Sarracenias are carnivorous plants better known as Pitcher plants, North American Pitcher plants, or Trumpet Pitchers.
These fascinating plants are easily recognizable for their pitcher-shaped tubular leaves that lure and trap insects inside.
If you want to grow a pitcher plant indoors as a houseplant, keep it on a sunny windowsill, make sure to keep the potting mix moist, and offer it a cool resting period in winter. Continue reading for all the care tips!
Indoor Sarracenia Pitcher Plant Care
Carnivorous Sarracenia plants are native to swamp wetlands and moist open grasslands in North America where summer temperatures are high, and where it gets cold in winter.
They like living outdoors in temperate climates, where they get a lot of sun and the winter dormancy that they need, as well as catching lots of flies.
If you do not have outside space, there are some Sarracenia species that can be grown indoors. More on these later in this article.
Common Types of Sarracenia Pitcher Plants
There are many different species and hybrids of Sarracenia plants. These are three types of pitcher plants commonly grown and cared for indoors.
Pitchers grow varying in height from 6 to 35 inches tall, depending on species and the age of the plant.
All have similar care requirements.
Sarracenia purpurea
The purple pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea is also called Huntsman’s horn or Frog’s britches. This is often the type of pitcher plant recommended for indoor growing since they grow compact and can handle lower light conditions.
Their native habitat is widespread as far north as British Columbia in Canada, along the eastern portions of North America, and in southern sections of Florida and west to Mississippi.
Sarracenia flava
The yellow pitcher plant Sarracenia flava, also known as the yellow trumpet plant, has chartreuse flowers and very tall yellow-green pitchers, often marked with red venation. It is native to the southeastern United States.
Sarracenia leucophylla
The Sarracenia leucophylla is also known as the white top trumpet pitcher, or crimson pitcher plant. This is one of the showiest of Sarracenia plants. The lower part of the pitcher is green, and upper part of the trumpet is white with distinct red veins. Flowers are brownish-red.
Native to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. Prefers sunny and moist conditions, but tolerates semi-dryer situations.
How Do Pitcher Plants Catch Insects
Pitcher plants have evolved over thousands of years to adapt to growing in nutrient-poor, waterlogged swamp, and bog soil with little nourishment. They found a way to trap and digest insects to supply their diet.
Instead of traps that snap shut, like the Venus flytrap plant, picture plants have a more passive approach to catching insects like flies, bees, mosquitoes, and wasps. And also crawling creatures like spiders and ants.
The insects are attracted to the plant’s flower-like appearance and the pitchers’ sweet-scented nectar.
Once inside the pitcher, insects fall in deeper and are trapped because the inside is extremely slippery and has downward-facing hairs that prevent the insect from climbing out.
Over time, the insect is digested by the plant enzymes in the bottom of the tube.
The nectar scent of a pitcher plant can attract bugs and insects up to five feet away. Group more pitcher plants together, and their attraction increases.
How Much Sun Light Does a Pitcher Plant Need
In their natural habitat, pitcher plants are used to lots of sun. Keep your indoor pitchers on a sunny windowsill with ample light.
The more light you can give this plant, the better. It likes several hours of sun, but watch out for harsh midday sun. It can scorch the leaves.
In summer you can set your trumpet plant outside for a few hours a day to enjoy the sun and let it catch some flies and other insects.
If you can not give your plant enough natural light, consider getting a grow light.
How to Water a Pitcher Plant
Being used to growing in swamps and bogs, their roots like to be moist, but not waterlogged.
Indoors, place your pitcher pot in a shallow saucer filled with water. Let the plant soak up water from the bottom through the drainage holes.
Don’t pour water into the pitchers and never let the potting mix dry out.
Pitcher plants are very sensitive to the salts and minerals found in tap water. Use distilled water or even better, fresh rainwater.
If this is not practical, leave tap water out for one or two days before watering.
Should you Feed an Indoor Pitcher Plant
It’s relatively rare for indoor pitcher plants to catch enough flies and other insects to sustain themselves.
They can survive without insects, but growth can be very slow. A few insects per month will sustain optimal growth for a mature pitcher plant.
