Repotting Sarracenia

[Fuggle]

Hi,
I am about to re-pot my Sarracenia, as it has long outgrown its original pot and needs a better soil mix. I have purchased some long-fibre sphagnum moss live, a bag of perlite and a bag of Sarracenia peat.

My question is this; What ratio do I mix the peat and perlite and how do I go about adding the moss? Should I mix the moss with the peat/perlite mix, add it to the bottom and top of the pot or both? And finally, should the moss go in dry or pre-soaked?

 

[adnedarn]

You only need the sphagnum (or something inert like a green scrub pad) on the bottom if the holes are big and you're worried the media will wash out of the holes. What is "Sarracenia compost"? Just a mix of 50/50 peat/perlite is all you need. Have your plant unpotted and somewhat wash the roots of. Toss some peat/perlite mix in the pot and suspend the Sarr in the pot about the height you want it to sit with the roots hanging down in the pot, then start filling with the 50/50 mix to the top of the pot making sure your Sarr is sitting at the height in the media you want. Water well and tap the pot on the ground/table to settle the media a bit. You can pull on the plant to raise it in the media if needed and add more media to make sure the pot is full.

 

[herenorthere]

You don't mention where you are or how you grow that Sarracenia, but this is a time of year when I never re-pot mine because they're heading into dormancy here in the NE US. They're going to spend the winter frozen with their pots buried in the ground and covered with a pile of dry leaves. I don't want to disturb them immediately before that and any repotting will wait until I begin to see signs of growth after I uncover them in the Spring.

This time of year would be appropriate if you're in the southern hemisphere. It might not make much of a difference if you're in a warmer climate than me or if you grow your plant in a more protected environment, but plants seem to handle repotting or dividing better coming out of dormancy than when they're shutting down or are fully dormant.

As for potting mixes, people seem to succeed growing Sarrs in all kinds of different mixes. I've always preferred a more open mix, which in your case could mean more perlite and less peat, but Andrew is a much better guide than me because he has far more experience and I've never even used peat for CPs. I started growing Sarrs in wood chips a couple years ago: the double-ground chips often sold around here for playgrounds. But I had a lot of experience with other mixes before my initial experiment with wood chips. I can only vouch for it apparently being a good idea where and how I grow my plants.

 

[adnedarn]

His profile says Kent England. I focused on a peat mix since that seems to be what he's purchased. Other media absolutely works! FredP grows amazing Sarrs and he's using Pine bark so very similar to what you're talking about coarse wise. If I could get it here, I'd most definitely try it, but I also fear it would dry out quickly here. I don't have your crazy cold temps so I divide and repot whenever I need to without issue.

 

[Fuggle]

You only need the sphagnum (or something inert like a green scrub pad) on the bottom if the holes are big and you're worried the media will wash out of the holes. What is "Sarracenia compost"? Just a mix of 50/50 peat/perlite is all you need. Have your plant unpotted and somewhat wash the roots of. Toss some peat/perlite mix in the pot and suspend the Sarr in the pot about the height you want it to sit with the roots hanging down in the pot, then start filling with the 50/50 mix to the top of the pot making sure your Sarr is sitting at the height in the media you want. Water well and tap the pot on the ground/table to settle the media a bit. You can pull on the plant to raise it in the media if needed and add more media to make sure the pot is full.

Thank you, adnedarn. Sorry yes, I meant peat.

 

[Fuggle]

His profile says Kent England. I focused on a peat mix since that seems to be what he's purchased. Other media absolutely works! FredP grows amazing Sarrs and he's using Pine bark so very similar to what you're talking about coarse wise. If I could get it here, I'd most definitely try it, but I also fear it would dry out quickly here. I don't have your crazy cold temps so I divide and repot whenever I need to without issue.

You are correct, adnedarn, I am from Kent in England. Do I still need to let my plants go into dormancy if I have a grow light?

 

[andynorth1962]

You are correct, adnedarn, I am from Kent in England. Do I still need to let my plants go into dormancy if I have a grow light?

Only if less than 2 years old. Anything after that and it is pretty much a must that they go dormant or your plants will die off very soon.