- 1). Fill a bowl with distilled water unless you know your tap water is salt-free. Rub your finger on the opening of your dishwashing detergent bottle. Use the water inside the bowl to rinse the detergent residue that your finger picked up from the bottle. Place your Sarracenia purpurea seeds in the bowl and let them soak for 24 hours.
- 2). Fill 2-inch pots with a blend of equal parts of sand and sphagnum peat moss. Moisten the potting mix until water runs out of the pots' drainage holes. Use distilled water.
- 3). Drain the water in the bowl and take your seeds to the planters. Set them on the soil surface, one seed per planter. Place the pots in clear plastic bags.
- 4). Transfer the bagged pots to your refrigerator and store them there for one month to stratify the seeds, a chilling period necessary for the embryos to develop. Check the moisture level two to three times a week. Moisten the soil and seeds with distilled water whenever they begin to dry.
- 5). Remove the pots from the refrigerator but keep them in their bags. Place them under grow lamps 6 inches above them to provide heat to the seeds. Your goal is to maintain the temperature between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Sarracenia purpurea seeds germinate within four weeks. Keep the seeds hydrated during that time by watering them whenever they start drying. Use distilled water unless you know your tap water is salt-free. Remove the pots from the plastic bags as soon as the seeds sprout.
- 6). Transfer the potted seedlings to a sunny location or continue to keep them under grow lamps. Adjust the lamps' height to prevent them from burning the seedlings as they get taller. Keep the lights on for 16 hours a day.
- 7). Transplant the Sarracenia purpurea plants to 3-inch pots when they turn 1 year old. Continue to grow them in full sun or under grow lamps. But take them outside for pollination if you want them to produce flowers.
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