My Carnivores II

Continuing from last week, these are my “tropical” carnivores. That being said, none of these plants are temperate, but only two of these are truly tropical. One of which doesn't like hot weather. They can be a tad bit temperamental when it comes to conditions.

None of these plants like full sun. Many of them live in environments where they get bright filtered light or dappled sunlight all day. This presents a problem for temperate growers (like myself, living in Oregon), it will be alittle more difficult to keep them happy and healthy, especially in winter. I personally recommend a setup recommended by Sarracenia Northwest for winter months:

Get a 10 gallon fish aquarium and a two tube shoplight fixture capable of doing 40 Watts; get the appropriate 40W bulbs and put them on a timer for about 12 hours of light a day. Set it on top of the aquarium and place plants in and around it. For us it's been really really useful, but I'll talk about placement when we get to the individual plants. If you do want to go for the natural light, south windows are excellent year round.

Sundew (Drosera sp.)

 

Tropical sundew care is fairly similar to it's temperate cousin, the major difference being temperature. It prefers warmer conditions. It should be grown as a houseplant. Don't let it get below 55°F. It should also be in standing water like the Sarracenias. I've noticed that mine likes having its leaves clipped as they die back (made apparent by their lack of “dew”). Really, these are very easy plants. My cousin, Michael, has a temperate sundew, its care is nearly identical, the major difference being directness of light and the ability to overwinter. Sundews, like I've mentioned before, are great bug catchers. Having one indoors has been nice, it's constantly catching little gnats and fruit flies. If you have an appropriate window, they'll enjoy about 4 hours of direct sun, and bright light for the rest of the day. I currently am using the shoplight for it and all of my tropicals (since my apartment doesn't have adequate light during winter) and it is happy as a clam, or at least as cheerful as a sundew. I have it placed about a foot from my light and it seems to really enjoy it.

Butterworts (Pinguicula sp.)

Tropical butterworts are primarily native to Mexico and they are absolutely beautiful plants. They come in many different sizes and shapes, with varying leaf color which changes based on how much light they receive. They also have absolutely beautiful flowers ranging in color from purple to red to pink. They don't like to be in standing water, much like their temperate relatives, preferring to be in moist soil, not soaked soil. They have the same light requirements as the sundew, as well as placement if you desire to use the shoplight. They, likewise, are excellent bug catchers. They can survive hard water (greater than 50 ppm), but soft water is fine as well.

Cephalotus Follicularis

Cephalotus are native to Australia, their habitat being similar to the central California coast. They are pitcher plants, however they aren't related to Nepenthes. They grow low to the ground and form hairy, tubby pitchers that turn deep burgundy in the right light conditions. They do not like standing water, preferring to have moist soil, like the butterworts. Light requirements are the same as the other two preceding, as well as placement for shoplights. Something important to note is their dislike of warm soil. If you go the natural light route, you should place their pot into a larger ceramic pot with an airgap. This will help prevent their roots from overheating. All of these plants should remain in an environment where the air temperature is above 55°F, otherwise they will get cranky very fast. These are also slow growers, be prepared for that.

Nepenthes sp.

Nepenthes are my favorite plants in the whole wide world. There is something about them that just entrances me. Whenever I visit Sarracenia Northwest, I love visiting their Nepenthes greenhouse. They are beautiful plants and wonderful bug catchers. They are also one of the few carnivores aside from butterworts that have some tolerance to hard water. That being said, you should still use less than 50 pmm water for this and all of these plants. I've always has some difficulty with the proper light requirements for Nepenthes, however, they do like the shop light for winter growing. During brighter months, 4 hours of direct light and very bright or dappled light for the rest of the day works. Conversely, having them in very bright filtered light is great if you have the right setup for it. Something else to know about Nepenthes, most of them get rather large. An average of about 2 feet tall, though there are smaller and much larger species. Eventually, most won't fit under a shop light. While they fit, 8 inches to 1 foot is good. Feel it out, the plant will let you know when it's too close or two far from the light.

Heliamphora sp.

Heliamphora are rare tropical pitcher plants that are native to Ecuador. They live in conditions that have little to no fluctuations in light levels, temperature, or water amount year round. They are, perhaps, the most difficult carnivorous plant to grow. This is the reason that I have a timed shop light set up, it is for this plant and this plant only. I have all of the tropicals under it, but it really for our Heliamphora. 12 hours of light, starting and ending at the same time every day, temperature between 65-75°F, always, and constantly moist soil. Keep them about a foot from the light. If you're up for a challenge, these are for you. And there is something so satisfying about seeing a new pitcher opening. A very hard plant to grow, but very rewarding. I should mention that they can tolerate temperatures above 75, but they start growing very slowly.

There you have it! This ends my indulgent posts about my plants (for now). I hope that if you've ever been inclined to grow carnivores that this can be a nice reference guide. I love my carnivores. They are all beautiful and unique. If you want an interesting conversation piece, love exotic plants, or just want to have something a little different, I highly recommend them.



Sarracenia Northwest care sheets:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets?zenid=40rd7t5bnb89vcb83un2km3fl3

A wonderful society for those that have the carnivore bug:
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/


Next week: More politics as I present my opinion on the genetic manipulation of food.

All the photos here are mine, except where noted. They are all under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.