Question
pinched pitcher
Hi Jeff and Jacob
Some of my pitchers are finally opening and they have a pinched appearance. Earlier in the season I noticed that I was getting some aphid damage and treated the plants with the Ortho systemic you have recommended in the past.
These pinched pitchers do not show the deformities that I have come to associate with aphid damage. The pitchers are straight as they grow with no obvious dimpling that is common with aphid infestation. This deformity appears in my plants that are potted as well as my plants that are in my in ground bogs.
So the question is why are the pitchers opening with a pinched throats. Is it possible that I over treated with the ortho? We also had a couple of very chilly nights during April and early may -- but the plants were in the cold frames, could this be damage do to temperature changes. Or is this just another form of aphid damage?
Also what is the earliest you would recommend treating plants with a systemic as they are coming out of dormancy. I seem to have an annual aphid problem, and would like to nip them in the bud as it were next year. But I also don't want to damage my plants or use the insecticide if it is not being effective.
Thanks for all your help
Nicole
90 miles north of NYC
AnswerHi Nicole,
Is that a Sarracenia flava or oreophila? I can't tell. In any case, this is weather-related deformity rather than aphid-related. If you look at the developing pitchers very closely, you'll see that when the pitcher is about to pop open, the slit is just barely fused together. Sometimes, however, parts of the leaf will remain fused, hence the pinched appearance.
This usually happens in early spring when the weather is very unstable. I usually see this when we're having "maple syrup" weather (warm days and frosty nights). So it's normal for the first few pitchers in spring to be slightly deformed. Wait until you have more pitchers before you cut off the deformed ones.
If you want to spray your Sarracenia to prevent aphid damage, when you you start seeing new growth. I did this to a bunch of our smaller Sarracenia (3-inch pots) when new growth first emerged, and so far I haven't seen any aphid damage. The only aphid damage I've seen were on our larger specimens, but I chose not to spray them since I prefer to cultivate frogs and dragon flies in our pools. The 3-inch pots are in trays, so the risk of injuring the good critters is minimal. With your bog garden, I imagine the risk is also low. Just be careful not to spray when flower buds emerge. I don't know if the systemic shows up in the pollen, which in turn can affect bee populations, but it's best to be safe.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
