Question
Hi,

So NYC is undergoing a heatwave over the past couple days(90's-100's) and I noticed that one of the pitchers on my Readii fell over halfway up the pitcher.  Last night I noticed that it had straightened itself back up, but now during the heat of the daytime it has fallen over again. The other two pitchers on the readii seem to be fine. Is this normal?  Should I be concerned about something attacking the Rhizome? Thanks!

Answer
Hi Andrew,

Yes, I've heard about your heatwave.  I also heard that the crowd at the baseball game jeered at the sun!

What you're noticing is a natural reaction when plants encounter very warm weather in spring.  When the weather gets hot, plants lose moisture through their tender underdeveloped pitchers; hence the wilting.  (The plant loses more  moisture through its leaves than it can absorb through its roots.)  As the plant develops mature pitchers in later season, it is able to tolerate the summer heat better.

We see this too when we have unusually warm springs.  You could also spray or mist your plants during the day to help them maintain moisture in their leaves.  Otherwise, shelter the plant from direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day.  You could also bring your plant indoors in a sunny south window until it produces a few open pitchers.  As always, make sure your plant is also sitting in a dish of water.

Ironically, while you're having an unseasonably warm spring, we're having an unseasonably cold spring in Oregon!  Our Sarracenia are slow coming out of dormancy, and with all of the rain and cool temperatures we've been having, we're doubtful that insects will be pollinating our flowers.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin