North American Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia) Care Guide

North American pitcher plants (Sarracenia) lure insects into tall, colorful tubular leaves that act as pitfall traps. Native to bogs and wet savannas of the eastern United States, they are among the hardiest and most vigorous carnivorous plants, and they thrive outdoors in sunny bog gardens, patios, and containers.

Light

Sarracenia need full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day and ideally more. Strong sun produces upright pitchers and the deep reds and veining many varieties are known for. Plants grown in too little light produce weak, floppy, green pitchers.

Water

Use distilled, reverse osmosis, or rain water only. Keep the soil wet during the growing season by setting the pot in a tray with 1 to 2 inches of water. Sarracenia drink heavily in summer heat, so check the tray often.

Soil

Use a low-nutrient mix of peat moss with perlite or silica sand. Our Bog Soil Mix is ready to use. Tall varieties do best in deeper pots, which give the rhizome room and help the soil stay evenly moist.

Dormancy

Sarracenia need a winter dormancy of about 3 to 4 months. As days shorten in fall, the plants stop producing pitchers and the existing ones begin to brown. Keep the soil damp but not flooded and let the plants experience cold.

Pot size matters in winter. In milder climates, plants in large, deep pots can usually stay outdoors year-round, because the larger volume of soil buffers the rhizome from hard freezes. Small pots, around 2.5 to 4.5 inches, freeze solid much faster and may need winter protection during hard freezes, such as moving them to an unheated garage or shed, grouping them together, or mulching around them. In colder regions, even large pots may need protection.

In late winter or early spring, trim off old brown pitchers before new growth starts. Many plants flower in early spring, often before the first new pitchers appear.

Feeding

Plants grown outdoors catch more than enough insects on their own. Don't fertilize the soil.

Dividing and repotting

Repot or divide every two to three years, in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. Mature rhizomes can be cut into sections, each with its own growth point and roots, to make new plants.

Browse our North American pitcher plants or read the complete carnivorous plant care guide.

FAQ

Can Sarracenia stay outside all winter?

In milder climates, plants in large pots usually can. Small pots of 2.5 to 4.5 inches freeze solid faster and may need protection, like an unheated garage, during hard freezes.

Can Sarracenia grow indoors?

Not well long term. They need more light than a windowsill provides and a true cold winter dormancy. They are best grown outdoors.

Why are my pitchers turning brown in fall?

This is normal. Sarracenia go dormant as days shorten, and the season's pitchers brown and die back. New pitchers grow in spring.

Why are my pitchers floppy or green?

Almost always not enough sun. Move the plant to the sunniest spot you have.

Should I cut off the flowers?

You don't have to. Flowering takes some energy, so some growers remove the flower stalks on young or weak plants, but healthy mature plants handle flowering fine.