Sarracenia flava var. rubricorpora

partisangardener

partisangardener

Carnivore
The fading of some clones might be due to a genetic effect I often see in maple trees. Some start very red and turn to green during late spring. Some others darken through the summer to almost black.
The red color protects against UV rays and new tissue is very sensitive to it. Red color plants often grow slower, due to less photosynthesis and the effort to produce anthocyanins.
Natural selection has maybe different goals than that of us gardeners. ;)
But in afterthought we are natural too....
 
nepnewbie

nepnewbie

Plant
If Sarracenias are similar to some orchids in the way they handle sugars they produce, the lengthy warm temperatures in a greenhouse are probably the cause for loss of colour. Red pigmentation is often produced by anthocyanins in plant cells, that are derived from sugars present in plant tissue. If the plants have enough light and/or warmth to continue active growth into the night, that will consume most of the sugar the plant produces in daylight, leaving little or none to convert into anthocyanin pigments. Warm sunny days, followed by cool nights, will often result in brighter red blooms or foliage, because the plants have more sugars than they need for basic growth, and they can convert the excess into pigment.
 
daniella3d

daniella3d

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Not sure why you say that. My favorite tomatoes are the Savoura, grown in a greenhouse all year. Best-tasting tomatoes. Maybe it's not the greenhouse but the way they are grown.

As for the sarracenias, I have a flava autropupurea and it's always losing color at the end of the season, no matter what amount of light it gets.

Some sarracenias need a greenhouse to get their nice colors, like the leucophylla L42 from the UK which gets a nice pink mouth in the greenhouse, not so outdoors. Mike Wang posted pictures of his L42 grown under the California sunlight, and it never gets the pink mouth. Mine are grown in the greenhouse and year after year they get a nice pink mouth. I think maybe the greenhouse allows the pitchers to last longer, so it has time to develop some color that is not possible outside.

So I tried the autropupurea in the greenhouse and outside, and mine is always losing the red color and becoming either faded or more brownish.

I much prefer my red moories, which remain red all the way untill the pitchers dry.
 
Kevin1861

Kevin1861

Carnivorous Plant Addict
Best tomatoes are fresh from the vine. GH or field grown doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s when the fruit is picked and ultimately the variety grown. Commercial GH growers have to consider getting their produce to market, which could mean a tougher and less tasty tomato is required if you have to transport across country. From your own GH to your table…just grow what taste best to you. One advantage to GH is the controlled environment and protection the plants get from the elements and some pests.
 
nepnewbie

nepnewbie

Plant
A bit off topic: we ditched growing a variety of tomatoes in favour of 'Grightmire's Pride', a pinkish red oxheart tomato that is very fleshy, and makes a great slicer,dried tomato, and is excellent for sauce (we freeze ours whole, then run them under warm water for a few seconds to remove the skins... easier than blanching in hot water).
 
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