are very easy if you can consistenly provide what they need to thrive. Sarracenia grow best when you emulate the conditions they receive in the wild. If you live in southern and eastern Australia, you are lucky in that our climate is a close match to that of the eastern seaboard of the United States where most Sarracenia occur. Regional differences between Australia and the US are really only lower humidity in summer (especially in inland areas) and, depending on your site exposure, seasonal winds. There are ways to deal with these issues, and they need to be considered on a site-by-site basis.
In terms of general cultivation techniques, soil, water and light exposure are the key things to consider. While Sarracenia in general need similar conditions, each species has subtle but important variations on the general theme that can give you an edge in growing them if they are considered. More generally, there is also a strong linkage between some cultivation concepts, such as watering, pot size and type and the tye of soil you use. This means that a decision made early on regarding one of these parameters can and will affect how you need to treat your plants later on and can impact your plant's growth for years.
These suggestions for cultivation are basically variations on what exists in the literature for growing Sarracenia. Some of these are not necessary to grow Sarracenia, but they do help you get the most from your plants. For those starting out in the hobby of growing carnivorous plants, make sure you see the general guidelines for growing Sarraecnia. This may be all the information you need (or want) to know.
Here are links to specific aspects of growing Sarracenia. As mentioned, many of these suggestions are not necessary for cultivating these plants - but that little bit of extra consideration does make a difference in growing them for pleasure.
- Understanding growth patterns and picking the best Sarracenia for your conditions
- About dormancy - what it is, and why it is important
- Winter maintenance - rhizome maintenance and pruning
- Root and rhizome care (including container choice)
- Depotting, division, rhizome maintenance, repotting and emergency repotting
- Water, including watering trays
- Light
- Humidity
- Fertiliser use
- Dealing with mosquitoes (coming soon!)
