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Compost

Typical of many species of carnivorous plants, Sarracenia requires a water retentive, yet free draining, acidic, nutrient free compost.  The base ingredients usually consisting of moss peat, perlite and horticultural (silver) sand.  The standard recommended mixture consists of 4 parts peat, 2 parts perlite and 1 part silver sand by volume. 

The use of moss peat on its own does not allow enough air into the compost and will tend to encourage disease in the rhizome especially during the winter months. 

Another medium sometimes recommended is pure sphagnum moss, this however creates its own difficulties because of lack of water retention, for almost all purposes the standard mixture is more than adequate. 

Whichever potting medium is used, care should always be taken to ensure the compost is not allowed to dry out.  As you would expect this can happen remarkably quickly on a hot summers day, care has also to be taken during the winter months however when plant requires the compost to be kept just moist. 

Sarracenia's will start to show signs of distress almost straight away from the lack of water, with any pitchers not yet fully formed becoming limp and collapsing.  If water is not supplied in time, this damage often becomes irreversible, although the rhizome will invariably have survived and will produce further pitchers in time. 

If for any reason the compost is allowed to dry out, the pot should be submersed in a bucket of rain water as soon as possible until the compost is thoroughly soaked (a drop or two of washing up liquid to act as a wetting agent will speed up the process).  After an hour or two allow the plant pot to drain and resume the normal watering regime.