Spring Cleaning 2022
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Spring cleaning is in full effect in the garden. Each season, once the deep freeze danger passes, I remove the dormant pitchers that once served as winter insulation. I typically wield the clippers (these specifically are my favorites for the job – thanks Jenn!) but occasionally other methods such as a sword or fire could be involved. As mentioned previously, trimming is one of those meditative and therapeutic work flows for me. I keep a grateful attitude recalling how much I’ve enjoyed seeing those traps grow and develop in seasons past. Now I’m creating the space for it to happen all over a ..read more
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Nepenthes Pollen Collection
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Hello! One of my nepenthes recently bloomed – exciting stuff! In the past, I’ve snipped those flower spikes off – but this time, I’ll be attempting some Nepenthes crosses in collaboration with other growers. This is my actually very first time collecting Nepenthes pollen and wanted to document and share what I’m learning. Unlike Sarracenia, Nepenthes are dioecious. This means plants produce flowers that are either female or male. In cultivation, there seem to be mostly male Nepenthes plants. Female plants are given extra attention and value by those who breed Nepenthes. In order to have a su ..read more
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Sarracenia Clean Up ASMR
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Enjoy the soothing sounds of Sarracenia pitchers burning. With the impending growth right around the corner, it is now time to clean up the grow area. My usual method of tidying the Sarracenia up is trimming. (See Trim 2021 here.) This season, I decided to commence cleaning with a little bit of burning. In the 90 second Sarracenia burn ASMR video, the flames consume the dormant pitcher canopy allowing the phyllodia (those flat non carnivorous leaves) to enjoy more light and fresh air. Fire, after all, is part of their natural and dynamic ecosystem. Fires help to keep pests and competing veget ..read more
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Persistent Pitchers
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
March already?! What? Spring and new growth is right around the corner. But for now – it is still grey and cold out here. While most of the collection is looking very dry and crispy, a few persistent pitchers are still lingering from last season. Last season! Mostly S. purpurea and their hybrids seem able to hold a few traps through a PNW winter. I love how hardy these plants are. They really keep the yard interesting during those cold wet/icy days ..read more
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Cold Dragon
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Cold Dragon. Here’s another creature that survives the winters out here. Below is a photo from September 2020 – when this infernal alien amalgamation was spawned into existence. It is comprised of custom concrete horns, glass eyes, sphagnum moss, and the fantastically strange S. purpurea “Smurf”. The gnarled and twisted pitchers were the perfect plant for the crest. Sphagnum moss was used as a top dressing. As the moss grew in, it secured everything into place. This planter is going through a third winter and still looks decent. The stone horns were custom cast by Kierstin at SmogTeeth, and ..read more
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Purpurea Pumice Ice Bowl
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
More frozen fun from this morning! This week, temps have been dipping into the low 20’s and teens – and some plants still look decent. S. purpurea (most notably northern types) and their hybrids can take that cold – with the pitchers lasting into the next season. More recently I’ve been drawn to purpurea and purpurea type plants lately. Not just for the looks, but also for cold hardiness. They do fine here outdoors in the PNW and have been taking the cold each year! Here are some frames of a S. purpurea type plant that I received from Jerry Addington. It’s some type of purpurea, but exact par ..read more
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Seedling Spotlight: Lidless
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Pitcher plants come in all sorts of colors and forms. They look pretty unique already … but those lidless ones? Oh, those lidless ones are on another level of strange and I like it! They are beautifully bizarre and appear heliamphora-esque. I enjoy the overall look of their simplified shapes. Back in 2019, I crossed S. flava var. rubricorpora – lidless and S. flava – lidless giant. That cross did not give me many seeds – only three. But even with a small seed set, I was glad to grow something from it. Truly fascinating to see characteristics from both parents, such as the red body and dark thr ..read more
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Sarracenia Seedlings
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Hi! Here’s a few seedlings that have been under lights this winter. Some of the characteristics are now starting to show and I’m pretty excited to see how these evolve! There’s a few interesting ones I’m watching. As always, I am enjoying the journey. Witnessing something that was once a concept manifest into something tangible, beautiful, and carnivorous is pretty special ..read more
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Seedling: S. luteola x purpurea “Smurf”
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Last month I pulled some seedlings from the outdoors to grow under lights indoors for the winter. This will give them a little jump in growth to prepare for next season. A few years ago I did some crosses with the uniquely shaped S. purpurea “Smurf”. Smurf has an interesting form with a hood that tightly rolls inward. This causes the hood to form a point or appear contorted. Weird? Yes. Rad? Also YES!! I used pollen from S. “Smurf” paring with an anthocyanin free S. luteola for the pod parent. It looks like the hood form carries over in most of the seedlings. Below is one of those seedlings en ..read more
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A visit with Jeremiah: Aug 2021
The Pitcher Plant Project Blog
by Rob
2y ago
Back in Aug 2021, Kinjie and I traveled to Colorado to meet up with Jeremiah. Here’s a few clips and photos from the visit. A huge thank you to Jeremiah & family for your hospitality and generosity ..read more
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