There are more than species of carnivorous plants, many with astounding adaptations to inhospitable habitats. Popular carnivorous plants by genera include Byblis rainbow plant , Cephalotus Australian pitcher plant , Darlingtonia cobra lily , Dionaea Venus flytrap , Drosera sundews , Nepenthes tropical pitcher plants , Pinguicula butterworts , Sarracenia American pitcher plants and Utricularia bladderworts.
With this kind of variety, there is no one way to grow carnivorous plants, but here are some general tips to get you started:. Most carnivorous plants prefer bright light, and many, such as Sarracenia spp.
Flourescent or other cool temperature grow lights can be used for indoor cultivation of smaller species. A terrarium of smaller carnivorous plants under such lights can make a great starter set-up.
Almost all carnivorous plants require high humidity. Luckily, the majority of the nearly species of carnivorous plants are fairly small—and contrary to some famous Hollywood films , none of them eat humans! The first step is attracting a meal. Once the potential meal is intrigued, they spring their trap. They do this using one of five methods, including:.
Once a carnivorous plant has captured its food, it typically digests it with enzymes over the course of a few days. But some varieties like pitcher plants, also use bacteria to break down the meal , which helps the plant absorb more nutrients. Some carnivorous plants are easy to find in certain parts of the world, but others can be extremely rare. Hardy carnivorous plants are easy to grow, as long as you follow a few simple rules.
Here are our 10 tips for growing carnivorous plants. Hardy carnivorous plants thrive in warm conditions with plenty of bright light in spring and summer, so grow them on a sunny windowsill, in a conservatory or on a sunny patio. Most carnivorous plants are temperate as opposed to tropical plants, so need a cool spot in winter in order to rest — otherwise they will become exhausted and die. As they go dormant, some plants may die back and the traps on a Venus fly trap may turn black and die.
In the wild, hardy carnivorous plants grow in boggy ground, so their compost needs to be moist at all times during the warmer months.
Sit the pot in a saucer of water and keep it topped up. Alternatively, block drainage holes so that water cannot drain away. Keep the compost just moist during the winter rest period. Tap water can harm carnivorous plants. Use distilled or filtered water, water from a boiled kettle that has been left to cool or, ideally, rainwater — you could leave a bucket outside to collect it or use water from a butt.
Carnivorous plants grow best in a low-nutrient medium, such as peat or a specialist compost, known as ericaceous compost.
If you would rather not use peat for environmental reasons, you could try Moorland Gold, which is derived without damage to peat bogs, or a peat-free ericaceous potting mix.
In fact, fertiliser can kill the plants, which typically grow in nutrient-poor soils. If the traps on your Venus flytrap are no longer closing, it may be because curious fingers have poked at your plant too often. Each trap only closes around five times in its lifetime, so resist provoking your plant. Cut off dead flowers with scissors — and in the case of Venus flytraps and pitcher plants, cut off the dead traps if they go black — this often happens in autumn and winter.
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