# Some Photos From My Carnivorous Plant Terrarium



## parvi_17 (Oct 29, 2008)

It's been some time since I've posted photos of my carnivores. I have given some away, killed some (), and gotten some new ones, but for now I have to keep them few in number because my terrarium is quite small. I've found that simply putting the pots in trays/saucers of RO water in one of these makes them the happiest (I have tried several other methods, none of which worked that great). In this set-up they get the humidity, temperature, and moisture they seem to prefer. Here are a few of the plants in the terrarium:

Here is my Cephalotus follicularis. It is a very small seedling, the whole plant about 2" across. It is, however, growing quite vigorously, having doubled in size since I got it a couple months ago. Unfortunately the nice red color it once had has faded due to my fluorescent lighting... I'll have to figure this out somehow. Likely I'll try growing it under HID lights.




Here is my typical Dionaea muscipula, which in contrast to the Cephalotus shows good coloration under the same lighting. This trap had a recent meal.




Many of these plants are beginning to show signs of impending dormancy. This is the same plant as above, but a different leaf. As the plant prepares for winter, it begins to form smaller and smaller traps with larger petioles. This leaf has jagged edges on the petiole, as if it half-developed into a trap!




Here is my Sarracenia psittacina, my favorite Sarracenia species asfter S. leucophylla. It is also beginning to form smaller leaves.








Drosera capensis.




Last but not least, Nepenthes viking. I think this is a species, but maybe a hybrid? There is little information about it. This is a young plant in a 4" pot, growing quite happily. I really like it, and hope it doesn't become a monster too quickly (I need to come up with a bigger unit for it).








Thanks for looking!

Joe


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## KyushuCalanthe (Oct 29, 2008)

Very cool shop of horrors Joe! What light do you give them? Their purple pigmentation is quite nice - something I've only seen in sunlight.


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## paphioboy (Oct 29, 2008)

Nice growing in a terrarium...  BTW, nep viking is actually Nep globosa 'viking'... It takes quite a lot of light to attain full red colouration...


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## parvi_17 (Oct 30, 2008)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Very cool shop of horrors Joe! What light do you give them? Their purple pigmentation is quite nice - something I've only seen in sunlight.



Thanks! These all grow under fluorescent lighting. As I noted, the Cephalotus has lost the pigmentation, but indeed the others appear to appreciate the lighting. The Cephalotus must like more light. I am surprised the Sarracenia has kept its color.


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## parvi_17 (Oct 30, 2008)

paphioboy said:


> Nice growing in a terrarium...  BTW, nep viking is actually Nep globosa 'viking'... It takes quite a lot of light to attain full red colouration...



Thanks so much for the ID! This is something I have wondered about for a while. I looked up some pictures of the full red coloration and it is striking! I will have to try to give it more light.


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## Kevin (Oct 30, 2008)

Wow! You have a Cephalotus?! Where did you get it? I see a Kheens tag there - is that where you got most of yours? Hawaiian Botanicals is another great source.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Oct 30, 2008)

Cool! What will you do with them when they are dormant? Do they have to go into the fridge and if so, for how long? (sorry if these are dumb questions; I really don't know, and I am growing several of these myself for the first time).


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## Kevin (Oct 30, 2008)

Which ones do you have? Some go dormant, some don't. I'm getting mine into dormancy right now.


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## NYEric (Oct 30, 2008)

Not into these yet! Thanx for posting.


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## goldenrose (Oct 30, 2008)

NYEric said:


> Not into these yet! Thanx for posting.


Give it time!


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## parvi_17 (Oct 30, 2008)

Kevin said:


> Wow! You have a Cephalotus?! Where did you get it? I see a Kheens tag there - is that where you got most of yours? Hawaiian Botanicals is another great source.



Yes I get most of mine from Kheen's and that is also where I got my Cephalotus from.


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## parvi_17 (Oct 30, 2008)

Yoyo_Jo said:


> Cool! What will you do with them when they are dormant? Do they have to go into the fridge and if so, for how long? (sorry if these are dumb questions; I really don't know, and I am growing several of these myself for the first time).



When they go dormant they will go in the crisper drawer in the fridge with vented Ziplocs for 2-3 months. Southern plants require a shorter dormancy than northern ones. Only the temperate ones require dormancy; my Cephalotus and Nepenthes do not require dormancy because they are tropical-subtropical.


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## SlipperFan (Oct 30, 2008)

Amazing plants.


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## biothanasis (Oct 30, 2008)

Great all of them! Thanks


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## NYEric (Oct 31, 2008)

Why vent the ziplocs?


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## goldenrose (Oct 31, 2008)

mold???


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## NYEric (Oct 31, 2008)

Then why put them in ziplocks!? Vented [open] bags dont prevent mold. Are plastic bags a valuable comodity in Edmonton!?


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## parvi_17 (Oct 31, 2008)

NYEric said:


> Then why put them in ziplocks!? Vented [open] bags dont prevent mold. Are plastic bags a valuable comodity in Edmonton!?



I do use the vented Ziplocs to prevent mold. I have found that these bags help to keep the plants inside them from becoming bone-dry, but without holes they quickly mold. I still check them every week in case a little forms (which does occasionally happen) and remove any I find. I don't use plastic bags because they are usually opaque which I don't like. I have been known to use clear plastic bags that aren't Ziploc, but usually don't have any.


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## NYEric (Oct 31, 2008)

Ummm, I know some mold is on the plants before you put them in there, but by venting doesn't that leave another way for mold to get in?


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## parvi_17 (Oct 31, 2008)

NYEric said:


> Ummm, I know some mold is on the plants before you put them in there, but by venting doesn't that leave another way for mold to get in?



It does (which is why this method isn't 100% foolproof and I still get some), but all I do is prick some holes into the plastic to allow for air to move in and out of the bag, which helps prevent all kinds of fungal and bacterial growth that could occur in a cool, 100% humidity environment, from previously-landed (and newly-landed) spores, etc. I don't leave HUGE gaps or anything to invite a ton of airborne microbes in. For me, this method has worked reasonably well. It's not like I sat and thought this up from some long thought process; I read a bit about it and tried a couple things out, and so far this is what's worked the best for me. Who knows, maybe I'll end up doing something entirely different in the future.


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## Kevin (Oct 31, 2008)

I've used this method - a sealed ziploc bag in the fridge, and it has worked pretty good. I don't put any CPs in the fridge though - only seeds that need to be stratified. I do put some orchids like Cyps and whatever isn't hardy here. I have a cool room to store all non-hardy cool growing plants, and I probably don't need to put any in the fridge.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Nov 8, 2008)

Thanks for the info on dormancy Parvi.

I've got a couple of Dionaea muscipula, a Sarracenia purpurea, both which I think need dormancy. I've also got a Dorsera paradoxa, which I think is tropical, and a Drosera venusta which I'm not sure about.


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