How to Grow Sarracenia from Seed

NEW GARDENERS:  Please read this page from top to bottom.  When you receive your seeds do not skip any steps, especially cold stratification.  Your seeds have not been "pre-stratified" because that is not possible. 

   

Why grow Sarracenia from seed instead of vegetative propagation?

         Vegetative propagation produces an identical clone of the mother plant. It is the only way to ensure the offspring will be exact copies. Each new plant will inherit all the desirable and undesirable traits of the mother plant.

       Seed propagation of Sarracenia produces offspring that are genetically unique.  Each new seed-grown plant will have slightly different characteristics than their siblings. In a natural setting, seed propagation is how plants evolve and overcome environmental adversity.  In cultivation, seed propagation offers the nurseryman a chance to improve many traits including visual appeal, vigor, disease resistance, and drought tolerance.

  

How to cold stratify Sarracenia seed 

          To prevent Autumn germination in the wild, Sarracenia seeds are dormant.  Cold, wet, oxygen rich conditions in the winter enable biochemical changes within the seed to break dormancy.  In horticulture we refer to this type of seed treatment as "cold stratification". 

        To be clear, Sarracenia seeds will not germinate properly without first being treated for seed dormancy. The preferred method for overcoming seed dormancy is cold stratification in a refrigerator.  

To properly treat seeds you will require absorption of water, adequate oxygen, cold temperature, and time.  Instructions are as follows: 

  1. Make a 50/50 mix using peat and perlite (no fertilizer).
  2. Fill a 2 inch pot with your medium. The medium should be damp.  Wet media will not contain adequate oxygen.  Dry media will not provide enough moisture to be absorbed into the seed. 
  3. Sprinkle about 25 seeds on the surface of the medium in your pot. Do not cover the seeds.
  4. Place your pot in a zip lock bag and seal the bag.  Keep it damp in the refrigerator for a minimum of a month.  Two months may be necessary for some seeds.  As cold water is absorbed into the seed, the embryo undergoes a biochemical process known as "after ripening".  Reversal of after-ripening can occur if the seeds dry out at any time during the cold-stratification process.  

    How to Plant Sarracenia Seed

             Seed germination is the next step of the process.  After being in the refrigerator for a month, pour a tablespoon of distilled water into the bottom of the bag.  Re-seal the bag then place it under a grow light on a shelf indoors on a 12 to 24 hour light cycle. 80 degrees is an ideal temperature for growing young pitcher plants.  Experienced gardeners grow their young pitcher plants under lights for the first 6-12 months. 

          Expect your seeds to germinate in about two to three weeks. Do not let them dry out. Leave them in the sealed bag for a couple of weeks to keep the humidity extremely high.  When the plants have created a few tube-shaped leaves, open the bag a little every few days until it’s completely open. A sealed bag can grow mold. 

           Move the pots into trays of water after discarding the bags.  Always maintain water in the trays; the seedlings will not tolerate drying out. If you keep your house below 75 degrees, it is necessary to use a grow tent and heat mat.  

     

    Fertilize Your Seedlings

            At about a month after germination, when your small plants have a handful of tube-shaped leaves, it is time to begin fertilizing. Water from above with rainwater 6 days a week, making sure that there is excess coming out of the bottom of the pot.  One day a week, water from above with Maxsea diluted to 50 ppm.  The following month, use Maxsea diluted to 100 ppm once a week.  Rinse and clean the tray periodically.

    If you use a ppm meter to precisely dilute your fertilizer and a thermostat to maintain the proper temperature of 75-80 degrees, your plants will be and strong within about six months! 

      

    Sarracenia Seeds for Sale

              There are a number of reasons why you might want to purchase pitcher plant seeds.  It is faster and easier than growing your own and it is a great chance to introduce genetics into your garden that you don’t have access to.  When purchasing seeds please be aware of the following terms: open pollinated, self-pollinated and cross-pollinated.

     

    • “Open pollinated”pitcher plant flowers are at least in part, pollinated by bees.   Growing open pollinated seeds is exciting; the parentage is a mystery!  They are cross-pollinated by nature and may be a hybrid or a species.
    • The term “self-pollinated” refers to a nursery technique in which pollen from the same pitcher plant is used to fertilize the flowers.  Expect a wide array of seedlings from self-pollinated hybrid plants.  Self-pollinated species plants will produce seedlings of that species.
    • “Cross pollination” by a nurseryman often yields the most exciting results.  It is a nursery technique that produces seeds of a known parentage.  When two pitcher plants love each other very much, a mad scientist nurseryman uses pollen from a daddy plant to fertilize the flower of a mommy plant.  Seeds produced in this manner are referred to by their parentage. For example, S. ‘Lunchbox’ x ‘Adrian Slack’. 

          The seeds for sale at Flytrap King nursery have been meticulously produced, packaged and properly stored.  Try your hand at growing some less-expensive open-pollinated seed or attempt to develop the next hot pitcher plant cultivar with our hand-pollinated specialty crosses.  But most importantly, have fun! 

     

     

     

     

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