Sarracenia Juthatip Soper
Wednesday, July 01, 2009I bought this Sarracenia Juthatip Soper, a showy genus of carnivorous/insectivorous plant, from Cameron Highlands last week. I was drawn to it as the pitchers grow together like a bouquet of flowers. At the time of purchase, I did not realise that this is actually a difficult plant to care for.
Thank God that I am blogging now. When I told Prospero about this plant (who has been growing carnivorous plants), she immediately warned me that it is important to always keep the roots cool.
Prospero further advised me to get spaghnum peat moss, keeping it moist/wet always, and to use a much larger pot to keep the roots cool.
But I used coconut husk fibres instead as I do not have spaghnum peat moss. I soaked the fibres for a few hours and rinsed them thoroughly to get rid of the sodium (thanks for this tip too, Prospero!). I have now made a 'nest' for the plant to rest on.
Then I covered the top with a thin layer of soil to make it look nicer ;-)
Below is the current state of the plant (after one week). I have placed this plant under shade with some indirect sunlight in the late afternoon and it is watered every morning.
After all the effort, I really hope that this plant would do well ;-)
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22 comments
Beautiful plant! I haven't purchased this type of pitcher plant (Sarracenia), but have two Asian pitcher plants and a number of sundews. I'm hooked! However, seeing your new plant makes me want to consider another buy.
ReplyDeletei love these types of plant. i don't have this one, but i do have a nepenthes sp. growing in a hinging pot in my kitchen, it's about 800mm long now and catches loads of flys for me :D
ReplyDeleteHi Steph. Your Sarracenia looks healthy. I just love these plants.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to make a slight correction in your post. The name Prospero comes from William Shakespeare's The Tempest. In the play, the character is a sorcerer and the rightful Duke of Milan. I chose it since the story line of The Tempest revolves around a shipwreck in the waters of Bermuda.
When I first started my blog, I never thought anyone would follow. In an act of defiance, I purposely did not fill out the gender or location field in my Google profile. I created a gender-less, country-less blog.
I liked the idea of the anonymity of an internet persona, and as such, Prospero was born. I had not given much thought to - unintended consequences.
It seems that at least 90% of garden bloggers are female, so if one had to hazard a guess - that would seem reasonable enough. Oddly enough, I think about 90% of carnivorous plant growers are male. It's a strange world!
So, having straightened out that Prospero is a he, I'll go on to wish you the best luck with your plant. And feel free to ask me any questions you like. I'll try my best to answer.
I don't want to make a big deal about this (since I value my privacy), but I consider you a friend and just wanted to clear up that little detail.
Steph,
ReplyDeleteYou have a very interesting respond from Prospero. Now we know that is Prospero is a "he" :-)
Is your Sarracenia Juthatip Soper same as the insect catching plant?
Thanks Prospero for the details and correction my friend! Today I checked the plant, it looks like it has grown a little ;-) How wonderful!
ReplyDeleteVueJardin, yeah... today I learnt that I should not generalise ;-( And, yes insects will be trapped inside those pitchers.
Barry, nepenthes sp. is so insteresting. I would get one when the price is right ;-)
Alexandria, welcome! When I see a nice plant I would do the same too. Wanting to get one myself he he...
That is a really cool plant... I hope it continues to make you happy. THank you for sharing and HAPPY BLOOM TUESDAY!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is a fantastic looking plant! Hope it does well for you! Happy Wednesday!!
ReplyDeleteStephanie... beautiful plant... almost like sea horses dancing mid air.. green, the young ones and red the older ones, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteHaving taken all precaution, the plant will surely grow well and good luck to you Stephanie.
~ bangchik
I am back again.....It wouldn't let me reply to the guestbook comment. email me at:
ReplyDeleteaprilmcmichael at att dot net or just leave a comment on my post about you be #100 and I can reply to that :) YAY!!!!
I've never grown pitcher plants and I'm bowled over by these pics! Your plant is looking like it's happy to have found you:) And loved that you showed all the stages and the details. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie, Your new carnivorous plant is beautiful and fascinating. I am surprised by the different colors of pitchers on the plant.
ReplyDeletevery strange plant... but interesting to see! it almost looks flesh-eating...!
ReplyDeleteAre you a gardner by profession?
here's one of my most recent posts:
http://ahealthierwayofliving.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-we-really-dont-want-to-look-at.html
I've never seen this plant before, but I agree it has a very interesting growth habit and I like the different colors and the varigation on the pitchers... Which insects does it eat?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your pitcher plant is growing well!! If it grows much bigger, it'll be pretty scary looking. hehe :)
ReplyDeleteSarah, nope, I am not a gardener by profession. I have been gardening for a few years only ;-)
ReplyDeleteAvis, I saw tiny black insects trapped inside the pitcher but later they disappeared/were eaten up. I hope mosquitoes in my garden will get trapped and disappeared inside the pitcher also.
Deborah, if condition permits, the plant can grow more than 1 foot tall ;-)
Diane C, Bren, Beegirl, Bangchik, Kanak, I find that the veins also make the plant look more fascinating!
hI! I HAVE JUST TRANSLATED THE RECIPE FOR YOU, IT'S ON MY BLOG.
ReplyDeleteCiao Stephanie...
ReplyDelete...belle... colorate e profumate le tue pagine..., ...ciao ...Loris...
I have never seen such a plant before !! This is so beautiful,lovely and colorful !! Great...Do check my another blog also i.e.Unseen Rajasthan
ReplyDeleteHi Steph, What a unique pitcher plant. It's the first time I see one.
ReplyDeleteHi, I just seen this plant selling my pasar malam area yesterday. How is this plant doing so far now (I guess its a month now?)
ReplyDeleteHi there Stephanie! Thanks for your email.
ReplyDeleteYou have a healthy Sarracenia there. I realised this post have been here for almost a month now. How is your plant doing? Hope it has grown much larger with more traps for you.
I can't help but realised the greenish colour of the newer pitchers. This is because it is not getting enough sunlight. Most carnivorous plants with the exception of a few species need direct sunlight. For Sarracenia, they need direct sunlight for as long as you can provide them.
Also, you need to soak the pot in about 1-2 inches of water constantly or the plant will go into dormancy. American Pitcher Plants grows in the USA, and as such they need winter dormancy. The plant will give you vigorous growth for 1-2 years, but after that it will show signs of being worn out if it does not get the yearly rest it needs during dormancy. The leaves will die back.
For us growing them in Malaysia, we will not be able to provide winter for them, but many of my CP buddies have been successful in giving the plant "dry dormancy".
Hey Stephanie, you followed me so I came to see if you have any of those weird plants of mine xD what kind of media do you use?? Carnivorus plants doesn't like any fertelizers so don't give them any though you can put some in the pitcher. And if you do, I'm not very sure other CP growers say they'll die. Like david said they like full, direct sun and they'll colour up nicely :D Really, really red!
ReplyDeleteSee mine: www.flytrap-marvin.blogspot.com