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Secrets of Sarracenia division?

elgecko

I've got a magic window!
Every few years I divide my Sarracenia. Most my Sarracenia I divide, I lose no divisions. I have one Sarracenia that every time I divide the plant I lose 3/4 of the divisions. This plant is Sarracenia 'Dana's Delight'.
I do nothing different with this one compared to the other Sarracenia, so I'm not sure why it reacts this way.
Do you other people on the forums have this issue with this particular Sarracenia, or is there a secret to getting divisions from this plant?
 
Clumping sarracenia are usually harder to divide in my experience. I have the same problem with my S. Minor clump. S x Cobra Nest was the same way to the point where I actually had to root some of the divisions even after dividing them properly. S. Rubra ssp. Jonesii is a troublemaker too in my experience but I didn't lose any.

Are you breaking the divisions or cutting them? With all the species I mentioned above, I actually cut them and put vaseline over the cut so they wouldn't get any fungal infections or lose a lot of water. It's a tip I got from the cannabis boards (I don't grow, but some of the best horticultural minds exist there). I then dipped the entire rhizome in rootone solution and just tossed them into pots to give out to people.

I haven't tried dividing my D. Delight so I can't really help with that specific plant.
 
For me it is no different than other sarras. My only unusual experience with Dana's Delight is that for two years after I moved it to my bog garden it was a very slow grower. It took off afterwards. I should also state that whenever I divide, I generally give things away but other people have not reported having them die.

Chris: Rubras in general don't seem to have the vigor that others have. I have actually lost entire clumps of sarracenia jonesii where the plants just go into decay and I have to scramble to save the good parts of the rhizome, but they generally make a comeback with a vengeance.
 
I usually cut them with a new razor blade and treat the exposed areas with Rootone, which also has a fungicide -- since I keep most of the Sarracenia very wet to submerged.

Works for me . . .
 
I have not had that problem with 'Dana's Delight'. I just break them apart and pot them. No fungicide or anything. I might use deeper pots. raises the rhizome higher out of the water zone and keeps it a bit drier (i.e. 6" azalea pot vs 6" standard pot"). My climate might make a difference also. 'Dana's Delight' so far has been very quickly growing hybrid for me. But it may have results from being in tissue culture and having retained the explosive reproduction
 
The problem with Rubra's is they don't like to be moved. Once their in the pot, I leave them alone until the pot is absolutely crowded, then I divide and repot. That also usually sets them back a year.
 
I've never had any issues with divisions. Not even with rubras. I unpot every year and they've always came back without a hitch. Dividing pre-mature divisions does potentially put them at risk which is why I've found it easier to divide mature, rooted divisions rather than small non rooted ones.
 
I've noticed something this weekend. I think I used to give up too early on the Sarracenia 'Dana's Delight' divisions. They act different then most the other Sarrs I divide.
What has happened in the past and with these current divisions, any old pitchers that where on the plant after division turn brown and die. The entire rhizome would also turn brown. I may wait a little while after this and eventually toss the divisions thinking they died.
What I noticed this weekend, while thinking I'm about too toss these divisions, is new growth splits out of the brown dead looking rhizome.

Sarrs-001.jpg


Most other divisions of Sarrs I made, the old pitchers and the rhizome would still stay green.

Sarrs-003.jpg


So now instead of me thinking I've lost 3/4 of my divisions, I'm positive I have 3/4 of my divisions alive. Time will tell on the other divisions that are still playing possum.
 
Hmm...perhaps that's what's happening with the umlauftiana, ladies in waiting and red dixie divisions I got this winter...
 
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