So what should you feed your carnivorous plants at home? You can employ mealworms, bloodworms, crickets, flies, or other small insects.
If insects are hard to come by, you can buy freeze-dried insects or fish food flakes online or at pet stores. Dried products such as these must be rehydrated first. You can also get plant food for carnivorous plants in gel form.
Once a pitcher has had its share of insects, it starts to brown and slowly wilt away. New pitchers will grow to take its place. You can cut off browning pitchers at the base.
Overfeeding is a common mistake and can shorten their life. These plants are adapted to a low-nutrient lifestyle. They don’t need that much food one or two insects a week are plenty.
Never feed your carnivorous pitcher plant human food like bits of hamburger meat or cheese. They are too fatty and will spoil and rot the pitchers before its digested.
Are the Pitchers Falling Over?
There are a few possible reasons why pitchers might droop and fall over.
- The growing season is ending and the plant is preparing for dormancy.
- After trapping so many bugs the pitchers are spent and naturally fall over.
- Pitchers are wilting and drooping because of a lack of light.
- Water filling the pitchers will make them unstable and bend and fall over.
If it bothers you, you can stake them up with a small trellis, or cut them off. New pitchers will grow in its place.
Winter Dormancy
Sarracenia pitcher plants go dormant in winter. Indoors, they need a cold period on a bright windowsill in a cool room, garage, or garden shed.
During dormancy, growth will slow down and the pitchers will brown and wilt away. This is normal and nothing to worry about. They will grow back at the start of spring.
In winter the pitcher plant is trying to store energy and will need far less water.
Empty the shallow saucer so the plant is no longer standing in water. Water them normally from above just enough to not let the potting mix dry out completely
Repotting Pitcher Plants
Carnivorous plants don’t need to be repotted often. Every two to three years the potting medium should be replaced with a fresh mix.
Repot as needed, best in spring or early summer. Your plant will have the most energy during the growing season to handle the changes of repotting.
Don’t plant your picture plant in regular houseplant potting soil. Instead, buy a special carnivorous plant mix online or from a local garden center or nursery.
In need of a repot reminder? Read on for all the tips on how to repot your plants.
How to Propagate Pitcher Plants
Pitcher plants are best propagated by division.
Sarracenias grow underground rhizomes, just like Snake plants do. Separate small rhizomes and cut larger ones between the growing points. Replant the parts in new pots.
Want to get all the details and learn more about plant propagation? Read the complete guide explaining the 6 different ways to propagate your plants!
Pitcher Plant Growing Flowers and Pitchers
Mature pitcher plants flower in spring, sending up tall stems of scented flowers.
Depending on the species, the color may be yellow, red, or maroon. Some have interesting marks with contrasting veins.
Pitchers appear after the flowers and can last from a few weeks to a few months.
Some types of pitcher plants send up new pitchers throughout the summer months while others have two main growth moments, in spring and autumn.
If your pitcher plant is not producing pitchers, it is often an indication that the plant isn’t receiving adequate light and or not enough humidity.
Is the Pitcher Plant Toxic?
Sarracenia Pitcher plants are considered non-toxic. So it is safe to grow them at home around your cats or dogs.
Learn more about the risks of toxic houseplants around your pets (and find out which plants are non-toxic and pet safe!).
Sarracenia Vulnerable to Extinction
Carnivorous pitcher plants in the wild are decreasing rapidly.
They are being endangered due to overcollection and poaching for the rare plant trade, habitat destruction due to agriculture and human development, and drought caused by climate change.
This has led to some pitcher plant hybrids like the Sarracenia leucophylla becoming classified as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature).
If you are purchasing a pitcher plant, make sure that your source is reputable.
Where to Buy Sarracenia Pitcher Plants
Mass-production of pitcher plants is now possible because of the development of tissue culture and, as a result, carnivorous plants can now be reproduced without having to remove them from the wild.
Visit your local plant nursery or garden center to buy yourself a pitcher plant.
If you can’t find any locally, there are a number of plant growers that have Sarracenia pitcher plants for sale on Amazon.