Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 17:25:39 -0500 From: "Dave Evans" <dpevans@rci.rutgers.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3423$foo@default> Subject: Re: Tannins
Dear John,
> I read an article by Rob Sacilotto (Botanique Nursery) in the June '98
issue
> and he says "Some [Sarracenia] may require tannins to produce pigment,
> others may not." Is it known which ones require tannins? I would guess
> that the more colorful varieties would benefit more from tannins, like the
> red and black-tube varieties of flava and alata maybe?
As far as I can tell this is a so called 'urban legend'. Yes, you are
right about these being the plants which tend to loose their intense
coloration in cultivation, but I don't think it is due to just a lack of
tannins in the soil. I think these plants need a long time to become
established. Or more specifically the soil has to be of the correct mixture
and the plants then need time to be established in it. I have often seen
spectacular CP's growing in soil that appears to have a lot of clay in it.
However, in cultivation I have be unable to find a similar soil that works.
Some people have reported that "peat tea" does help the color and vigor
of their plants, but I wonder if they tried doing the same pot flushing with
water that didn't have the extra tannins as a comparison. I suspect that
their plants would have also responded well to this--mine do. In culture,
most people water via flooded trays and the pots take in water from their
bottoms. In the wild, most CP's grow in conditions more similar to
hydroponic systems that the flooded tray method.
Dave Evans
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