Description
Painted Black is part of the Family Sarracenia or the Trumpet Pitcher plant and is, without doubt, the most ferocious hunter of all the carnivorous plants. It has long beautiful trumpet-shaped pitchers lined with fine inverted hairs. These hairs prevent bugs from crawling out, forcing them to continue to the bottom of the pitcher where they get digested.
It’s very common seeing pitchers filled to the top with bugs in various stages of digestion.
Basic Growing Guidelines:
Light: Sarracenia prefers Full Sun. The more sun they receive, the more intense their colouring will be. This plant does best outdoors.
Soil: Our standard carnivorous soil mix is ideal for this plant. (1 part peat to 1 part perlite.)
Feeding: You can supplement feeding by placing fresh dead bugs, freeze-dried mealworms, or fish food pellets into the pitchers. A weekly spray of a light foliar fertilizer will also benefit the plant.
Humidity: 50 to 60% on average is ideal.
Water: Keep the soil wet using the tray method but never let the water level get higher than 1/4 of the pot height. Use Reverse Osmosis, Distilled or Rain Water Only.
Temperature: Sarracenias love warm summers and cold winters. During winter, the plants are tolerant of frosts and extreme cold.
Dormancy: Sarracenia requires a winter dormancy rest period. During this time traps will die back to dead little stumps.
A summary of plant care is provided with each plant.
For more detailed information on how to care for your plant, refer to our Care Guides Section.
