Monthly Carnivorous Plant Care
This page is updated during the first week of every month.
Please refresh the page to obtain the most recent update.
USDA Zone 8; 45° N Latitude
Outdoor Perennials
SARRACENIA
• Pitchers on most plants will have turned brown by now. However, some late-season plants may have a few nice pitchers,
but they will eventually turn brown by the end of the month as the weather warms up and daylight hours become longer.
FLYTRAPS
• Flytraps are dormant until the weather warms up significantly.
HARDY SUNDEWS
• Hardy sundews will remain in as resting buds (hibernacula). Clip off dead leaves.
GENERAL CARE
• If you're in the southern regions of the United States (USDA zones 8 and 9), your plants will start to show signs of
new growth from warm spring temperatures. You might even see flower buds emerge by the end of the month.
• If you live northern regions of the United States (USDA zones 8 and colder), your plants will remain dormant for at least
another month.
• If your plants are under mulch or in storage, you can uncover them now if you don't have any snow on the ground.
• Clip off all dead or brown leaves from the previous season.
• With Sarracenia purpurea and parrot pitchers
Sarracenia psittacina, clip off only those leaves that are damaged or
have excessive brown spots. Because these plants grow very slowly, they need the extra energy provided by
photosynthesis. Clipping off all of their leaves on these species will severely
hamper their growth during the start of their growing season.
• Repot your plants into fresh media and a larger pot if necessary. Use the a soil mix of
1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite.
• If you want to divide your rhizomes, now is the time to
do so.
• Although full sun is sometimes not possible at this time of
the year, place your plants in a very sunny location. Both the increase
in temperature and daylight hours will trigger your plants to
emerge from dormancy.
• Keep the soil moist at all times.
Tropical Plants
• Many plants enjoy this time of the year and produce more pitchers in response to the gradual increase in light intensity
and warmer temperatures.
• Clip off dead foliage, especially on sundews. Fungal
infections can start very quickly on dead leaves.
• Watch for pests. As spring approaches, thrips, aphids, scales and
spider mites can be a problem for indoor plants. Use a preparation of Neem oil if an infestation gets out of control.
Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
• If necessary, repot all tropical plants into larger pots and
fresh soil.
SUPPLEMENTAL LIGHTING
The lights we use in the tropical greenhouse are LED shop lights by Barrina.
We use a combination of T5 and T8 sizes, 4-feet long, 5000-6500K spectrum.
You can find these lights on Amazon.
Yeah, it's pretty simple. That's all you really need to look for. The quality in LED lights are now consistent enough to provide a general recommendation. The price
has also come down significantly. So, just look for a basic shop light with white lights, 5000-6500K spectrum. No need to spend more money on so-called "grow lights."
They just cost more and don't help plants grow any better than regular shop lights.