Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia) Care Guide

Light Requirements

Know the correct lighting requirements for your plant. This will be the difference between growing and THRIVING!

Darlingtonia needs FULL to PART SUN to thrive. The more sun they get the more intense the colouration of their pitchers will be, but the shorter the pitchers will grow, while in part sunny conditions they tend to grow taller and the pitchers are greener.

But this is where the challenging part comes in:

If the soil gets too hot, the plant will die. They need lots of sun, BUT VERY COOL ROOTS TO THRIVE. They grow best when the roots are kept cooler than the rest of the plant.

You can grow them under a 40% shade cloth and this I find is a nice balance between receiving adequate sun, without over heating the roots, and achieving a nice red coloring on the pitchers.

For more info on the different types of light types, refer to the HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page

Acclimatization

When you bring your new babies home, help them to acclimatize by following this simple step.

Considering the “stress” the plant has gone through during shipping, placing them in an area that gets bright dappled light or morning sun only for a week before moving them to their new spot is always advised.

It is not uncommon for several existing pitcher tops to burn and die when you place them in their new home. The pitchers themselves will also start to brown from the top down, but you can cut this off as it dies to keep the plant looking good. This is quite normal and they will grow new pitchers when they acclimatise. By acclimatising the plant, although pitcher death still occurs, it’s not as severe and a lot less stressful on the plant.

I always spray a little Novion into the pitchers when I receive new plants, just to give them a little boost, but be careful not to overfill the pitchers as this can cause them to topple over and break. (A free sample vial is sent with every order to assist with acclimatization and ease Abiotic stress.)

Watering Requirements

ALWAYS USE PURE WATER such as Rain, Distilled or R.O Water.

Like Sarracenia, cobra lilies like a moist to wet soil. Always keep them in a tray of R.O, Distilled or Rain Water, but also always water overhead daily, as this helps keep the roots cool, and aerate the soil.

Depending on the size of the pot, it is best to let the pot sit in about 3 to 4cm of water. (Around 20 to 25% of the pot height maximum.) This will prevent the soil from becoming anaerobic, and prevent root/crown rot.

It is ok to let the tray dry out between waterings, as this allows air into the soil. However, NEVER let the soil become dry.

For more information on Watering refer to our HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page.

Potting Media Requirements

A nutrient-deficient soil is a must for all carnivorous plants.NEVER use soil with fertilizers.

Cobra lilies do well in a very light airy mixture. The lighter this blend, the easier it is to keep the roots cool. We use our own blend which works great (1 part peat, 2 parts perlite, 1 part sphagnum), however our standard nepenthes soil mixture also works well.

Planting in a larger size, white plastic pot is ideal as this also assists in keeping the roots cool.

Carnivorous Soil Mix for Nepenthes can be purchased from the Accessories page.

For more info on Soil & Potting refer to the HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page and my BLOG ON REPOTTING.

Feeding Requirements

Carnivorous Plants are formidable hunters and do not need to be fed, but if you REALLY cannot resist...

When grown outdoors they will catch all the food they need. (Sunlight is more important than food as they get most of their energy from Photosynthesis.)

Cobra Lilies are very good at luring prey into their pitchers and because the entrance is on the underside of the head, it can be difficult to feed. You can feed Dried meal worms, blood worms or fresh dead bugs placed into the pitchers if you tilt the plant on its side, but be careful not to tear the opening.

They will also benefit tremendously from a mild foliar fertilizer spray like Novion, which can be sprayed directly onto the leaves and in the pitchers.

Novion can be purchased from the Accessories page.

Pest Control

Just like any other plant, Carnies are sometimes prone to Pests and Diseases. However there are very effective ways to help them.

Primary pests of Cobra Lilies are scale, thrips, and mealybugs. Aphids may also attack young pitchers.

Depending on how bad the infestation is, cut off any badly deformed pitchers so the plant can put its energy into growing new, healthy leaves

Isolate the plant to prevent infecting others and spray with a mild Insecticide.

I recommend Rosecare 3 by Efekcto. This utilizes both a systemic and contact insecticide. (Cypermethrin may also be used for a quick fix if the infestation is bad.)

This must be sprayed on the plant every week for 3 weeks and should solve the problem. Avoid spraying in the pitchers if possible.

Temperature Tolerance

Some like Warm Sunny Days, others prefer cool night time temps.

These plants naturally occur in northern California where the average daytime temperatures are around 20 degrees Celsius. They can happily survive in temperatures up to 30 degrees, provided the roots NEVER get above 15 degrees and in conjunction with a substantial drop in nighttime temps of at least 10 degrees Celsius. On hot days, water the plants overhead using refrigerated water or place several ice cubes around the plant crown to slowly melt over the roots.

This is very important: if the roots overheat the plant will die! This is the most challenging part of keeping Darlingtonia alive, and if you get this right, 90% of the battle is won!

They can be kept outdoors all winter and can happily survive the winter buried under snow. However if there is any concern that the soil may freeze solid, bring them indoors during this time.

Winter Dormancy

While some plants grow all year round, for others that Winter Snooze is an absolute necessity. 

A winter snooze is essential for adult plants. As winter approaches the growth will slow and many pitchers will die back, just like Sarracenia.

Reduce watering by allowing the tray to dry out for a few days before refilling, but never let the soil dry out completely. When refilling, fill the tray half what you normally would. This will allow the soil to be more damp than wet during winter, which is perfect. During this time, there is no need to water overhead as the roots will be cool based on the ambient air temperatures.

Refer to my blog for more info on Winter Snoozes.