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Post by Cheerypeabrain on Oct 25, 2006 19:48:27 GMT
OK they may not be the prettiest plants in the world..but they cheered me up no end when I read the label in the GC...My Pitcher plant purchases Sarracenia hybrid (in pot) and friend (can't find label) Hardy down to -20..needs moist soil and lots of rain (got that in abundance) The best bit is 'WILL CONSUME SLUGS, earwigs and most unwanted garden pests.....don't think that they actively hunt (but it's a nice idea....)  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2006 19:54:25 GMT
Cheery
I saw these at Bressingham in the Summer. Let me know how good they are - I might have to go back and get one !!
Cheers
FA x
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2006 19:55:07 GMT
They look really colourful CPB  - my Sarracenia hybrid doesn't look like yours  They look big enough to eat rats  Where did you buy them CPB, are they on sale over the internet? |
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Post by Cheerypeabrain on Oct 25, 2006 20:13:55 GMT
They're quite big but not as big as they look on the photo (the pot that the sarracenia hybrid is in is only a 4" one)..I have seen a small nasty horrid white slug vanish inside one of the 'pitchers'
...it didn't come out but there wasn't any screaming or thrashing about..I was quite disappointed.... ;D
I got them from a GC at Staunton Harold a few miles outside Leicester.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2006 20:39:14 GMT
I have seen a small nasty horrid white slug vanish inside one of the 'pitchers' ...it didn't come out but there wasn't any screaming or thrashing about..I was quite disappointed.... ;D Drat LOL ;D |
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Post by Chuckles on Oct 25, 2006 21:16:07 GMT
I have seen a small nasty horrid white slug vanish inside one of the 'pitchers' ...it didn't come out but there wasn't any screaming or thrashing about..I was quite disappointed.... ;D Drat LOL ;D No crunching, slurping or belching either  ? ;D ;D |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2006 5:38:13 GMT
was there a little pile of washing up on the side ??  Will definitely investigate .... |
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Post by Cheerypeabrain on Oct 26, 2006 14:48:11 GMT
I just found the other label which says that the 'fat one' is Saracenia purpurea...which just means it's a bit purple doesn't it? (didn't do Latin at my school...we was too common)
They are a bit phalic though aren't they?...not that this had anything to do with my wanting to buy them...it was definately the slug eating phenomenon that attracted me...nothing to do with the slightly strange...erm....shape.... <blushandgigglesmiley>
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2006 15:07:13 GMT
Oooo - I found quite a few for sale from the company I bought my insect eating plants from - will have to consider buying some next year ;D www.littleshopofhorrors.co.ukEDIT: the link won't work - copy and paste sarracenia purpurea into search  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2006 20:40:42 GMT
Ok, so I walk into Morrison tonight attracted by their two cases of beer for £8 each ad and what do i find ..............Sarracenia purpurea ! being sold as HOUSEPLANTS for £1.99! So I walk through everyone else doing their weekly shop with two cases of beer and two slug eating gods of plants. So now I'm confused (yours are in the garden CPB, and these have HOUSE PLANT in big letters on the pots) and I turn to google which confuses me even more. and i quote ........... The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires wet soil. Grow in sun or partial shade in peat or moss[188]. Requires a moist but well-drained position[4]. Plants require continuously moist conditions in a loose compost of sphagnum peat, live sphagnum and coarse acid sand. So what the heck do I plant it in I've got tonnes of wet heavy clay. Can I just bung it in that and hope for the best, or do I sling some sand in as well ? oh and there were a few other insect chewing plants in Morrisons as well. Who'd have thought it eh ? My two new beauties are currently sitting on the window sill next to a very cold window, sitting in 1/2" of water awaiting your instructions. Thanking you. ;D |
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 28, 2006 6:53:57 GMT
I had one of these a couple of years ago. It was real pretty and I left it outside (under the house eaves) but it shrivelled up and died last winter. Just a bit too cold for too long I think. I have three of various types in my conservatoire now which I shall try my best to nurture. I know they must have rainwater as lime is slow death to them, they need very very poor compost with a lot of grit and that's about it! I don't like the thought of all those poor plants being sold and killed though. Supermarkets never put enough info on the plant labels. They are specialists plants really. Sorry! Didn't mean to imply that any of you weren't thoroughly good and competent plant carers! Be interesting which of our plants survive and in what conditions.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2006 7:34:37 GMT
Thanks for that 4P, i've already tried to kill them with tap water, so i'll only water them with rain water from now on and hope i've not already signed their death warrant. Not only didn't it say anything about being lime-haters on the label, nor did I find anything about that on the net either. I'm going to pot mine up today, as they only came in 3" pots and I'll try and keep an accurate record of their progress. I'll throw in a cup of ericaceous compost as well, unless anyone says otherwise before I do it ! After pay day, i may just go back and buy the rest. Price tag of £1.99 doesn't reflect their true worth and they need rescuing ! |
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 28, 2006 8:22:11 GMT
Morning, just popped on the net to check our bank balance and got lured back onto GW!.....Anyway, MrsKP, don't give your plants too good compost as I did that with a pitcher plant which has stubbornly refused to grow any pitchers ever since even though it looks very healthy. Man at GWLive said I had treated it too well! They apparently require really poor, gritty compost to thrive! Dunno about ericacious compost I'm afraid. Rita's link above is really good.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2006 8:29:26 GMT
am just venturing outside now and will mix a bucketful of clay with some perlite (or whatever it is i've got in the shed) and some sand. I'll leave the babies out there sheltered somewhere and take them in the g/h overnight.
rotten horrid day out there, blowing a gale and nasty drizzling hanging rain but i've got things to do (like dig a new bed for the honeysuckle).
i popped on to Rita's link last night but will have a better read later, when i'm soaking wet and had enough.
must admit though, i found a couple more sites this morning that said NO TAP WATER. so i'll make sure they get a good drench of rain today.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2006 8:57:28 GMT
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Post by Cheerypeabrain on Oct 28, 2006 13:31:54 GMT
Just got in from work and came on to the MB as it's raining outside...the big fat one (Sarracenia) that I popped into the soil looks OK. I have quite heavy soil but it's well drained. The labels on both mine say 'Prefers direct sunlight in moist soil using soft water and will stand winter temperatures down to -20' Also 'being hardy it will continue throughout the winter to capture it's prey' I've never grown them before and have no other info I'm afraid..the chap in the GC said to always use rainwater...(and assured me they were hardy..but that just might be these hybrids)
Maybe the plants need nurturing whilst babies...until they're big enough to look after themselves. Mine will have to take pot luck in the garden tho else they'll starve...I'm dead jealous of the fact that yours were only £1.99...mine were £6.99 each!!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2006 16:31:15 GMT
I've had mine for years, they are in the cold greenhouse during the winter as I keep them in big shallow pots with no drainage so they stay wet enouch. They grow in gravelly soil I seem to remember last time I had some of that pond plant stuff left & they had that. Funnily enough mine eat slugs and slugs eat them. The plants seem to win overall though.
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- my Sarracenia hybrid doesn't look like yours 
