Question
I know...they belong outside.  I agree, but due to the climate, I brought the sarrs inside early this year so that I can enjoy a longer growing season.  They all made it just fine, but once they started growing, many took a turn for the worst.

The pitchers would get very soft and wilt before they died.    After hacking away the brown rhizome section, the rest is white and healthy looking.

They are at south or west windows, and some got a boost under the shop lights.  It seems that the ones under the lights, when moved to the window, had the worst reaction.

Is this a light issue?  What should I do to get some growth started on the rhizomes that started to grow, and then lost their pitchers?  

Answer
Hi Brian,

Lighting is certainly an issue, but it's very unusual for a pitcher plant to lose its pitchers, even under less than optimal conditions.  You mentioned that you hacked away the brown portions of the rhizome.  This is an indication that the rhizome had rotted out.  Unfortunately, it seems that the rotting is continuing regardless of having hacked off the rotted sections.

There are a couple reasons for the rotting: fungus and critters.  I suspect it might be fungus since cutworms are more of a common incidence in summer than in early spring.  Fungus is also a problem with many plants that have been outdoors for a while and then brought indoors.  Normally nature would take care of the fungus (via ultraviolet light and rain), but when brought indoors, your plant loses those natural protections.

I highly recommend that you unpot your plants and spray the rhizomes with a sulfur-based fungicide.  Make sure to give them a very generous spraying.  After that, repot your plants in fresh soil.  After repotting, spray the tops of the soil with the fungicide.

If you can, use Safer?brand.  They provide a prepared mixture, and we use it on our plants with good results.

The other issue is lighting.  Make sure your plants are getting the equivalent of full sun under your fluorescent lights.  When bringing Sarracenia out of dormancy by bringing them indoors, you also have to pay attention to lighting.  The warmer the conditions, the brighter the lights need to be.  A combination of warmth and low light is a recipe for illness and disease.

So spray your plants ASAP.  If the infection wasn't severe, you may be able to salvage your plants.  Unfortunately, based on my experience with these sort of things, usually once pitchers start wilting, its an uphill battle.


Jacob Farin