Question
Carnivorous Plants
Hello there, I'd recently purchased a package of randomly selected plants from one of my Country's carnivorous plant nursery (I live in New Zealand). It is currently winter and this is my first time in growing carnivorous plants. From the looks of it, I've got a big sarracenia purpurea, 1 cobra lily, 1 parrot pitcher, 1 venus fly trap and some sundews with other pitcher plants.
I had placed these plants in a sunny location and will get at least 4-6 direct sunlight a day and had put them in a tray of rainwater. How much water do I need to put into the tray? Will 1cm be enough? Do I just leave the plants there for the winter as it rarely ever gets below freezing here in Auckland.
The cobra lily's 'tongue' are all turning brown or is already brown.. is this normal? and some parts of the purpurea and parrot pitcher plants are also turning brown or are already brown. The venus fly trap has a tiny brown/yellowish black spot just at the side of its leaves. And the sundews don't have any dews on their leaves. Is it a good time to repot all the plants now or should I wait till late winter-early spring?
Thank you for your help!
Francis
AnswerHi Francis,
Since your into winter many of the leaves on the Sarracenia, Darlingtonia and Flytraps should be turning brown. There should be no growth this time of year. They plants should be dormant by now as we approach the equinox. If the sundews are temperate varieties such as Drosera filiformis and Drosera rotundifolia, they should be down to their winter buds (hibernacula). If you have some sub-tropical varieties such as D. binata types or D. capensis, they may have some leaves still. Expect new growth in August.
1-2 cm of water in their trays is just fine. You don't need to keep them super wet during dormancy, just shouldn't let the soil dry out.
Depending on your temperatures, these plants are used to cooler winters than you may have in Auckland. I would keep them in a cool location until late August, then move them to full sun. Just watch for fungus. A preventative spray of a sulfur based fungicide is a good measure.
This is a great time to repot. If any of your Sarracenia are large enough for division, wait until September for that.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
