Carnivorous Plants

*Never use fertilizers or soils with minerals, salts or anything added (NO Miracle-Gro)

Venus Flytrap/ Sarracenia care: These plants enjoy full sun to part shade and are best grown outdoors for long term success. They are native to North America meaning that they can tolerate a larger range of temperatures. Never allow the pot to dry out; the soil must stay moist at all times. The best way to do this is using the ‘tray method’. Simply put, have the pot sit in a tray that is always about ½” deep with water. Do not use tap or well water, these sources can be high in ‘total dissolved solids (tds). Instead use rain, reverse-osmosis (RO), or distilled (not spring water).  Dormancy is important. Do not allow pot to freeze but a cold spell of temperatures around 35°F for around 3 months is beneficial. If you are in an area with mild winters, you can leave the plant outside in a pot with no issues (bring inside if there is a hard freeze). You can also plant the flytrap/sarracenia in the soil and protect with a thick layer of pine needles or burlap. If you live in an area with long frigid winters, you can leave the flytrap or sarracenia in an unheated garage/mudroom on a windowsill. During dormancy the flytrap will produce smaller, more compact traps that hug the soil. These traps will be lethargic and will trigger slowly or not at all. When temperatures warm up during spring, the plants will replace their winter traps with full sized, robust traps. Late winter to early spring is the best time to repot flytraps and sarracenias (whenever they are just ending their dormancy). When repotting choose a soil free from fertilizers, minerals, salts, pH balancers, wetting agents, ect (I would avoid all MiracleGro products)  *Never touch the inside of or feed the traps “people food” such as ground meat. These plants are masters at catching insects such as spiders, and flies. It’s important to remember that traps are modified leaves so it is normal for old traps to die and new ones to grow. Individual traps will only trigger a finite number of times before they will no long function and die.

Drosera Care: Sundews do best in partial shade to full sun. They are well suited for growing on window ledges or outdoors during warm months. They must be watered with non-chlorinated water preferably with a low TDS (between 0 and 25ppm). You can use rain water, RO or distilled. Allow to dry slightly but not completely in between waterings. When watering, place plants in a tray and pour water in tray about 1/2” (referred to as the tray method). Avoid watering the crown of the plant. Temperature should be maintained between 60°F and 85°F. They are not too particular about humidity requirements. If your Drosera has little to no dew, increase light. They generally do well in open terrariums. *Filiformis, binata and intermedia will die back during the winter to form a “winter bud”. In the spring it will ‘wake up’ and begin producing leaves again.

Nepenthes care: We primarily focus on Lowland/ Intermediate species/ varieties. These particular Nepenthes do well with bright, indirect sunlight. We grow ours under 50% shade cloth. You will know if they are receiving adequate light when the leaves take on an orange to red tint. If the leaves go deep red then the plant is getting too much sun. They must be kept moist at all times using de-chlorinated water preferably with a low TDS (rain water, RO or distilled works well). A night time drop in temperatures for most nepenthes but it only required for high-landers. They do best with daytime temperatures in the 70-80°F with a 10° drop at night. Do not allow the temperature to fall below 60°F though. They prefer a humidity of 60% or more. If you cannot achieve a high humidity, mist the plant as needed paying special attention to developing tendrils and pitchers.  *If the insides of the pitchers are dry when you receive it, place a bit of distilled/rainwater in each one. It will prevent it from drying out until it starts producing again.

Pinguicula Care:  It is best to offer extra humidity once you receive and repot the plant. This will help to ensure acclimation. Butterworts do best in partial shade with bright indirect light. They are well suited for growing on window ledges or outdoors during warm months. They must be watered with non-chlorinated water preferably with a low TDS (between 0 and 25ppm). You can use rain water, RO or distilled. They do not like to dry out but do occasionally tolerate being flooded. When watering, place plants in a tray and pour water in tray until it is at least ½ way up the pot (referred to as the tray method). Primuliflora have shallow root systems and need to have access to plenty of water. Try to avoid watering the crown of the plant. Temperature should be maintained between 50°F and 85°F. They can survive lower temperatures but will cease to grow until temperatures are warmer. They generally do well in open terrariums.

Cephalotus care: Cephalotus are petite, low growing pitcher plants native to Australia. They are found only in a small area along the Western coastline on rocky cliffs. They have a reputation for being difficult to keep but they are actually quite easy when you know what they prefer. They can tolerate a wide range of light. We tend to keep ours in near full sun to maintain their nice red coloration but they will also do well in lower light conditions and even under grow lights. Like all carnivorous plants, they need rain, RO, or distilled water (or low TDS tap water). You may top water them or water from the bottom but they DO NOT like to sit in water constantly as they are not bog plants. We like to water them from the top until the water drains out of the holes in the bottom of the pot and the soil is moist. You can also set the pot in a tray of water until the plant has soaked up what it can (approximately 5 mins) but remember to remove the plant from the tray and let the excess water drain out (as too much water can rot the roots). They do not like their roots disturbed so take care to be gentle when repotting and only repot once the plant has filled it’s current pot. We use our peat blend when potting Cephalotus. They are not picky about humidity. They can, also, withstand a wide range of temperatures. We like to keep ours between 50F in the winter and 82F in the summer.