Pennsylvania Pitcher Plants

Care Guides

Care Guides Coming Soon:

-The Corkscrew Plant (Genlisea)

You have permission to copy, paste, and print these care guides for personal reference only.

The Venus Flytrap

You can successfully cultivate Dionaea muscipula with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for flytraps. They prefer wet soil. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets.

Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is very sunny or direct sunlight. Place your plant where it receives full sun all day. Your plant needs the right amount of sun to thrive. Do not exceed 87 F.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Venus flytraps if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can grab. Remember to not close traps without food. This takes energy from the plant. It’s okay to show off with just one closure but don’t overdo it!

· Soil should be a 1:1 mix of horticultural perlite and peat moss. Some live sphagnum moss works well as a top dressing. Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is a must for Venus flytraps. Give them a cold chill (below 52 F) for 3 to 4 months. Do not go under 20 F. The motto is “Chill not kill.” Do not freeze the pots, this damages the roots.

· Plastic pots are best for Venus flytraps. The pot should be 4 or more inches across.

The American Pitcher Plants

You can successfully cultivate Sarracenia with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for pitcher plants. They prefer very wet soil. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets. Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is very sunny or direct sunlight. Place your plant where it receives full sun all day. Your plant needs the right amount of sun to thrive. Temperature should not exceed 85 F.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Pitcher plants if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can contain.

· Soil should be a 1:1 mix of horticultural perlite and peat moss. Some live sphagnum moss works well as a top dressing. Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is a must for pitcher plants. Give them a cold chill (below 52 F) for 3 to 4 months. Do not go under 20 F. The motto is “Chill not kill.” Do not freeze the pots solid, this causes root damage.

· Plastic pots are best for pitcher plants. The pot should be 5 or more inches across.

The Sundews

You can successfully cultivate Drosera with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for sundews. They prefer wet soil. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets.

Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is very sunny or direct sunlight. Place your plant where it receives full sun all day. Your plant needs the right amount of sun to thrive. Do not exceed 86 F.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Sundews if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can grab.

· Soil should be a 1:1 mix of horticultural perlite and peat moss. Some live sphagnum moss works well as a top dressing. Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is a must for some sundews, such as Drosera rotundifolia. Give them a cold chill (below 52 F) for 3 to 4 months. Do not go under 20 F. The motto is “Chill not kill.” Do not freeze the pots, this damages the roots.

· Plastic pots are best for sundews. The pot should be 4 or more inches across.

The California Pitcher Plants

You can successfully cultivate Darlingtonia californica with little difficulty if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for “Cobra Lilies.” They prefer wet soil, but not too wet. If the soil is too wet, the roots rot. Good drainage is useful. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets. Cold water is best, as cobra lilies need cool soil all of the time to live. Ice cubes made of distilled water work very well at keeping the soil cool. Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is partially sunny or indirect sunlight. Place your plant where it receives 40% shade all day. Temperature should not exceed 76 F.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Cobra Lilies if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can contain.

· Soil should be a 1:1 mix of horticultural perlite and sphagnum moss. Some perlite works well as a top dressing to keep the roots cool. Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is a must for cobra lilies. Give them a cold chill (below 52 F) for 3 to 4 months. Do not go under 20 F. The motto is “Chill not kill.” Do not freeze the pots solid, this causes root damage.

· Plastic pots are best for Cobra Lilies. The pot should be 8 or more inches across.

The Butterworts

You can successfully cultivate Pinguicula with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for butterworts. They prefer very wet soil during summer. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets.

Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is partially sunny or semi-direct sunlight. Place your plant where it receives full sun for 5-7 hours a day. Your plant needs the right amount of sun to thrive. Do not exceed 87 F.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Butterworts if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can hold.

· Soil:

Temperate species: 2:1 peat moss and perlite.

Warm-temperate species: 1:1 peat moss and perlite.

Tropical & Mexican species: open equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.

Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is a must for some butterworts. Temperate species require chilly and light frosty winters. Warm-temperate species like chilly winters but protected from frost and severe cold. Tropical species require no dormancy. Mexican species require cool drier winters. (40-50 F)

· Plastic pots are best for Butterworts. The pot should be 4 or more inches across.

The Bladderworts

You can successfully cultivate Utricularia with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for bladderworts. They prefer very wet soil. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets.

Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is sunny or partial sunlight. Place your plant where it receives full sun all day. Your plant needs the right amount of sun to thrive. Temperature should not exceed 85 F.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Bladderworts if given the chance will snatch any microscopic meal their deadly traps can contain.

· Soil

Aquatic Plants: One cup of peat moss well mixed into each gallon of water.

Tropical Plants: 1:1:1 ratio of peat moss, perlite, and sphagnum moss.

Terrestrial Plants: 1:1 ratio of peat moss and perlite.

Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is a must for some bladderworts. Look into the book suggestions on my website for specific references on your plant, or call our business for specific instructions on the dormancy of your plant.

· Plastic pots with drainage holes work best for terrestrial and tropical species. The pot should be 5 or more inches across. Large aquatic plants require containers such as a pre-fabricated pond liner or a small children’s wading pool to suit their size. Small aquatic varieties will do exceedingly well in an 8” fish bowl.

The Tropical Pitcher Plants

You can successfully cultivate Nepenthes with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

Lowland Humidity: 60-98% (always)

Highland Humidity: 40-50% (day) 70-98% (night)

Temperature Range:

Lowland Plants: 60-70 F(night) 80-97 F(day)

Highland Plants: 50-65 F(night) 70-86 F (day)

· Watering is critical for tropical pitcher plants. They prefer wet, well-drained soil. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets. Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is partly sunny or indirect sunlight. Place your plant where it receives 60% shade all day.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Pitcher plants if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can contain.

· Soil should be a well drained 1:1:1 mix of sphagnum moss, fine orchid bark, and horticultural perlite. Some live sphagnum moss works well as a top dressing. Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is not required for tropical plants.

· Plastic hanging baskets are best for tropical pitcher plants. The basket should be 5 inches across for young plants, and 6 to 10 inches across for large mature plants. The pots must have drainage holes to be well drained. Avoid metal containers or containers made with zinc; this poisons tropical pitcher plants. A thin layer of sphagnum moss at the bottom of the pot prevents any loss of soil over time of watering.

The West Australian Pitcher Plants

You can successfully cultivate Cephalotus follicularis with ease if you follow these few simple steps.

· Watering is critical for Cephalotus. They prefer wet well-drained soil, but not too wet. If the soil is too wet it will cause the roots to rot. Use either Acadia Distilled Water found at your local grocery store. Another option is to collect your own rain water with clean plastic buckets.

Never water your plant with tap water!!! That includes any water that comes from your house’s pipes, bottled spring water or mineral water.

· Lighting is partially sunny or indirect sunlight. Place your plant where it receives part sun all day. Your plant needs the right amount of sun to thrive. Do not exceed 90 F. This plant likes warm days and cool nights.

· Feeding your plant shouldn’t be a problem. Cephalotus if given the chance will snatch any meal their deadly traps can hold. It would be okay from time to time to feed the occasional ant to your plant.

· Soil should be a 2:1 mix of horticultural perlite and peat moss. Soil must not contain any minerals or fertilizer of any kind.

· Dormancy is not required. The plant however likes warm summers and cool winters (45-56) F.

· Plastic pots are best for Cephalotus. The pot should be 4 or more inches across.