Question
North American Pitcher
Hello I have a two Venus Fly Traps growing in the same pot and a couple of Pitcher Plants that I ordered from you back in May but one day yesterday I went outside and checked on them and noticed that the tips on the new growth were turning brown and but on the Venus Fly Traps the old growth was turning brown and new growth is slowly growing The Pitcher Plants I have are Sarracenia Flava, Oreophila, Scarlet Bele hybrid, a Sweet Excellens Hybid but I have a Sarracena rubra Jonesii and Excelens giant that have no problem at all. I grow them all in full sun and live in Zone 5 in Colorado Springs, CO is there any thing I am doing wrong or is it something natural at this time of the year? Thank you for your time.
AnswerWhat you're seeing in your plants is a normal process as the weather cools down and the plants head into dormancy. It's just like how trees and bushes outside in your region behave. Their leaves turn brown and they fall off. This is completely normal and unavoidable.
Some Sarracenia will retain their leaves throughout winter, such as your Excellens hybrid, while others will drop them, such as your flava.
This is the time of the year that you will need to prep your plants for winter dormancy. The instructions on how to do that is too extensive to cover in this format, so you'll need to read other materials. Much of what you do will depend on the severity of your winters. I suggest watching Volume 1 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series. We demonstrate how to prepare plants for winter dormancy.
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
