Question
I have a large sarracenia scarlet belle..it is about 6 years old,and has flowered 3 or 4 times prior to this year.It has gotten quite large.i want to divide it,but am a bit reluctant to do so.it has 6 flower buds showing,and is quite dense.in you secrets,you say to breah the tuber apart.with this plant,will this be possible?or can it be cut with a sharp knife,and then sprayed with an anti-fungal spray?this is the first cp i ever purchased.thanks.....steve in nc.

Answer
Hi Steve,

The division is a simple process, and has an almost 100% success rate.  We do hundreds every spring, and this is the time to do it.  Simply look for the natural crowns where leaves are growing from.  Gently break them apart, or cut with a sharp knife.  Be sure the rhizome piece has roots on it before detaching.  If not, leave it as part of a bigger piece.  If you want lots of plants, you can divide up into individual crowns.  If you want to keep them larger, just divide into two or three clumps.  Spray the broken/cut rhizome areas with a fungicide spray, or dust with sulfur.  Repot in standard peat/perlite cp mix.  Once divided, cut off any developing flower stalks.  Until next year, you want the plants to put their energy into new leaves to help them recover.

Good Growing!

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