Developing Carnivorous Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia) as a Model Organism for Education and Research

Hello and great question! Our goal is to develop rigorous, scientifically tested standards of horticultural care for Sarracenia. There are plenty of grow guides out there already, but only a few have been empirically tested and peer-reviewed. For example, generally it is advised to NOT fertilizer Sarracenia. Our preliminary study indicates that this may not be the best practice, but that it does matter what type of fertilizer you apply and how often. In our study, we measured the nutritional content of the potting media prior to planting, fertilized and imaged the plants over an 18 month period, and then harvested the above-ground and below-ground plant parts and the potting media. We then analyzed all these samples for nutritional content allowing us to quantify the nutrients taken up over time and show the affects they had on the plants' observable characteristics.