[thedudefresco]

Vfts grow best in full sunlight! They need it to get red colored traps. Soil needs to be kept moist and while most people say they need distilled water I've found they grow fine with tap. They don't need humidity and thrive in a peat perlite mix with some charcoals on the bottom for drainage. Sundews a little more tricky cause they thrive in more humidity, but also do good outside. Easiest and most spectacular to grow, imo, are sarracenia. Grow em with the flytrap soil, use some superthrife super diluted when planting, and watch em take off

[OranguTrump]

Originally Posted by thedudefresco

Vfts grow best in full sunlight! They need it to get red colored traps. Soil needs to be kept moist and while most people say they need distilled water I've found they grow fine with tap. They don't need humidity and thrive in a peat perlite mix with some charcoals on the bottom for drainage. Sundews a little more tricky cause they thrive in more humidity, but also do good outside. Easiest and most spectacular to grow, imo, are sarracenia. Grow em with the flytrap soil, use some superthrife super diluted when planting, and watch em take off

Welcome & thanks for posting - I appreciate it!

[thedudefresco]

A good book is called "the savage garden" by Pete d'mato. He owns California carnivores, a nursery where he grows any carnivorous plant you can imagine. Another resource, a nursery in Oregon, is called "sarracenia northwest." Check em out online. Both propose natural sunlight as the best way to grow them. Seed takes like 3 years to mature but you can get faster results from propagating by splitting the rhizome. If you buy from either of them the plants should be sunlight acclimated but a store bought plant, with the humidity dome, needs to be taken out of the dome immediately and slowly acclimated to outdoor sun.

In winter the plants need dormancy. If you have a cold winter you can leave them outside after trimming them down and reduce watering a little bit. Some people suggest putting the plants in the fridge to artificially induce dormancy and leave them there for the winter. I've had fine results just leaving them outside even though I live in a mild wintered place with no snow. They purportedly grow better with a cold dormancy though. Also, always use untreated SPAGHNUM peat moss. The regular peat moss sometimes has too much nutrients for the plants. Try growing pitcher plants though they are fast, easy, and imo have more appeal to the general pop than the vft and sundew. They are spectacular when flowering

[troutman]

I always like looking at Sundews.

The last bunch I saw were while trout fishing last year. They were growing on a old log
about 40 feet in length that was in the lake by a beaver dam and it was in a shaded spot
with a little moss, slime and grass on it.

The other places I've seen lots is along slow moving creeks on gravel bars that have short
grasses and mosses on them. I don't think they are rare over here. Just that they are so
tiny and most people never looked for them or even know they exist.

Unless you get basically on your knees you won't see them.

I suspect they like very humid environments from where I've seen them.

I bet an aquarium with a gravel/sand bar and some wood with a live mosses would be perfect for them.

The ones on the log look like this internet pic. But the log I saw was more wet.



Hope this helps.

[Hooter]

I have a pitcher plant I have been growing for 25 years. Had a green house grew carnivores and orchids. I have been to California Carnivores many times. They are now located in Santa Rosa. It's totally an amazing place. You can purchase any of carnivorous plant there you. Can also order by mail. Used to get. Special mixes of growing medium there. Fascinating hobby.

[OranguTrump]

Originally Posted by Hooter

I have a pitcher plant I have been growing for 25 years. Had a green house grew carnivores and orchids. I have been to California Carnivores many times. They are now located in Santa Rosa. It's totally an amazing place. You can purchase any of carnivorous plant there you. Can also order by mail. Used to get. Special mixes of growing medium there. Fascinating hobby.

Saracenia are def on my list to try - small tent grow, couldn't give them the space they need. VERY cool plants & so deadly to even small mammals.

Thanks!

[terrapin green]

Dasani water is the best to equalize the nitrates in the soil.

Tap at 68°F a works good.

Nice to see you lend a hand to Mother Earth.

[Hooter]

My pitcher is a Napenthes from Borneo. Able to digest small rodents in its largest form.

[OranguTrump]

Originally Posted by Hooter

My pitcher is a Napenthes from Borneo. Able to digest small rodents in its largest form.

Right, Nepenthes - those are the BIG ones, scary big!

Someday, I hope.

[Hooter]