Carnivorous Plants

Following a visit to the GC, oldest kiddie bought himself a Sundew Carnivorous Plant. (We have had a couple of Venus Fly-Traps in the past which I have managed to kill :rolleyes: (What a surprise)).

I have put it in the greenhouse, and on checking today, it is covered with tiny black flies stuck on its sticky tenticle-thingys!!! I have stood it in a saucer filled with compost and rainwater. It is quite fascinating!! He now wants a Pitcher plant and Cobra Lily.

Does anyone else have any of these types of plants, and have you any advice? Both my little darlings are fascinated by them, must be the gory-ness!!!!!

 

Hi Honey Bee you must have children like mine.
He has just posted a question about his new Venus fly-trap but by mistake it went under edible gardening.
Just when you think you have 1/2 hr peace they appear.Must tell him it is time for bed.

 

I bought a venus fly trap and pitcher plant last spring. They both flourished on water and what ever they could catch. They do NOT want any compost at all. Grow them in very wet spaghnum moss in sunshine. Both survived the cold frosts out in the open, although the pitcher plant got a bit tatty and the venus died back quite a bit. Now the venus is covered in new traps and has 4 or 5 flower stalks with lots of buds. I'll post a photo when they open.

 

Hey, Slugbug - thinking about it, Edible Gardening is probably the most apt place to have put it!!!!!!! :D :D

 

Children often tease them to death by triggering the traps. The traps will re-open but while they are closed they cannot catch food. Eventually the plant dies from exhaustion.

Thanks for the link, frogesque - great time lapse sequence.
Here is a photo of mine this morning - looking forward to seeing the flowers!

 

Pitcher plants like similar conditions to sundews and venus flytraps, that is the North American pitchers (sarracenia).
Nepenthese which are also called pither plants like it a bit warmer as some are tropical.

Sarracenia Leucophylla.

Sarracenia flava maxima, this can reach 3 ft in a greenhouse but its shorter if you grow it outdoors.

Flower of Sarracenia flava.

Nepenthes, need to be kept warmer in winter, not sure what this one is, but its OK at a minimum of 50F.

 

Should add that cobra lily (Darlingtonia) I haven't tried but I believe it likes similar conditions to the Sarracenia.

 

Yes - son sr has already put a pitcher plant on the shopping list when we go the GC next - and son jr wants a cobra lily!! Your photos look fab!!

 

Old threads I know but if anyone is thinking of buying a few you can feed them gold fish food instead of live insects.

 

Had this question the other year from some one else.
The answer is still no, you don't need to feed them at all, they are more than capable of trapping their own insects, they don't need many.

 

It was for the benefit of people like me who keep their Nepenthes monkey cups in a covered terrarium glass tank in the house and our fly free summer house for others.

 

I used to feed my venus fly traps tiny pieces of cheese, I'm not sure it was good for them but at the time I had some pretty large plants with good sized traps.

I never fed the nepenthes or the sarracenias, they can look after themselves if out side.

 

We grow sarracenias and darlingtonia. We had a lot of trouble last year with mealy bug but this year all seems to be ok. One piece of the darlingtonia was planted out in a boggy area next to the pond in 2010. We had -17 degrees that winter and it survived and continues to do so. It has produced numerous offsets. We put another piece in a pot outside and it did nothing for some months and then seemed to settle and is also doing brilliantly. We never feed any of them just give them rain water (rather difficult at the moment as no rain for so long).

 

You have a lot of similar plants to me. I love that picture of your Cobra Lillies. I have 3 young ones in pots and are growing well. I purchase my plants from Hampshire Carnivorous Plants and they have a great purchasing website with loads of information about each plant plus they will give you advice by email if required. If you buy any plants from them they arrive so well wrapped up it takes about 15 minutes to get at them. They also have open days to view all their magnificent plants with lots of staff to answer your queries. No I am not connected with them in any way.

 

I remember dried fish food from 50 years ago it had a revolting smell, unless it's significantly improved since then I certainly wouldn't give it to insectiverous plants. I'd beg some maggots from any angler I knew and use those.