A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Carnivorous Insectivores Indoors Nothin wrong with growin a carnivore indoor! (TGH)

As Bizarre and intriguing as they they may be, we gnomes learned long ago that bigger was better at all when it came to meat eating flora. Nothing wrong with BIG PLANTS but we'd just prefer to not leave the world as someone's snack. We learned where to find little carnivores that thrived in glass houses inside our house....

This is how we grow and care for our Carnivorous Insectivores... Its a guide to growing carnivorous plants :-)
You'll also find links to growing guides for Venus flytraps, Cobra lilies, Sundews, Pitcher plants, Butterworts, and Creating Terrariums! Don't knock growing insectivores indoors until you've tried it! :)

(From that guy they call The Garden Helper)

Most carnivores have to be grown outside. VFTs and American pitcher plants are 2 examples. You can try growing them inside but after a year or so they will start to fizzle out. I know that the urge to grow them inside is strong but sooner or later you WILL realize that they need to be grown outside.

Tom

I've never grown these plants. I'd like to and was thinking of doing it indoors.

What do they need that I can't create for them indoors? I read the grow guide. I can supply enough light and humidity. If it's coldness, well, ok, they'll go outside for that.

Hello and I have been wanting to get a cobra plant has anyone on here grown them before? Thanks!

You could grow certain Sundews indoors but Pitcher plants and VFTs do best outside. Light levels inside are not as intense as outside. They also need that dormant season which you could provide via a refridgerator or a basement or attic that doesn't go below say 40 degrees F. I put my sarrs and VFTS outside after last frost until they go dormant in the fall with temps around 40-45 degrees. I unpot mine, wrap the roots in some moist long fibered spaghnium moss, place each in a zip lock type bag an stick in the fridge. After Valentine's day or several weeks after) I start repotting the refidgerated plants to wake them up.

Tom

I've grown VFT for ages in a two and half gallon tank.I use uvb and uva lighting.I keep a hood on it to hold moister,also use the lowest wattage you can find 40watt can be tricky to find ,but it worth it.Of course they will have go dormant so take proper care of they will not come back.

There is a FANTASTIC web site for carnivorous plants. www.cobraplant.com. These guys are the best. I have a couple of Sundews and Asian Pitcher plants. They are my favorites.

Hello,
I've just bought a FVT and i've was thinking about getting a terranium for it, however, after reading the above I@m not so sure.
I've also bought a small Hot pepper plant.
Re: the VFT, do you think it will survive well indoor, beside window with good light, but not in a terranium. It is well watered but not as well as the picture above(should I have as much water in it?) our apartment is top floor and get plenty of light, also have rainwater to feed it.
Any tips are welcome.
Ronan (Dublin - Ireland)
also some tips for the hot pepper.
thanks

VFTs are outdoor plants and will not last very long if grown indoors. They need full Sun all day and either rainwater or distilled water only, NO TAP WATER or bottled waters. They should sit in a shallow tray with about an inch of one of the waters mentioned. They also need a dormancy period in the winter months. about 40 degrees F. is perfect. It gets too cold here so I put mine in the fridge.

Tom

Hello everyone and does anyone here have any sundews to share with me?I sure would love to try to grow them?Thank you

checking to see if anyhone answer my post but so sad no one has so thought I would update maybe?Anyone have a website that I could order some from or I would pay if someone could share with me too?Thanks a lot Rita

http://cobraplant.com/index.php

http://www.californiacarnivores.com/

Google is your friend.

Hi guys !
this is lots of information,
i went away for w couple of weeks to jamaica, and someone was taking care of my fish, but htye died. (its realy sad, i liked them )
but i decided to turn the tank (10 gallon) into a carnivorous terrarium. I know how to start it and all the stuff but heres my problem : how to i feed them insects, im afraid (once i get it going) that if i put a bug in there it will make a home in there and start eating and killing the plants. how do i make sure that they get the bugs, with out damaging there enviornment.
also: what plants do you recomend ?



ill post pictures when i get it going.
thanks for the help in advance
JB

to the comment below:
you're right, so i edited my post.
Sorry bout that
JB

I don't think you should be posting it, it might infringe copywrite laws. besides, it woudln't be fair to them

thank you kenny

Does anyone out there have any pitcher plants starts they would share with me? Thank you

Hi,
I just got my first Pitcher plant but have little idea on how to care for it proper. I live in lousiana in its been VERY hot, up to 110 with little rain...I have been collecting the condensation from my AC to water it because I know that tap water builds up minerals but here is my problem I have noticed that when I got it I had over 10 full size adult pitchers and now all but one have dried up and turned brown,should i trim those off I checked my water levels in the pitchers and they were fine and it was in an area of my yard that it got filted sun..what did I do wrong...should i bring it inside for a while because of the heat, any help is welcomed.

samantha

Keep it outside in full Sun and make sure it is setting in a tray of rain of distilled water. Don't worry about water level in the pitchers. If the pitchers are totally dried and dead you can cut them off.

Rita...a little patience and a little looking on both our parts and I think we could find plants and share costs. I'd be happy to.
As to who asked about feeding insects to insectivores, plenty of insects are safe to feed, they either drown and digest, or are digested quickly by acid in the "pitcher" or reservoir. A little research will ease your concerns. I'm ready to attempt carnivorous plants, so I'll do some research when Im not busy with other fav's (succulents, vegetables, edible and ornamental peppers and, fanatically addicted OCD personality, tomatoes. And cherries and peaches.

