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This article deals in the care and cultivation of Sarracenia with particular emphasis on growing them in the tropics. In Singapore hybrids do exceptionally well, as do most other species. I've had trouble however with maintaining S.oreophila and S.rubra ssp. alabamensis in the past, and find that they do better when the water trays are allowed to dry between waterings. 
 
There are 8 Sarracenia species, their various subspecies and numerous hybrids available in collections. There is some confusion and many opinions regarding the taxonomy of Sarracenia, but for simplicity I will lump the S.rubra complex together as one, as is the case for S.purpurea as well. If you are interested in matters of taxonomy, Barry Rice has written an excellent overview of the subject in his Carnivorous Plant FAQ. 
 
Growing Medium
First, the basics of cultivation. I use a mix of 50:50 perlite and peat for all Sarracenia, except for S.psittacina and S.purpurea which are grown in 100% live Sphagnum moss. Although Adrian Slack makes a distinction in his book 'Insect-Eating Plants and How To Grow Them ' regarding the depth of planting the rhizome for some of the Sarracenia species, I have so far not seen any noticeable difference, nor is it common practice among other Sarracenia growers as far as I am aware. Before planting, old/dead roots may be safely trimmed to a length of 4" or less subject to pot requirements, as the rhizome will contain enough nutrients for the plant to produce new roots. 
 
 Roots trimmed back for ease of planting. The black mess on the right is the old rhizome from last year's growth, which has become dead. It should be trimmed back to discourage fungal growth, if not already done before the plant's dormancy. 
 
 
Dig a hole in the pot large enough to contain the rhizome and root ball, and lower the rhizome into the hole. As Sarracenia rhizomes grow in 1 direction only (except for cases of offshoots), maximise your pot space by having the growing point face the centre of the post and the old rhizome bit abutting the far edge of the pot. Fill the hole in with more media to the mid-rhizome level, then press down firmly. The rhizome should not be sitting entirely out of the medium (it will topple over later when traps start to form), nor should it be totally buried. You can add a top dressing of live Sphagnum to prevent the perlite from making a mess during a rain, but keep an eye out to make sure the Sphagnum doesn't overgrow the growing point.
 
Freshly-planted S.flava var. cuprea in 50:50 peat and perlite, just out of dormancy. Note that the rhizome is buried to about half-way up, and the old rhizome faces the side of the pot so that the 2 growth points will have more free room to progress through this season. 
 
 
Water
Water all Sarracenia using purified/rain water using the tray system. S.psittacina and S.purpurea appreciate a higher water table, and so you can allow the water level to reach almost to the top of the growing media for these species. For some reason I've also noticed that S.rubra ssp. alabamensis puts out really good growth if I allow the tray to dry out in between waterings. 
 
Light
Sarracenia need full, direct sunlight to do well. You might be able to get away with partial shading (25-50%) for S.psittacina and S.purpurea, but even these 2 colour up spectacularly when given the luxury of sunlight. Unfortunately, most Sarracenia are too tall to be grown well under fluorescent lamps, except maybe S.purpurea and S.psittacina.
 
Dormancy
Sarracenia are found in North America, and are therefore subject to seasonal variation in temperature and day length. In the winter months, temperatures start to fall and day length shortens considerably, triggering the plants into a state of dormancy. Sarracenia will survive for 2-3 years without dormancy, but will only truly thrive if their dormancy requirements are met. Methods of inducing dormancy in the tropics is further discussed in the section "Dormancy In The Tropics". 
 
Pests & Routine Maintenance
A happy Sarracenia requires remarkably little maintenance during their growing months. Due to the humid and wet conditions year round in Singapore, they are prone to fungus and rot. One tip I picked up from Mike King was to remove dead growth not only by snipping it off, but by pulling the entire trap off to the level of the rhizome. Not allowing your live Sphagnum dressing to cover the growing point of the plant will also reduce the incidence of rhizome rot. I have not found regular treatment using an antifungal solution to be necessary. 
 
Several pests commonly infect Sarracenia in Singapore. These include slugs, chewing insects (caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles), scale, mealybugs and ants. There is an abundance of slugs in the garden during the rainy season and they do tremendous damage by eating the succulent growing points of the plants. I usually use slug bait in a separate pot near the plants which kills them, or if I am particularly zealous (and angry, not to mention) I will camp in wait for them at dusk, incapacitate them and feed them to either the Sarracenia or Nepenthes plants instead. Chewing insects are picked out and dealt with in the same way. 
 
