Description and types of plants, conditions for keeping sarracenia, recommendations for transplanting, watering and feeding a green predator, reproduction and growing problems. Sarracenia belongs to the family of the same name Sarraceniaeae, which includes carnivorous plants of the order Ericales. It also includes three more modern genera. "Green Predator" got its name in honor of the naturalist from Canada Michel Sarrazen, who lived in the XVII-XVIII century. To date, about 10 varieties of sarracenia are already known. The birthplace of this plant is considered to be its southern regions in North America, and southeastern areas in South America. Even in pre-revolutionary times in Russia, this amazing plant was grown indoors, but with the advent of the new government, many private meetings of flower growers were simply destroyed. However, some of the species can be seen in botanical gardens. Thanks to the efforts of the breeders, a number of sarraceae have been bred, which are successfully cultivated in room conditions, and if the care requirements have been met properly, the "green predator" will delight with flowering.
Basically, all plants of this genus grow in swampy areas and are distinguished by a developed rhizome. This explains why Sarracenia has become carnivorous - the soil on which it grows is very poor in nutrients. They are perennials with a herbal form. The lower leaves are represented by scales. Above these leaves, a rosette is stretched, which consists of twisted leaf plates on short petioles, which have the function of catching insects. The appearance of these leaves may resemble a jug or urn with a fold-over lid at the top. This kind of "visor" does not allow water to get inside. The segments of the vessels are distinguished by a scaled perforation. Some types of caracenia with the size of their jug leaves reach a meter in height, but generally their measurements range from 10 to 45 cm.
The growth rate of this flower is low, but the young plant reaches its vegetative value in one season. Usually, sarracenia lives in houses for 2–5 years, if the care has been well sustained. Sarracenia flowers of both sexes and the arrangement of unambiguous parts of the bud are spiral and cyclic (they are spirocyclic). The stamens themselves are free, the fruit ripens in the form of a box with a large number of seeds. The color of sarracenia flowers is very diverse and depends on the type of plant; red, yellow and purple shades may be present. The scent of some species is very similar to the scent of violet flowers.
The mechanism of catching insects in sarracenia
It is clear that the victim falls into rolled sheet plates ("jugs"), in which the fold-lid resembles a "visor". Sweet nectar begins to stand out in the upper part of the jug, and it is it that attracts insects to the “net” of sarracenia. The folded leaf plate of the plant is completely covered with slippery hairs inside, the growth direction of which leads downward. Once inside the "jug", the victim simply slides to the base, even the spiders, which nature has endowed with the ability to get out on any surface, cannot escape from there. But it is not only the scent of nectar that attracts insects, but the sarracenia also uses the color of its "jugs" for bait. Their neck is very attractive and temptingly colored. Sometimes even small frogs inadvertently fall into the traps of the "green predator". The visor sheet covers the jug, and the prey that has got there cannot get out.
There is another plant that uses a similar hunting principle - this is Nepentes. The inside of the jug contains not only nectar, in which the victim begins to get stuck, but also the digestive juice that is dissolved by the insect. The digestion process takes up to 8 hours for the plant, leaving only the shell of chitin.
The predatory plant gets its nutrients from the formed liquid. However, some insects have acquired immunity from the digestive enzymes of sarracenia, and can infect entire plant colonies. They damage the tissues of the jug leaves and destroy the caught insects, after which the plants will no longer be able to catch their "food". An example of such insects is the night moth and its larvae, the sphex wasp, which makes nests for itself inside the traps. Sometimes some birds use "pitchers" of sarracenia as a kind of feeders. The birds simply peck out insects that have not yet been digested from the middle of the folded leaves, injuring the plant.
Sarracenia is a specific flower, but not difficult to grow. Unfortunately, many species are threatened with extinction as wetlands are increasingly being drained. If the climate permits, then the plant can be grown outdoors on marshy soils, but in our strip it is still preferable to keep it in rooms.