There is no need to feed them. They get the majority of their food from sunlight. Insects are like desert. Put them outside and they'll get insects.

I just remembered, JimmyV, jimmy vaughn, has an interest in carnivorous plants, it would be worth your time to contact him.

Insects are their nitrogen source, they may not need much, but they need some. Besides, everyone likes a little dessert sometimes!
Key Lime pie sounds good about now!

sounds good to me peppereater? So sorry have not been on to much some personel problems. Just let me know friend and many thanks too.

I live in Tx,, I CANNOT put Pitcher plants in full sun here it's too hot and the leaves burn up very quickly,, I have mine in dappled sun and when it isn't raining,, I used distilled water or at least make sure any bought water from the store was processed through reversed osmosis. Insects will go into the pitchers and will be ingested by the pitchers,, THAT is their FOOD source. They need to be feed naturally to keep living,, if they were in a natural environment the same thing would occur in Bogs,, or highlands or low lands.( depending on your specie.and where it comes from, but they all ingest some kind of proteins, IE insects/ bugs,crickets etc.
Some large ones( pitchers) will even ingest gecko's or other similar subjects of entrapment.
The more an insect struggles to get out the more sticky secretion the inside of the pitcher produces therefore never letting the food source out of the pitcher.
as far as Inside,,
In the winter I bring my pitchers inside.
Once a month I go to the Petstore and purchase baby crickets to feed the pitchers,, I 1/2 freeze them * about 10 minutes in Deep freeze*, so it's easier to grab them and put in the pitcher,, You have to be quick about it, as soon as they are in room temp they "wake UP" so you only have seconds to grab and feed, this supplies the pitchers during the winter months.
I don't suggest Placing a pitcher in Full sun above 70-85 degrees especially in southern states,, where intensity of the sun is just too much above 85*
Tho there are carnivore plant naturally growing in southern states they most likely are found in Bogs where there is some shade.

Appleblossom,
Are you talking about Sarracenia or Nepenthes? If Nepenthes then I agree. If Sarrs, I disagree.

either /or I've had Both & both cannot handle our hot dry condition here in TX,, I know and Jimmy knows we've both had them and have work and work and experimented for a few years now , Most carnir' suffer from extreme changes of Humidity more so then temps,, But living here in 105* heat index 111* just doesn't help at all.
Maybe NY temps and conditions differ from our's but from what we've experienced here, it just doesn't work placing outside in Full sun with out enough rain and some shade at least dappled shade. when temps fall in the fall I then place them further into the sun but until then they stay in dappled sun for protection and they do well,, So It works for me and if I ain't broke I'm not gonna fix it,,

I agree with Diane 100% here is what happens with a day of sun in Texas



To say7 the least they will not live in direct sun no matter who tells you so. PM me I will send you links fir DaRLINGINGTON CALIFORINACA (cobra plant I cannot post here.

That is an Nepenthes and no, they can't take sun at all. Bright shade only. Sarracenia can however go in the Sun all day as I previously said.

okie dokie Tom, :wink:
Good discussion on this topic,, I like seeing different views and pictures, and reading differing opinions,, That's what keep this forum going and keeps it interesting.
Do you have any pictures of your carnivore's Tom you'd like to share?

Sure! Here's a few pics!

If you wake up ingested don't say I didn't warn you.

Great flowers.

WOWWWWWW Awesome Tom,, the last picture is beautiful thanks for sharing!

Jimmy has some of those I believe not sure tho I can't remember what kind he has,, I hope he comes back here and see yours

The last photo is a Purpurea.

awesome pic's AND awesome plants, tomr.

Thanks Cricket! They are really fun to grow.

Tom those are very pretty. I had a bunch but the sun and high heat here combined and I lost them. going to get some at a later date after I am through with the doctors no sense in getting things I wont be able to care for.

I was wondering how large the fly traps get in door?
It would be a sight to see a giant monster on the kitchen table!
large is good but strange is better!

First of all they will not do well indoors. They need a dormant period of 3-4 months in the winter and FULL Sun during the growing season ALL day.

Size depends on the variety. Some get a few inches tall.

WOW Tom, your plants are beautiful! I don't know how I missed your pictures before.

Tell me, since you live quite close to me, how do you overwinter yours - in what kind of setting - light? temperature? What kind of water do you use? I have 2 Sarraceia Dana's Delight that I got on Mother's Day last year. They summered outside on a shelf in our pond with all day direct sun, and only really started growing in the fall. I brought them indoors where they get morning direct sun, and a constant temperature around 65-67*. They are still growing.

I only use water from the pond to keep them moist - I had read not to use tap water, so we bottled up quite a bit to use over the winter. Is this really necessary? Also, I read that they need a dormant period so they will flower, but if I don't care about the flowering do I still need to let them go dormant? I really enjoy seeing them in this room while I am on my computer.

Mine stay outside until close to first frost then they get bagged in zip lock bags and put in the fridge until late Feb./early March. Then they go in South and west windows.

On the sarrs I cut all the foliage off before bagging. During the growing season they get rainwater or distilled water if I'm out of rainwater (rare).

Thanks Tom. Not sure we have room in the fridge for plnats, as we only have the one fridge.

Where do you get your carnivorous plants? Do you buy the locally or order online?

I get mine from Sarracenia Northwest, a few locally (Lowes).

Thanks again, Tom. I will look into Sarracenia Northwest. I'm not sure the pond store where my husband bought my 2 Dana's Delights will be in business this year. They were totally under water from a nearby river flooding twice last year and suffered great damage.