How to Plant, Grow, and Care for American Pitcher Plants

The first time I saw an American pitcher plant growing in a North Carolina garden, I ran over to get a closer look. I knew Venus fly traps were native to moist areas in the Carolinas, but a front-yard bog filled with elongated plant pitchers was an impressive sight. Up close, I marveled at the beautiful shades of green, red, and pink and wondered how hard it was to grow these plants at home. 

Did I need to fill a tub with water and soil? Or could I plant them directly in the ground? And would they survive below-freezing temperatures, or would I need to protect them from the winter cold?

Since then, I’ve learned a lot about planting, growing, and caring for these cool carnivorous plants. Keep reading to learn more about these unique plants, including how to add them to your garden.

What Are American Pitcher Plants?

People use the term pitcher to refer to handfuls of plants across multiple genera. And that means it can be difficult to know which plant people are referring to! Therefore, I like to refer to the trumpet-shaped plants native to the US as American pitcher plants. 

These plants consist of eight different carnivorous plants in the Sarracenia genus. The genus name refers to Canadian physician and botanist Michel Sarrazin. Since all of these species can cross-breed with each other, you can also find numerous Sarracenia hybrids.

Take note that Sarracenia isn’t the only genus that contains plants with pitcher-shaped parts. The large Nepenthes genus contains plants with hanging pitchers and large low-growing pitchers, and the Heliamphora genus includes plants called sun pitchers.

Characteristics

The most noteworthy characteristic of Sarracenia pitcher plants is their tall, trumpet-shaped pitfall trap. These modified leaves fill with water and trap insects, which the plants break down to use for nutrients. But the insects don’t just happen upon the plant. No, the pitcher entices them with sweet nectar, alluring scents, and bright colors. In fact, they can target specific prey by releasing various scents.

These perennial plants grow from rhizomes that grow woody over time. Their pitchers grow 4-24 inches tall and are some variation of pink, green, white, and yellow. The exact pitcher appearance varies between species.

These plants also produce attractive flowers that resemble upside-down umbrellas. The flowers emerge on tall stems in the early spring before new pitchers form. Since the flowers are above the pitchers, pollinators accessing the flowers stay out of harm’s way.

Most of the plants are cold-sensitive and only tolerate light frosts. However, they require cold temperatures to enter dormancy. During this time, growth stalls, and their existing pitchers die back.

Native Area

All members of the Sarracenia genus are native to North America. Most plants originate in the Southeast in acidic, boggy areas near the coast, but a few call the Gulf Coast home. Only the purple pitcher (Sarracenia purpurea) is native to colder regions—you can find this plant across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest.

Since some of these plants are native to unique and rare environments, they’ve become threatened by habitat destruction and development. 

Planting

The easiest way to grow them is from seedlings available in plant nurseries and online. However, you can also grow the plants from seed. Regardless of your choice, growing your indoor and outdoor plants in a container to allow for bottom watering is best.

Transplanting

Transplanting is the easiest way to grow pitcher plants, and it allows you to start with an established plant rather than a tiny seedling. If you purchase a plant, complete due diligence to ensure it was grown in captivity rather than harvested from the wild. Wild populations have experienced a significant decline, so don’t support people who poach these plans for profit.

Once you’ve obtained your ethically-grown plant, select a container with drainage holes. The pot should be at least a few inches larger than the plant’s rhizome system. Fill the container with an appropriate soil mix, add your plant, and cover the rhizome with soil.

Set the container into a larger tub or container and add an inch of water to the outer container. As the soil soaks up the water, add more water to maintain an inch of water in the container.

Growing from Seed

You can grow them from seed if you’re up for an interesting task. Growing these plants from seed isn’t difficult, but it does require a healthy dose of patience.

How to Grow

If you place them in the right environment, trumpet pitcher plants are moderately easy to grow. Spend some time setting up a proper space for them to live, and you won’t have to go through extreme measures to care for them.

Light

Full sun will keep these plants happiest, but they can also survive in part sun. Plants receiving at least eight hours of daily light will grow robust pitchers and dazzle onlookers with bright colors. On the other hand, plants grown in part-sun often experience faded colors and a general lack of pizzazz.

If you’re growing your plant outdoors, choose a location with full sun. Keep indoor plants near south-facing windows or in bright sunrooms. Grow lights also work if you’re dealing with a dark home.

Water

One of the interesting aspects of these plants is their sensitivities to minerals. Since they naturally grow in poor soils and obtain nutrients from captured prey, they don’t take many nutrients out of the soil. They don’t require fertilizer and are also sensitive to minerals found in tap water, like calcium and magnesium, and added chlorine.

Avoid tap water or filtered water; opt for rainwater or distilled water instead. This will prevent mineral buildups and keep your plants stress-free.

As for how much to water these plants, remember they’re native to wet areas like bogs and wetlands. Rather than top-watering your plant on a set schedule, keep the plants’ pots sitting in a dish that contains an inch of water. The soil will slowly take up the water and remain appropriately moist. Even if you’re growing the plants outdoors, keeping them in a planter sitting in a water-filled dish is best.

Soil

In most cases, it’s easier to grow these plants in containers than in the ground. Even if you live in a warm area, placing the plants in containers allows you to better supply them with the proper soil type and moisture level.

