Make a mini bog. I've got one in a plastic half barrel I got for $20 at Home Depot. You can put that anywhere, and if you use packing peanuts in the bottom 1/3 of it, it's light enough to drag to another location.
Carnivorous Plants
- Thread starter Sunshine
- Start date
You'll have to explain how to go about setting one up. What all would I need?
The 1/2 barrel I bought is 22" deep. (it's also plastic and is very lightweight.) I don't need 22" of peat/sand/perlite mix, so I bought "green" packing peanuts, and filled the bottom 1/3 of the barrel with them (enclosed in a plastic bag), then put about 1/2" of pea gravel on top of that to keep the peanuts from floating to the top and making a nice little mess.
On top of that, I mixed the peat/sand/perlite soil mix (I always go light on the perlite) and then plant. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the side of the barrel right above the gravel and laid a small piece of window screening over the hole on the inside to prevent soil loss. Sometimes I top-dress with moistened sphagnum moss.
I'll post photos of mine when I get all the pine needles off and do a little pruning this weekend.
So you just water it regularly? Or does it sit in water like it would in my bog?
We get decent rain until early June. I catch rainwater in buckets and strain and keep it for watering CPs (I have more indoors...the CPs outside are temperate). So I mostly use rainwater, or in a pinch, distilled.
You could dechlorinate tap water, but for continuous use, you'd need to be careful about salts. North American pitcher plants can take soggier conditions than VFTs. But in the same bog, you handle that by making a little hilly area to plant the VFTs.
You could dechlorinate tap water, but for continuous use, you'd need to be careful about salts. North American pitcher plants can take soggier conditions than VFTs. But in the same bog, you handle that by making a little hilly area to plant the VFTs.
I've been using bottled water to water it. It's still in the container I bought it in. Just waiting for the nice warm sunny days so I can take it outside.
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2010
- Messages
- 44,967
- Reaction score
- 30,000
- Location
- Frederick, Maryland
- Showcase(s):
- 1
- Hardiness Zone
- 6b
- Country
I use well water, acidic well water. They do like acidic conditions.
taherrmann4
Tmann
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2011
- Messages
- 3,142
- Reaction score
- 703
- Location
- Louisville KY
- Hardiness Zone
- 6
- Country
Depending on they type and how sturdy it is, there is the possibility of it cracking in the winter. I had three of these similar to Sharpchick and they have all split and cracked about halfway down. They weren't very thick so that may be why. Two of them were for pond plants that I filled in the spring and summer with excess pond plants, the other was my try at a carnivorous bog, the plant died in the fall. So now I need to rethink my strategy and try something else or give it another go.
When I read up on my type, it said it can not tolerate long periods of 20* or colder with ice. Here in Ohio, we get colder than that for long periods. So, I would have to put it in the garage or shed for the winter. Now, I want to get a Venus Fly Trap and put with it. Is there any regular plants that you could put in the container with these?
The best book for discussions of CPs is The Savage Garden by Peter D'Amato.
VFTs are temperate CPS and require a winter chilling, as do North American pitchers and some sundews (drosera). But there are also tropical, and semi-tropical CPs, and within the temperate category, cold temperate and warm temperate. In addition, some CPs can withstand being waterlogged, while some cannot.
It's hard to answer your question without going into the level of detail D'Amato does in his book.
You might also look at California Carnivores' website.
VFTs are temperate CPS and require a winter chilling, as do North American pitchers and some sundews (drosera). But there are also tropical, and semi-tropical CPs, and within the temperate category, cold temperate and warm temperate. In addition, some CPs can withstand being waterlogged, while some cannot.
It's hard to answer your question without going into the level of detail D'Amato does in his book.
You might also look at California Carnivores' website.
Sounds complicated .. lol I have seen Sundews in the past at Lowes, but not this year. Maybe I should look at Home Depot. I've had Fly Traps in the past, and can't keep them alive in the winter in the house. I need to read more about these little creatures.
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2010
- Messages
- 44,967
- Reaction score
- 30,000
- Location
- Frederick, Maryland
- Showcase(s):
- 1
- Hardiness Zone
- 6b
- Country
I have sun dews that have survived 4 winters, waiting to see if they come back after this one. The pitcher plants are recovering, showing growth.
From what I have read, pitchers are pretty hardy. We'll see. I will still look for some Sundews.
VFTs need a winter. You can keep them year round in the house, but without giving them the winter dormancy they need, they will eventually die. You have to research the CP you want to see if it will work the way you want to grow it.
They are really just like any other plant. You wouldn't put a cactus in a bog, and that's because you know enough about cactus not to do it. It's the same principle here.