How to Grow Sarracenia Purpurea From Seeds

The carnivorous Sarracenia purpurea grows in swampy areas from Georgia to Canada. The plant has red pitcher-shaped flowers where it stores the enzymes it needs to digest the insects it traps. The species thrives in full sun in regions that have four well-defined seasons. One subspecies -- Sarracenia purpurea ssp. Venosa -- has adapted to a year-round moderate climate. Growing Sarracenia purpurea from seeds is time-consuming, but not complicated.

Bowl
Distilled water
2- and 3-inch pots
Sand
Sphagnum peat moss
Clear plastic bags
Grow lamps
Spray bottle
Orchid fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Pour distilled water into a bowl. Touch a finger to the opening of your dishwashing detergent bottle. Rinse the detergent residue on your finger in the distilled water in the bowl.
- 2
  Soak the Sarracenia purpurea seeds in the bowl of lightly soapy water for 24 hours.
- 3
  Mix equal parts of sand and sphagnum peat moss and moisten the blend with distilled water. Use the mix to fill 2-inch pots. You need one planter per seed.
- 4
  Place one seed on the soil surface of each pot, then insert the pots in clear plastic bags.
- 5
  Store the bagged planters in the refrigerator for one month. The chilling treatment is known as stratification and necessary for the embryos to start developing. Check the medium in the pots two or three times weekly and spray distilled water whenever it feels dry to the touch.
- 6
  Take the planters out of the refrigerator at the end of a month. Keep them inside the bags and place them 6 inches below a grow lamp to warm the seeds. They require 70 to 80 degree Fahrenheit for germination, which occurs within four weeks. Water the seeds with distilled water when they begin to dry out. Discard the plastic bags as soon as the seedlings appear.
- 7
  Place the planters by a sunny window or continue to grow the Sarracenia purpurea seedlings under a grow lamp that stays on 16 hours daily. To prevent burns, raise the lamp as the plants get taller. Grow the plants indoors in bright light for the first three years.
- 8
  Move 3-year-old plants to full sun outside to start experiencing the changing seasons. Do so after the last frost but not too late into spring. The leaves need to acclimate to the outdoors before they can withstand intense heat.
- 9
  Spray the Sarracenia purpurea’s foliage with an orchid fertilizer. Dilute it in distilled water to one-third the recommended strength. Follow the recommended frequency stated on the product label.

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