These plants prefer well-draining, acidic soil that holds lots of moisture. While well-draining and able to hold moisture may sound counterintuitive, they’re not! The right soil mix stays moist but also provides air pockets to allow for gas exchange and prevent problems like root rot from developing.

Since peat moss is acidic and has excellent water-holding capacity, it’s a great base for a soil mix. A good blend contains three parts of sphagnum peat moss, one part perlite, and one part sand.

Temperature and Humidity

Most American pitcher plants can tolerate light frosts but not heavy freezes. While you may want to keep them warm throughout the year, avoid doing so! Cold winter temperatures are necessary for the plants to enter dormancy.

A good guide is to keep these plants between 60-90°F during the summer and 30-50°F in the winter.

Moderate humidity is fine, but high humidity isn’t a problem. Just avoid super dry air to keep the plants happy.

Fertilizing

One great thing about pitcher plants is they don’t require fertilizer. Adding nutrients to the soil can stress these plants, so don’t fertilize them, no matter how hungry they look.

Remember, these carnivorous plants trap unsuspecting insects and break them down to use as nutrients. It all starts when a fly or another critter draws closer to check out the plant’s bright color and alluring fragrance.

When the bugs land on the slippery pitcher surface, they lose their footing and slide down the pitcher along a network of fine hairs. The unlucky victim drowns in liquid, and the plant uses enzymes to digest it.

Maintenance

Over time, trumpet pitcher plants will naturally develop dead leaves. This doesn’t necessarily mean the plant is unhealthy, but rather that it’s experiencing natural change. Removing dead pitchers will allow the plant to send its energy into healthy growth and keep the plant looking fresh.

When winter arrives, many pitchers will die back to the surface. Don’t worry; the plant is still alive and storing energy in its rhizomes. When spring arrives, the plants will send up new pitchers.

Propagation

It’s easy to propagate healthy plants by division. Not only does this allow you to produce more plants, but it also helps prevent crowding and poor plant health.

Division

Even if you aren’t interested in multiplying your number of pitcher plants, you still have to divide potted plants. Healthy plants will continue to expand and eventually become crowded in their original pot.

While you could repot the plant into a larger container, these plants are happiest when they have plenty of room to expand. Therefore, dividing the plants into multiple sections allows them to thrive.

Follow these steps to divide an American pitcher plant:

1. Wait until the late winter or early spring arrives. Watch for the moment when the plants break dormancy and resume growing.
2. Start with a healthy plant with a robust rhizome system.
3. Remove the plant and its root ball from the container.
4. Use your hands to grab the plant’s rhizomes and gently pull. The plant should tease apart into multiple sections. If the rhizomes don’t fully come apart, cut them with a sharp pair of pruning shears.
5. Continue dividing the plant into smaller sections, ensuring each division has at least three growth points.
6. Remove any dead leaves from the divisions. You can also trim the leaves to a few inches long, but this isn’t necessary.
7. Place each division into a container filled with a well-draining potting mix and water well.

Popular Varieties

As I mentioned above, there are eight species of Sarracenia pitcher plants and even more hybrids. Purple pitcher plants and hybrid varieties are the easiest to grow, so they’re great options if you’re new to this type. Once you’ve proven that you can care for these plants, you can move on to more difficult species to care for.

Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)

The purple pitcher plant is the hardiest type and survives outside in zones four through nine. It produces purple and green pitchers that reach up to 18 inches tall. While most plants in the Sarracenia genus contain pitcher hoods that fold over the pitcher, this plant’s hood opens to the sky.

Crimson Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia leucophylla)

This variety is native to moist pine forests in the South. It can grow up to three feet tall and produces green pitches with white and red tops.

Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)

Many yellow pitcher plants sport yellow pitchers, but other variations produce pink or red pitchers. Regardless of the pitcher color, you can expect tall, elegant pitchers with deep red veins and a large, overhanging hood.

Common Problems

Most problems growers face relate to an improper environment rather than pests or diseases. Remember to keep the soil consistently moist, avoid fertilizer, and use only distilled water or rainwater.

Pests

While many pests fall prey to the pitchers, that doesn’t mean these plants are immune to attack. Some critters attack the plant’s leaves and outer pitchers.

Sap-Sucking Pests

One category of pests to watch out for are small, sap-sucking critters, including aphids, spider mites, and mealy bugs. These pests pierce the plant tissue with their mouth and then suck out plant juices. While a few aphids or spider mites won’t cause much damage, these pests can rapidly multiply into damaging numbers.

Use a wet, soapy towel to wipe off small numbers of pests. If the pests are out of control, spray them with neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Exyra Moths

You probably haven’t heard of these moths before, and I don’t blame you. Since they only feed on American pitcher plants, they’re uncommon outside the carnivorous plant world. While the moths aren’t a problem, the red and white caterpillars can quickly eat a pitcher from the inside out.

The moths lay their eggs inside the pitchers, and the caterpillars begin feeding as soon as they emerge. Remove and dispose of the infested pitcher if you see these critters feeding on your plants.

Diseases

Fortunately, American pitcher plants often remain disease-free. The number one disease to watch out for is powdery mildew. This fungus coats the plant in a layer of white powder, making it difficult for the plant to complete photosynthesis.

If you notice powdery mildew on your plant, increase airflow and see if the plant recovers. If it’s still infected, spray it with an organic copper fungicide.

Frequently Asked Questions