I have long been interested in carnivorous plants because not only are they beautiful, but they have evolved over thousands of years to ingeniously attract and trap pests. It has led to me acquiring a growing collection of carnivorous plants on my windowsills at home, with a growing list of pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, Drosera and Pinguicula.
The fascination doesn't stop there. Because I'm too ambitious, I have several packets of different Sarracenia seeds to expand my collection and propagate more pitcher plants. Seeds are one way to propagate a pitcher plant, but admittedly cuttings offer a quicker and potentially more realistic route if you want more plants.
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Can you propagate a pitcher plant?
You can propagate a pitcher plant from seeds or cuttings. The most common pitcher plants are Sarracenia, Nepenthes and Heliamphora, and the best propagation methods vary depending on the species.
If you want to expand your collection of carnivorous plants, you can purchase seeds to sow, purchase new plants (like this attractive, deeply colored Sarracenia Purpurea Venosa Purple Pitcher on Amazon), or take cuttings from existing plants.
Each offers different cost and time advantages, but there is also great joy in propagating your own pitcher plants.
How to propagate a pitcher plant from cuttings
There are two ways to propagate a pitcher plant through cuttings, namely rhizome cuttings and stem cuttings. The route you take depends on the type of pitcher plant. Below we look at both:
Propagate a pitcher plant from rhizome cuttings
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“Pitcher plants are easily propagated by rhizome cuttings,” claims Carnivorous Plant Nursery, adding that plants need a “large, mature rhizome” for this propagation method to be successful.
Sarracenia (North American pitcher plants) and Heliamphora (South American pitcher plants) are best propagated from rhizome cuttings because they grow from large rhizomes. It is best to divide the plants at least every three years once they have developed a mature rhizome, in the spring when the carnivorous plant begins to grow again.
Remove the plant from the pot and shake off some of the old soil. You should be able to break the rhizome into sections with a few growing points using your hands. Then cut off the remains of old cans before potting them.
Fill a pot with a bag of specially formulated carnivorous plant compost (like this carnivorous plant soil on Amazon) and make a hole in the soil where you can plant the rhizome piece. “Leave the tip of the rhizome uncovered, and new growth buds will appear on the cuttings in a few weeks,” says Carnivorous Plant Nursery.
Make sure your new plants are labeled and water them with rainwater or distilled water instead of tap water. It is recommended to collect rainwater when growing carnivorous plants to always have access to this resource, and there are ways to collect rainwater without a traditional gutter if you don't have one.
Propagate a pitcher plant from stem cuttings
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Nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants) are not suitable for rhizome cuttings; They must be propagated via stem cuttings. The International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) claims: “Cuttings can be taken at any time of year, but cuttings taken when the mother plant is actively growing appear to grow faster and have a higher success rate.”
To take these plant cuttings, pick a tall stem and remove the top with a few leaves and nodes using clean, sharp secateurs, secateurs, or scissors. Cut a stem section with at least two nodes and plant it in a small pot that should be filled with a “50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite,” according to ICPS. The experts add: “The medium must be moist, but must not be soaked or standing in water.”
Place the pot in a plastic bag to keep it from drying out and place it in a warm, bright spot with indirect light. You need patience as it can take months for it to take root. Keep the soil moist and only use rainwater or distilled water. Once roots have formed, do not pot them in regular container garden soil as this contains additional nutrients that can damage the pitcher plant's roots.
How to Propagate a Pitcher Plant from Seed
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Growing pitcher plants from seeds is a slow process and you can expect to take a few months for germination and wait years for the plants to reach maturity. If you're up to the challenge, the first hurdle is giving the seeds an important period of cold stratification.
To ensure this natural cold cycle that the seeds need to germinate, place the seeds in either a bag, a plastic container with holes in the lid, or a pot on the surface of moist soil or peat moss and place it in the refrigerator for about six weeks.
After stratification, place the seeds on the surface of a mixture of peat and sand and lightly spray the container. “Place the pots of seeds in plastic bags or under a humidity dome under LED lights,” recommends the ICPS. “Do not place the bags or domes in direct sun.” A temperature of 70 to 80°F is ideal.
“After the seeds have germinated and a few true leaves have emerged, the pots can be removed from the plastic bags or under a humidity dome,” they continue. “The pots with the seedlings can also be placed in a greenhouse.” “A sunny window is not enough light.”
Particularly in the first few years of life, it is beneficial to provide plants with grow lights to supplement natural light levels. Grow lights must be on 16 to 18 hours a day for at least the first year after a pitcher plant germinates.
One caveat to the advice above is that Nepenthes seeds do not require cold stratification and can be sown directly onto a substrate of chopped peat moss. You can get long-fiber sphagnum moss on Amazon, which is ideal as a substrate for pitcher plants.
However, this does not make propagating a pitcher plant any easier. The seeds are only viable for a very short time and can take up to a year to germinate, making growing Nepenthes more challenging than growing Sarracenia or Heliamphora from seed.
FAQs
Can I root Nepenthes in water?
You can also propagate a pitcher plant in water instead of a soilless growing medium, but this is not a guaranteed way to get new plants. Take the stem cuttings as described above and place them in a container filled with rainwater or distilled water with the button knot submerged. Place the container in a warm location with indirect light and cover with a plastic bag to increase humidity. Change the water every few days (not changing the water is a common water propagation mistake that you should avoid) and watch for the cutting to form tiny roots. Once it has about half a dozen roots that are 1 to 2 inches long, pot it into a pot filled with peat moss.
Venus flight traps (Dionaea muscipula) are probably one of the most well-known carnivorous plants in the world and are definitely unique houseplants to enjoy. There are three different options available when propagating a Venus flytrap. You can take cuttings and divide plants, take leaf cuttings or grow them from seeds. This detailed guide shows how to propagate a Venus flytrap and goes into detail about all three ways you can get new carnivorous plants to enjoy.
Organic sphagnum moss potting soil
This potting soil contains 75% New Zealand peat moss and 25% organic perlite, making it an ideal substrate for potting pitcher plants.
This solid gel food is designed for use with Venus flytraps, sundews and pitcher plants to provide essential vitamins and nutrients to carnivorous plants.
This set of five humidity bells is designed to fit 10-inch diameter pots and each bell is 6.7 inches tall.