Do you cut back pitcher plants?

I left out my pitcher plants all winter long. The pitchers are dried and brown but the rest of the plant is still alive. Should I cut them back and if so how much?

Thanks
Betty

Any dried out pitchers can be cut down all the way. Any time of the year you see one.

Tom

Thanks Tom

Hi tortoisekeeper (love your username),

That's a nice spacious pot for your plant. Bet that plant looked really great when it was actively growing.

I notice you are from TN. As a rule of thumb, that plant probably could have been overwintered just fine outside in your zone but it might not have been good for the plant to have it just in that pot on the patio. It's too susceptible to rapid freeze/thaw cycles in an exposed pot in your zone. If you want to overwinter it again outside next fall, it might be best to dig a hole the same dimensions as your pot and recess it into the ground and mulch it heavily. If your plant is going to be overwintered outside, you might want to consider cutting down all pitchers to about 6" or so in fall. Reduces wind drag. If push comes to shove, you can always drag the whole plant (pot and all) into your unheated garage for the winter then drag it out again next spring. Try to keep it damp, not moist. I think you might have a happier plant this way.

If it's not too much trouble, could you please gently clear the area around the crown of your plant and take another photo to share please?

Back to your original question. Based on the photo I am seeing, I'd be careful cutting it back right now. That plant may be carnivorous but it still photosynthesizes like a "normal" plant and I'm not seeing any new growth from the crown. I don't know that it isn't there, but I'm just not seeing it. If you feel the need to give your baby a hair cut, try cutting at the areas I marked for you in your photo-

Thank you Equilibrium for taking the time to help me. Here is a close up of the crown.

and another

This is my other pitcher plant. What would you do for it? They both stayed out in the yard all winter. Next winter I will bring them in.

Thanks again


This message was edited Apr 4, 2007 12:07 PM

oops! forgot the picture

Hi Tortoisekeeper,

I am not expert. I noticed a bud from the close up of the picture. Is it emerge a bud from the crown?

Connie

Yes it has 3 coming out. I don't know if they are blooms or not. I am new to carnivorous plants and got these at a round up last may.

If it looks like a ball it's probably a flower bud. If they look pointy it's new pitchers or phyllodia (kind of like not fully formed pitchers) to get them going for the season.

Tom

Both are viable and are shooting up trap-forming growth tips and one of your plants is shooting up flower scapes which is awesome! Good for you! Great plants to have picked up at a RU!

Phyllodia are produced in late summer not spring. Phyllodia are formed to help some plants survive their dormancy.

We are expecting a frost for the next few nights. Should I cover them so I don't lose the flower scapes?

I'm jealous, Betty! I don't see any flower scapes on any of mine!

Nathalyn do you remeber what kind they are?

Really sorry, I have been having major computer problems. I haven't had e-mail in a while and am threatening to toss my new computer out the window. That being said, I'm back on my old computer right now and I am really sorry I didn't see this question. Your plants can handle a light to medium frost.

Yesterday, the weather channel said we'd be dipping down into the 20's. My girlfriend goes by other weather sources and stated she was seeing temps that were going to dip into the teens. It was real windy but I didn't trust it. I hauled in hundreds of plants after work. Literally, hundreds. Really glad I did too as this morning when I woke up around 5:30, the thermometer was reading 15. Talk about breathing a sigh of relief because those temps are way too cold for this time of year and that would have been beyond a light to medium frost. Our weather is not supposed to go back to normal temps until next Monday with lows in the low 20's to upper teens predicted for the next few nights. I was really irritated hauling all of my plants into the garage in a wheel barrel and then having to unload them all leaving no place for cars but am really glad I had this little voice that questioned the predicted lows because 5 nights of these temps at this time of year would have taken a toll on quite a few plants depending on their provenance.

I am not looking forward to hauling them all back outside again next week sometime! It's hard work. Those pots are heavy gosh darnitall but better safe than sorry.

Hope this puts your mind at ease since I take it your plant sat outside.

Betty, I have two containers - - one that I purchased (Sarracenia x catesbaei - and - Sarracenia 'Daina's Delight'), and one that has two different sarracenia that I got from the swap. I remember that one is Tarnock but can't remember what the other is. Once they form the pitchers and/or blooms this year, we can get an ID from the swapper that gave them to us.

15 degrees!!! What a bummer this late in the season!

Betty, I checked the old swap forum from last spring.

And we got our plants from Ione (amazondoc) and she had us both down for 'Tarnok' and psittacina.

Thanks Nathalyn I covered mine with sheets. I hope I don't lose the blooms.

Wow Equilibrium it makes my back hurt just thinking about you having to carry all those plants in.

15F was a little bit more than a bummer. It cost me a lot of blooms. There's a decent layer of ice on my ponds right now and we've had flurries on and off. I looked at my Hyacinth and they basically keeled over on me.

Did I mention I had to drag in a bunch of aquatic plants too? My back hurts just thinking about three solid hours of hauling plants inside and that was piling them in a wheel barrel and all but dropping them on the concrete to run for more. I knew those temps were going to drop low but hadn't a clue they were going to go that low.

It was in the mid 20's here last night and the smell of death is in the air. I don't know exactly how to discribe it but there is a rotten smell from the plants. Even things that were covered with a double layer of frost cloth are totally bit back.

I can mourn for the set back on my plants, but I really feel for the local farmers who will suffer a big economic loss. The strawberry growers and the orchards will have huge losses.

Equilibrium - - I'm sorry about your set back. :(

I'm ok, I just like to whine. Could be worse, I could have left out all of the pots and they'd be looking like frozen celery right about now.

So far my plants that I covered are doing ok. I hope they make it thru tonight.

Mine are still in the garage. I saw the weather report for the next week and no sense bringing them out right now.

The weather turned into a deep freeze down here in New Mexico too.

Deeply overcast sky, snow on the ground, the fruit tree blossoms, tulips and daffodils all frozen solid. After many weeks of early summer, suddenly it's like late December or early January again. Very weird. Actually, I guess it was the many weeks of early summer that was weird. :-)

Yup, same deal here. Very disappointing.

Here is a picture of the first bloom on them.

Not sure what angle you are supposed to take the picture from.

Do I leave them on untill they are dried or is it better to deadhead?

I am soooo jealous! I have lots of pitchers but no blooms. Hopefully, someone who knows whether to leave them or deadhead will respond.

Leave them and enjoy your blooms if the plant wasn't recently transplanted.

My bloom scapes are just now starting to shoot up for me! No flowers yet though which is a bummer.

Thanks Equilibrium

Well, the other deal at this point is that your flower is already fully bloomed. If you are going to nip them off, it's best to do so when they are just emerging. I'm nipping off quite a few this year compliments of this whacky weather. Many of my plants are incredibly stressed. I do like the flowers though so I have to leave a few for me.

OH NO! I divided all my pitchers when they were just starting to bud! Most have bloomed. Do I need to wack them so the plants will put more energy into pitchers? Also, I only removed the totally dead pitchers. New growth is happening, but, very slowly. Is it better for the plant to remove the tired pitchers or leave them?
Mel

Probably not the best time of year to be dividing them but you aren't the first and you won't be the last to do it. I've done it before and will probably do it again even though I know it's a no no. On your plants, I'd nip all the new flower scapes. This weather is a little much for them. I'm not all that keen on removing tired pitchers though right about now. Any pitcher that has any green to it is still photosynthesizing. For appearances sake, you may want to nip off brown pitchers but I'd leave anything that is green.