Plant Bio
Sarracenia is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. It catches it's prey—chiefly insects and arachnids—with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs (called "trigger hairs" or "sensitive hairs") on their inner surfaces.
When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap prepares to close, snapping shut only if another contact occurs within approximately twenty seconds of the first strike. Triggers may occur if one-tenth of the insect is within contact. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against wasting energy by trapping objects with no nutritional value, and the plant will only begin digestion after five more stimuli to ensure it has caught a live bug worthy of consumption.
Sarracenia need a lot of moisture, but too much water in the pot or in their ground can lead to mildew growth and root rot—so plant them in a pot with drainage holes. Sarracenia are used to growing in undernourished, acidic, and sandy soil. Using a 1:1 ratio by volume of sphagnum peat moss to horticultural sand is perfect for holding moisture while still providing drainage.The soil should be kept damp at all times. Usually, you only need to water every few days, but if you live in dry or hot areas, or if you have larger pots, you may need to water every day. However, be cautious of over-watering. Only use distilled water or rainwater. Sarracenia can survive in partial shade and a minimum of 4 hours of sunlight, but if you want them to thrive, provide them with 12 hours of direct, bright sunlight. The morning is the best time for this since the rays are not too intense. Avoid direct sunlight if it's too hot out, like during the summer, to prevent them from burning or drying out.
As their name suggests, they love eating flies. However, they can eat any insect small enough to trap, such as mosquitoes, moths, ladybugs, spiders, beetles, and ants. If you feed them, make sure the insect is about 1/3 the size of the trap.