Requirements for the cultivation of sarracenia indoors
- Lighting for the plant. Sarracenia loves good lighting. Stay in the sun should be 8 to 10 hours a day. With the arrival of autumn-winter time, it will be necessary to arrange supplementary lighting with phytolamps in order to increase the duration of daylight hours to the required limits. Therefore, the pot with the plant must be placed on the windowsills of the south and west windows. Even staying in direct sunlight for some time will not harm her growth and appearance. Having brought the "green predator" into the house, you must immediately choose a permanent place of growth for it, since the sarracenia responds poorly to frequent movements. It is important to remember that the plant loves the flow of clean air, but is afraid of drafts.
- Content temperature. Feels more comfortable at moderate room temperatures of 23-25 degrees in the spring-summer months, however, reaching 35 degrees can also be tolerated. With the arrival of cold weather, it is necessary to lower the temperature for sarcenia - it can be kept within 10-15 degrees. The flower can survive a short-term drop to +5, but no more. For this predator, it is necessary to arrange a cold wintering (about 3-4 months), which can be done simply by separating the window sill and the pot with the plant from the whole room. Screen-film is used in the manufacture of cold greenhouses. If this condition (cold rest) is not met, then the sarracenia will not be able to keep its decorative effect for a long time and will wither away. With the arrival of constant warm temperatures in the spring and summer months for the "green predator" you can arrange a "vacation" by exposing the pot to the balcony, terrace or garden. Only at first it is necessary to accustom her to bright sunlight, this is done gradually. But you should not keep the sarcenium constantly in humid conditions (greenhouse) with backlight, since at the very beginning active growth begins, and then the flower quickly grows old and dies - a certain life rhythm fails.
- Air humidity. This condition is not too important for the plant, since with sufficient watering, it will receive all the moisture that is needed for sarracenia through the soil. It is worth withstanding humidity within 50%. Spraying is not performed, since moisture entering the "jug" will negatively affect the plant, if drops of moisture get inside, a brown spot will appear, and then decay of the leaf plates. To increase humidity at high temperatures, you can place a pot of sarrazenia in pallets filled with expanded clay, pebbles or chopped moss. Water is poured there, the main thing is that the bottom of the pot with the plant does not touch its surface. You can set the pot on a saucer.
- Watering sarracenia. In the summer, the substrate in the pot is moistened by the "bottom watering" method, when the pot is placed in a basin filled with water. This is done regularly every three days, and as soon as October comes to mid-spring, this procedure is repeated every 5 days. For such irrigation, soft water is used, completely devoid of impurities and salts, otherwise the plant may die. It is best if the water is rain, melted or distilled. You can navigate for watering on the substrate in a pot. It should always be moist, but water should not stagnate at the roots of the plant.
- Top dressing for sarracenia you can not carry out at all, since in nature she lives on very poor soils, then any additives can kill her. In the conditions of the rooms it is even possible not to feed the "green predator", you just have to put it out in the open air and it will "hunt" itself. In no case should you feed her with meat or something like that - this will ruin the sarracenia.
- Soil selection and plant transplant. It is recommended to transplant in large pots or special containers. The container must have sufficient depth, since the root system is large. Sarracenia should be transplanted in the spring every two years. You can take plastic or glass containers, with special holes to drain excess moisture, even pots for orchids are suitable. It is also recommended to place one pot in another with a lining of chopped sphagnum moss. This will help retain moisture in the soil mixture for a longer time. There must be a drainage layer at the bottom, it can be foam, crushed brick or clay shards, expanded clay or pebbles.
When choosing a substrate, it must be remembered that the soils on which sarracenia grows are very poor in nutrients, and also the soil should be light with good water and air permeability, normal or slightly high acidity (pH 5-6). You can make up the soil mixture yourself from the following ingredients:
- washed and disinfected quartz sand (so that there are no minerals in it), chopped moss and peat soil (in proportions 1: 2: 3);
- perlite, sphagnum moss, high moor peat (in a ratio of 2: 2: 4).
After transplanting, watering the plant is necessary very often - almost every day.
