Sarracenia, also called American Pitcher plants, are among the popular choices of carnivorous plants to keep. In this complete growing and care guide, we will discuss questions on American Pitcher plant (Sarracenia) soil, light, water, food, container requirements, germination and many more. Before or after reading this article, click on our general carnivorous plant care guide to learn more about carnivorous plant care.
What types and species of Sarracenia are there?
There are currently around 8 to 11 species of Sarracenia, and many more subspecies and cultivars. They are all created through crossing and hybridization. One of the most popular types of Sarracenia are Sarracenia purpurea 
(purple), flava (yellow color), rubra (green), alata (pale yellow), leucophylla (crimson), psittacina (parrot plant), oreophila (green), minor (hooded). There are many other cultivars, such as Bris and Tarnok, which are mutated clones of leucophylla.
Sarracenia use pitcher traps to catch the prey. Pitcher leaves produce a nectar and pleasant smell, which attract insects to the trap. Insects that are lured to the plant sit on the plant’s leaves and slip into the pitchers because of slippery waxy surfaces. The nectar also intoxicates the insects, and they get trapped inside the pitchers where the digestion starts shortly after. Pretty scary, isn’t it?
Which soil do Sarracenia need?
As with other carnivorous plants, Sarracenia thrive in acidic soil. You can purchase readily available soil for carnivorous plants or make it yourself. You can use perlite, horticultural sand and sphagnum peat moss to make the soil for Sarracenia.
One type of soil mix is 60% of peat moss and 40% of sand. Another type of suitable soil is 85% peat moss and 15% perlite. If you cannot buy horticultural sand, try getting ‘sharp’ or washed sand. The sand should be lime and mineral free. If buying unwashed sand, make sure to wash it before use.
Which container should I use for Sarracenia plants?
Plastic pots are very good for American pitcher plants. Pick the container that is suitable for the plant’s size. Younger plants will need smaller pots (around 5 inches deep), and adult plants will do well in 7-8-inch pots. Everything will depend on the size of the plant. Mature Sarracenia can get very tall and have long roots, so you will have to accommodate the plant properly. You can also use ceramic pots.
How should I water American pitcher plants? And how wet should the soil be?
Use the water tray method to water your American pitcher plants. Place the pot in the deep saucer with water to around 1 inch of water level. Don’t worry too much about how wet the soil is – keep it damp to wet. General rule is to keep the soil wet in summer when the plant is active. You can also keep the soil very wet for few days in a month, during the summer period. In winter, let the soil be slightly damp and not too wet.
Don’t spray the water from the top, as the plant will drink the water from the soil. The water that you give your American pitcher plants should be free from minerals. This is because these plants live in nutritionally poor soil in the wild and catch food to compensate for lacking nutrition. Avoid any bottled mineral, filtered or tap water, which will cause accumulation of minerals in the soil and cause plant death. Only use reverse osmosis water, distilled or rainwater. Read more information about watering in our general carnivorous plant care guide.
Should I ever change the soil or the pot for Sarracenia?
Yes, make sure to transplant it once in around three years for a fresh soil mix and more space. You should also transplant Sarracenia if they need a bigger pot. This will be when transitioning from a young to mature plant. Do it only in winter, or otherwise it will cause stress to the plant.
What should I feed my Sarracenia?
If you decide to grow it outdoors (if the climate is suitable), then Sarracenia will catch various bugs to feed itself. These bugs can be flies, wasps, ants, moths, ladybugs and crickets. Some indoor plants can also manage to catch some insects. But if you keep your Sarracenia indoors or in a terrarium/greenhouse, you will have to feed it yourself. A good choice can be freeze dried crickets, mealworms or bloodworms. Place them in some water to rehydrate dried insects before feeding your plant.
You can always look inside the pitcher to see if the plant has caught the food and if it is still digesting it. Sarracenia will take around a week to digest the food, so give it some time before feeding it more bugs. Dropping few insects in a pitcher at a time is enough.
How much sun does my Sarracenia need?
Sarracenia enjoy growing in a warm climate. The plant will enjoy full sun in summer and reduced amount of sun in 
winter for dormancy. In winter they require low temperatures, and light frost – they can survive at around 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 Celsius). Comfortable temperatures in summer are around 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 in F. Temperatures higher than 35C (95F) can kill your plant, and you might need to think about moving it to a cooler spot.
Where should I keep my Sarracenia plant? And can I keep it in a terrarium?
Generally, it doesn’t matter where you keep your American pitcher, provided it gets around 16 hours of sun a day in summer and is taken away from the sun and heat in winter.
If the climate allows, keep the plant outdoors in summer so that it is exposed to the maximum sun. In winter, let the plant enter the dormant state and keep it indoors or in the garage if the temperatures are too high or too low.
You can also keep your Sarracenia on the windowsill in summer (for a light source), or terrarium and greenhouse. Terrarium is not the best choice for Sarracenia, as they grow rather tall. However, you can use short species for open terrariums. Same goes with greenhouses, but make sure that temperatures are warm to cool in winter.
You can also grow Sarracenia in bog gardens successfully. Remove or mulch in winter if the temperatures drop too low.
Do Sarracenia enter the dormant state?
Yes, American pitchers become dormant in winter, around the end of autumn. This happens when days become shorter and temperatures drop. You must let the plant enter this state by placing it in the cool or chilly place with no sun (can even be outdoors if temperatures are low, but not lower than 25 degrees F). Plant become active again when day get longer in early spring.
Why are Sarracenia pitchers turning brown?
American pitcher’s leaves can turn brown and die during the winter months. This is completely normal and new pitchers should start growing with the new season. Remove any dead pitchers manually or by cutting them off.
Should I fertilize my Sarracenia?
If your plant grows outdoors, it will catch enough bugs inside the pitches to feed itself. If the temperatures for outdoor growing are unsuitable and you are keeping your plant indoors with no feeding, then fertilizing is an option. With no food plant will die, so you need to provide it with enough nutrients. You can also use fertilizers to speed up the growth of the plant.
To use the fertilizer, dilute it greatly and apply only on the leaves. Don’t pour any fertilizer on the soil as it must stay poor in nutrients. Apply once or twice a month for best results. You can use a fertilizer for orchids or other fertilizer for acidity-loving plants.
Should I prune my Sarracenia?
Even though Sarracenia flowers look very beautiful, the plant spends a lot of energy to grow them. Instead, it can use this energy to grow and maintain pitchers, especially during the new season. General recommendation is to cut off any flower spikes to save plant’s energy.
You should also prune dead pitchers and leaves. Otherwise, pests will start accumulating on the plant and destroying its new leaves.
How to propagate Sarracenia?
If you already have a Sarracenia, you can make clones by diving the rhizome (root stems) of the plant to create new clones. Take the plant out of the pot and wash the soil, so you can see the roots properly. Detangle the roots and then you will be able to easily pull one of the pitches apart from the main rhizome. Place the new plant in the pot. In this video, rewind to 1:03 to see how to divide the plant.
To germinate the seeds, sow them in the carnivorous plant soil (don’t cover) for plant to start growing. Start sowing in mid-winter for propagation. This method is not quick, as the plant will take four to five years to mature. When there is a first 1-inch seedling (about a year in), you can start using a fertilizer to speed up the growth of the plant. This is not necessary but can speed up the growth.
What pests can attack Sarracenia plants?
American pitchers can be attacked by mealybugs, aphids, thrips, scale and spider mites. See our full guide on carnivorous plants to learn more on pests and how to remove them.
Kill insects with insecticide and spider mites with miticides.
Make sure to read a full guide on carnivorous plants for more information and check out other carnivorous plant guides.