Growing Guides

An Introduction to Growing Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are rewarding and pretty easy to grow if you follow certain simple rules.

Watering

Most carnivorous plants grow in acidic bogs so you need to keep them consistently wet. Firstly use filtered or rain water as alkaline water can kill them. The best watering method when growing indoors is to use a tray filled to the top with water. You can also use a pot without drainage but it is more effort to keep it watered when growing indoors.

General conditions

Most species do well on a bright windowsill and those which are particularly recommended are Mexican butterworts, sundews, Venus flytraps, trumpet pitchers and Cobra Lillies. Highland Nepenthes does well in a more shaded situation such as those enjoyed by Orchids. For outdoor growing see bogpot

Flowering

It is really rather rewarding seeing the plants flowering, Sundews and Butterworts flower really quite easily and can flower all year round.

Cobra Lilly flower easily so long as you keep them cool and don't allow the flower bud to rot. Trumpet Pitchers need dormancy to flower properly so it may be easier to grow outdoors.

Utricularia Longifolia does quite well on a sunny windowsill.

Formation of traps

Sarracenia produce their brightest coloured pitchers on a windowsill in full sun. Sundews also like full sun so long as you keep them watered. Nepenthes are harder, needing more humidity to grow, however if you grow through an another plant they can do rather well.

Potting on

First you must remember that carnivorous plants are found in peat bogs and so need different compost than you would use for normal house plants (usually peat based).