Recommendations for reproduction of sarracenia in indoor conditions
Basically, you can get a new plant by planting seed, it must be soaked in a bowl of water for a day. The water is then drained and the seeds are sown one at a time in small containers with a mixture of chopped sphagnum moss and quartz sand. The substrate is moistened only with distilled water. Then the container is covered with plastic wrap or placed under glass to create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse (with constant temperature and humidity). The containers must be placed in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment for about a month (the seeds are stratified). With regularity 2-3 times a week, it is necessary to take out the pots and moisten the substrate with distilled water if it has dried out. After this time, the containers are taken out of the refrigerator and placed under the lamp so that the height to the pots is at least 17 cm. The plastic bags do not need to be removed. Germination of seeds can take almost a month, during this period the soil should be constantly moistened and the heat indicators should be maintained within the range of 22-28 degrees. As soon as sarracenia sprouts appear above the soil, the film or glass is removed. Daylight hours are maintained for about 16 hours a day. Plants develop very slowly at first. As soon as a year has passed from the time of sowing the seeds, then young sarracenia can be transplanted into pots with a diameter of about 7-9 cm and soil suitable for the further growth of adult specimens.
There is another way of reproduction - this is the division of the bush. It is used for the variety of the plant Sarracenia yellow. When the flower is already large enough, it is possible to divide the rhizome in the spring. But this operation cannot be repeated too often, since the plant begins to become very shallow and may die. It is required to carefully remove the flower from the pot and use a sharp knife to divide the rhizome so that each division has points of growth. It is not worth dividing too small, as you can destroy all the sarcenia.
Reproduction by daughter layers is sometimes used, but this method is laborious and requires sufficient skill.
Possible pests of sarracenia and difficulties in growing
Since the plant is considered a predator that feeds on insects, it can rarely be affected by pests. However, there are those that can harm sarracenia - these are aphids, thrips, spider mites, mealybugs. The latter can affect not only leaves, but also underground tubers. The difficulty in dealing with these harmful insects is expressed in the fact that Sarracenia cannot be sprayed like any other plant that has leaves. It is impossible for special solutions (folk or universal purchased insecticides) to get inside the "jug", on the substrate or plant roots. Therefore, only gentle wiping of the sheet plates is possible.
From the difficulties of cultivation, rotting and rotting (botryx fungus) can be distinguished. This microorganism is the causative agent of gray rot and affects mainly diseased, injured, as well as young and immature parts of the plant. It manifests itself as a gray bloom on the leaf plates of sarracenia. When solving this problem, it is necessary to remove all the spoiled parts of the plant in the fall or with the arrival of spring. In the room where the pot with the "green predator" is located, the air should not stagnate; frequent ventilation is required. The temperature in the room must be lowered; treatment with fungicides is of little benefit. Sometimes the plant cannot be saved.
Too much waterlogging, coupled with low maintenance temperatures, or if the soil does not have sufficient drainage properties, can lead to decay of leaves or roots. Yellowing of leaves occurs if the amount of potassium compounds in the substrate is increased. In this case, the soil is changed and the root system of sarracenia is washed in distilled water.
Sarracenia types
- Sarracenia purpurea (Sarracenia purpurea). The plant species is the most common, it has perfectly tolerated resettlement and grows in the peat bogs of Western Europe. Of the 5 species of this variety, only two are cultivated. The first is purple, differs in reddish leaves, which become even more saturated in the sun's rays, reaches 15 cm in height with a peduncle of 30 cm, flowers are red, but sometimes green shades are mixed, green or yellow leaves are very rarely found. The second purple veined has larger leaf plates in burgundy or green-purple tones, the flowers are also larger and painted in maroon, reddish-purple or pink shades.
- Sarracenia yellow (Sarracenia flava). This species is distinguished by yellow-green leafy "jugs" with reddish veins, outlined by ribs, reaching 60–70 cm in height, flowers of a yellow tint grow on drooping peduncles.
- Sarracenia psittacina. The behavior of this plant is very aggressive, the leaf plate has the shape of a claw with a domed "peak". The "jugs" are painted in maroon or almost black shades. The flowers are red or yellow.
- Sarracenia red (Sarracenia rubra). The species is very rare, the height varies from 20 to 60 cm. At the very top there is a red “lip” that attracts insects to the trap. The color of the leaves goes from red-burgundy to scarlet.
For more on purple sarcification, see this video:
