Sarracenias, commonly known as pitcher plants, are carnivorous plants mainly from North America. They bear flowers that grow singly on tall leafless stalks and most have long tubular 'pitchers'. Sarracenia x mitchelliana has green pitchers which shade to dark red towards the throat, and deep red flowers.
Plants should not be fed with any plant food and should be kept moist to wet at all times; they can be sat in a saucer of water in warmer weather to prevent drying out. Potting mix should be peat moss or sphagnum moss and coarse sand.
If possible, refer to the tag that came with your pitcher plant, as sunlight requirements vary depending on the species.
First, if your pitcher plant blooms, you should prune off the blossoms of a pitcher plant when they wilt, just as you deadhead other plants. This type of pitcher plant pruning is easy. You simply use a pair of garden scissors to cut off the stalk of the bloom at its base.
Nontoxic. None of the commonly propagated carnivorous plants is considered seriously toxic to cats. There have been some reports that nepenthes, or Asian pitcher plants, can cause mild digestive upset when ingested by cats, but no long-lasting or serious effects have been reported. Gobble Guts belongs to the Sarracenia family and is commonly called the trumpet pitcher plant. This amazing plant collects insects in their tall pitches and slowly dissolve the nutrients over many months. Their favourite food is European wasps.
