With over a foot and a half of snow on the ground, this does not seem the time to think about planting. But when it comes to carnivorous plants, now is exactly when you want to think about the year ahead. It is now that sellers of pitcher plants (Sarracenia) are dividing their larger specimens, collecting seeds and thinning out their stocks. For the next month or so, bargain rhizomes come to market on Ebay, Etsy and a variety of specialized sellers of these hungry plants.
As I am sequestered this year at home in Connecticut, it is a good opportunity to refresh the carnivorous bog at Ann’s Place. Over the last year it appears that visitors (animal or human) removed many of the specimens from our bog leaving it a bit thin of plants. So by buying dormant plants and seeds now, I will have a good crop to transplant into the garden later in the Spring.
The day is cold but sunny. The clean white snow reflects the light creating an extreme brightness requiring sunglasses. I open the door to the greenhouse and am greeted by a waft of humid, warm air. While the outside temperature is only 15 degrees, inside the greenhouse is pushing 70—perfect for potting up.
A few days ago I filled two garden trugs with snow placing them in the basement to melt. This morning I had one-third a trug of water, which I took into the greenhouse. Removing my coat, I set up my potting bench with peat moss, perlite, pitcher plant rhizomes and peat pots. The greenhouse is more storage now than anything else holding a few dead chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum), old seeding trays stacked in the corner, varied pots and empty mouse traps. The space is heating up quickly; the skylight has opened itself to vent the warmth.
I first mix the peat moss and perlite. I try to do so gently as not to create too much ambient dust; unfortunately small plumes of white and green are an inevitable byproduct. Adding water it takes a while for the dry ingredients to absorb it, first floating on top as an organic slick before finally becoming part of a speckled mix.
I carefully remove a wet paper towel from around each rhizome that has been placed in a plastic bag. Bits of last year’s leaves emerge from the rhizome, cut off neatly, ready for regrowth when warmer weather returns. I place a glob of the nutrient-free soil into the pot and then using a chop stick create a hole in the center before carefully lowering the roots into the pot. Using the same stick, I push the soil around the roots anchoring the plant.
There is an exotic, tropical nature to these plants that is contrasted against the piles of snow next to the greenhouse. Even though I am potting them up, they will remain dormant in my garage for at least two months after which I will bring them out to the greenhouse to acclimate and eventually transplant to the garden at Ann’s Place.
The first batch is done. I will wait for another warm day to tackle the rest.
