Question
Hi Jeff and Jacob

I have two outdoor bogs. Along with the CP in my bogs, I have a nice crop of sphagnum moss growing. So much so that in places it is as much as four inches deep. Some of this moss is surrounding the base of some of my sarracenia, meaning that a new pitcher has to grow as much as four inches before it actually reaches sunlight.

Should I clear the moss around the base of the sarracenia so they get more sun earlier in their growth ?

As always ... thanks for all your help

Nicole
90 miles north of NYC

Answer
Hi Nicole,

This is pretty common, especially in more humid climates.  You can easily pull some away or just push it down some to give more light to developing plants.  You can also just trim it with scissors.  Whether you need to or not depends on the plant, and how you have it planted.  Larger plants won't have any trouble with it.  Some like S. purpurea are very used to growing in sphagnum as are sundews like D. rotundifolia.  If it seems to be impeding growth, then trim it some.    Overall, having live sphagnum around your plants is a good thing.  I've found repeatedly that plants with live sphagnum around them tend to grow bigger, and have more color.  I have a Sarracenia rubra jonesii growing in sphagnum that is almost twice as tall as its neighbors in regular mix.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com