Question
Hello, I have a few questions so thank you ahead of time.

I am planning on putting some wood chips around my yard.  It is also getting close to dormancy time, so I am going to be using wood chips to mulch my plants.  My first question is, I am planning on getting wood chips that are dyed red.  Are these going to be safe for mulching my sarracenias?


Second question.  Am I pretty much just burying my plant in 5 inches of wood chips?

Third question.  My sarracenia Diana's delight is sort of getting dull color wise.  My purpurea on the other hand is still a very dark red.  Is this a problem or does this just have to do with dormancy?

And finally my last question.  My sarracenia purpurea has 2 pitchers that look normal, like the ones you see in pictures.  But then it has 2 pitchers that have a very thin tube for the pitcher, and the hood just looks like a small folded leaf.  Is this anything I should be worried about?  It currently gets almost full sun.

Answer
I don't know about the red dye or its chemical compound.  I have no idea how that would impact the carnivorous plants should it leach into their soil since I'm not familiar with dyed wood chips for horticultural use.  It's always best to be safe than sorry, so use regular, natural wood chips.

Yes, you're essentially burying your plant, pot and all, with the chips.  The color of your plants is not an issue at the moment.  As long as they were growing in full sun throughout the summer, they built up a reserve of starches to help them through the winter months.

There wasn't any photograph associated with your question, so I can't comment on the photo directly.  The pitchers you've described could simply be older pitchers earlier in the season.  The early season pitchers tend to be thinner.

There's a lot more to the concept of winter care, more than I can cover in this format.  (The purpose of this format is more for troubleshooting and solving specific plant problems than for relaying how-to information.)  You can find more details about winter care in our Grow Carnivorous Plants Volume 1 DVD and in our ebook:
http://www.cobraplant.com/ebook
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

Good growing!
Jacob Farin