Which is better...

[PlantAKiss]

Hi all

I have some younger sarras that have LOTS of very small, thin pitchers/phyllodia. I know with some (non-CP) plants, it benefits them more to prune off some of the punier growth, so the plant's energies go into making larger, healthier growth.

SO...my question is...should I prune out some (50%?) of the the little pitchers? Would that result in larger, sturdier growth? OR would that be detrimental because it would reduce the amount of plant surface for photosynthesis. You know...many small vs. few larger.

It kinda bugs me to look at these pots that look more like a bunch of tall grass than pitchers. But I sure don't want to hurt them.

Thanks for any input!

Suzanne

 

[Mike King]

Hi Suzanne,
If they are part of the same growth point, leave them. If they are offsets, you can separate them to make the main plant larger.

 

[herenorthere]

A lot of the benefit of heavy pruning for other plants is that the remaining foliage gets better light and air flow. Given the vertical geometry of Sarracenia, a plant would have to be quite a dense clump before light exposure and air flow are a problem.

 

[PlantAKiss]

Ok...thank you for the information. I will leave them be then.

Suzanne

 

[Wesley]

As the plants grow and muture the pitchers will get bigger.