Scale and mealybugs are sucking insects which are brought around and tended to by ants. These pests are particularly treacherous, as they tend to infect the roots of Sarracenia and so are not easily picked up. Poor growth, deformed pitchers and the presence of ants gives a big clue. I treat these sucking insects by first soaking the entire pot in a bucket of water up to substrate level for 2 days to kill off any ants and their eggs, followed by drenching with a 50% dilution of Provado Bug Killer, which so far has been safe for my Sarracenia. 
 
The characteristic cotton fluff appearance of mealy bug. The most annoying thing about them is that they tend to infect roots, making diagnosis difficult and sometimes too late.
 Provado Bug Killer, one of the few systemic insecticides that have been used successfully for most CPs without harmful effects.
 
 
Some taller varieties and hybrids are prone to falling over in the rain. This is especially true for S.purpurea and S.psittacina hybrids, where the pitcher lid is often upright and does not serve to keep water out of the pitcher. Eventually they fill to the brim with rainwater and topple over. It does not harm, but is unsightly. I buy $2 plant support stakes from Daiso to stake the pitchers in place. 
 
 
Food & Fertiliser
Sarracenia are prolific carnivores even in Singapore. Most of my plants catch ants and the occasional bee without assistance. Even then, I supplement this with an occasional feeding once every 2-3 months. I use freeze-dried insects or bloodworms which are rehydrated in water most of the time, or sometimes an incapacitated mealworm or cricket. Do not attempt to overfeed them, which will cause the pitcher to rot. 
 
Sarracenia also respond well to foliar fertiliser. I use a basic nitrogen fertiliser diluted to 50% strength and applied by misting the traps.Some of the solution inevitably gets into the pitchers themselves, but don't seem to do a lot of harm. I know of growers in Singapore and elsewhere who apply Osmocote (a slow release granule) directly into the pitchers, but have no personal experience in this. 
 
Sarracenia from seeds
Sarracenia seeds could be had relatively cheaply, and have the added advantage of being easy to transport across borders with little hassle. However, they take 4-5 years to reach sexual maturity. Sarracenia seeds need a period of stratification to break their dormancy. Prepare a pot of regular potting mix topped with milled dried sphagnum, wet the pot and plant about 10-15 seeds per pot. Follow this by a misting of fungicide (I use Captan). Enclose the pot in a plastic bag and place in the crisper compartment of the fridge for 6 weeks. Alternatively, you can use a solution of 100ppm GA3, soak the seeds for 48 hours, then plant them out as usual. 
 
Once the seeds have germinated I thin them out to 3-4 seedlings per pot. For the first 2 years of growth, Sarracenia seedlings do not need a dormancy period.  Feeding the seedlings is challenging, so I usually give them a 50% diluted nitrogen fertiliser once every 3 months to boost their growth. 
 
2 week old Sarracenia flava seedlings (slightly battered by heavy rain)- ugly little things when they're young, aren't they?
 
 
 
 
Vegetative propagation
A happy Sarracenia will put out new growth points from the rhizome. Generally, separating rhizomes should take place after dormancy before planting out, to reduce the shock. After dormancy, just slice off and divide the rhizomes, soak briefly in some anti-fungal solution and plant out as usual.
 
Older plants can be induced to put out new growth points by nicking the rhizome. Use a sharp blade to create a v-shaped nick halfway through the thickness of the rhizome, and treat with cut with a misting of anti-fungal. New shoots should start to sprout in 2-3 months on the older part of the rhizome. 
 
Leaf pullings have also been reported to work for S.purpurea and S.psittacina.
 
Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamanesis plant 2 months into dormancy in the fridge. This plant was obtained with a single growing point 3 years ago and has since multiplied annually. At breaking dormancy, this will be divided into smaller portions to allow the plant space to continue growing. 
 
 
Further reading
There is a good amount of literature regarding Sarracenia cultivation in general. In particular, I highly recommend the following books:
  • "Pitcher Plants of The Americas" by Stewart McPherson, which deals with all the species of Sarracenia in great detail and many photos of them in habitat.
  • "The Savage Garden" by Peter D'Amato, for good cultivation notes.
  • "Gardening With Carnivores - Sarracenia Pitcher Plants in Cultivation & In The Wild" by Nick Romanowski, which presents many good cultivation notes and some notable hybrids.
  • "Growing Carnivorous Plants' by Barry A. Rice, which also has notes on their distribution and some hybrids.
  • "Insectivorous Plants & How To Grow Them" by Adrian Slack, which has many good drawings of cultivation techniques and is always worth a mention amongst Sarracenia literature.