# Carnivorous Plants & Confusion



## silence882 (Jul 21, 2006)

My new equilibrio carnivourous plants came today! ... Now what?

Will the plant fairy take care of them for me?

If not, what the *&^% do I do? Could anyone recommend a website with good cultural advice for the various genera? I'm trying not to ask a new version of the question I hate most... "I have an orchid, how do I take care of it?"

One specific question, though: How deeply should the Nepenthes be planted? The base seems to be sitting up a little high in its pot.

They are (from top left):
Drosera roraima
Sarracenia x Dana's Delight
Utricularia ssp.
Pinguicula agnata
Drosera spatulata
Nepenthes ventricosa







--Stephen


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## adiaphane (Jul 21, 2006)

http://www.sarracenia.com/cp.html
Play around with that one, it links to some helpful places. The guy is funny and he covers various different kinds (not much on nepenthes).

There is a book I remember being fairly good: The Savage Garden. Check that out.

and another site
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/
International Carnivorous Plant Society or something like that.

I don't have a nepenthes so I can't help you too much there. Don't they tend to creep out of the pot anyway since they're vines? I don't know. Sorry I can't be more helpful.


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## lienluu (Jul 21, 2006)

the Sarracenia looks so nice!


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## kentuckiense (Jul 21, 2006)

I've never had a plant as fussy as a Ping.


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## silence882 (Jul 21, 2006)

Scratch that 'Drosera roraimae'... I am reasonably sure it is mistagged and should be Dionaea muscipila.

Thanks for the links, they've been very much helpful. I think now I have figured out how to make it so that the plants take slightly longer to die...

--Stephen


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## Heather (Jul 21, 2006)

The only advice I have is don't repot them. My ping is fine as long as I don't look at it too long, and certainly don't touch it! 

They look nice - I too like the Sarracenia.


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## Jon in SW Ohio (Jul 21, 2006)

High humidity, medium or bright light depending on species, and RO/Distilled water.

Jon
________
INDIAN COOKING


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## Paphman910 (Jul 21, 2006)

Your Nepenthes ventricosa is a highland species and prefer bright light and intermediate conditions. Apparently it is an easy species to grow. You should do a google on this this species to find culture info.

Paphman910


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## silence882 (Jul 22, 2006)

Thanks for the tips!

I found a nice website with lots of advice:
http://www.cobraplant.com/grow-carnivorous-plants.html

--Stephen


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## lienluu (Jul 22, 2006)

silence882 said:


> Thanks for the tips!
> 
> I found a nice website with lots of advice:
> http://www.cobraplant.com/grow-carnivorous-plants.html
> ...



I just placed an order there earlier yesterday! They have some neat Mexican Ping species available in the fall that I want to order.


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## Heather (Jul 22, 2006)

Lien, what else did you get? 
I love that ping you were showing me earlier....


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jul 22, 2006)

Sarracenias and Venus fly traps will do very well in an outdoor bog garden, at least here in lower NY (Z. 7)..as long as they are mulched with evergreen branches over the winter. Drosera's are great indoors as well as outdoors, and Nepenthes are great to, but they can get really rangy...and I've never had luck growing their cuttings. Take care, Eric


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## silence882 (Jul 23, 2006)

Hrm well I was hoping to keep the plants indoors to eat fungus gnats.

Based on the stuff I read on the net, I have these four sitting in a saucer of water:
Dionaea muscipila
Sarracenia x Dana's Delight
Utricularia ssp.
Drosera spatulata

Any advice on how often I should water these two?:
Nepenthes ventricosa
Pinguicula agnata

Thanks!

--Stephen


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## eOrchids (Jul 27, 2006)

hey Stephan,
congrats on the new CP.

As for watering, i would water the N. Ventricosa at least once a week. P. Agnata, I would water at least twice a week. 

hope this helps.


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## silence882 (Oct 22, 2006)

Well the CPs are still alive with winter coming. Is there something I should be doing differently with these 6 during the winter? Watering less or more or....?

--Stephen


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## likespaphs (Oct 22, 2006)

all mine, except the nepenthes, sit in ro water all the time...
do any of your's go dormant in the winter or the summer? i have some that do...didn't know it at first and for some reason didn't throw them away, luckily...
just give 'em good light.


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## the jive turkey (Oct 22, 2006)

Hi Stephen,

Where you live you could be able to grow these outdoors year round and let nature take its course. but if you grow indoors they can go in refrigerator for a few months. keep moist. I don't let them freeze.
Dionaea muscipila = dormant, you can put in refrigerator in a plastic bag or keep outside in cold area.
Sarracenia x Dana's Delight = dormant, you can put in refrigerator in a plastic or outside in cold area. 

Utricularia ssp.= this can be anything; some are temperate, some tropical, and on and on; it depends on what species take picture of plant or flower to id or better yet, ask the nursery.

these guys are tropical
Nepenthes ventricosa = same watering. keep moist + it is recommended that humidity is high at night. I grow my nepenthes in a little water but most people don't.
Pinguicula agnata = water less until this goes succulent in winter. I believe you let them dry out but I don't have personal experience with mexican pings; check this out before you try it: http://www.pinguicula.org/pages/plantes/pinguicula_agnata.htm
Drosera spatulata = same watering. tropical, no dormancy necessary

These should be helpful:
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2462.html
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2460.html


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## silence882 (Oct 24, 2006)

Thanks much for the tips!

I'll stick the dionaea and the sarracenia outside for the winter and keep the others as they are.

--Stephen


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## Jon in SW Ohio (Oct 24, 2006)

Make sure if you overwinter them outside you protect them from deep freezes. I wouldn't just sit the pot on the porch for example. Dig a hole and plant it and mulch it pretty good. You want it to be cold for the winter, but you don't want a pot frozen solid for a few months, it will be mush when it thaws out.

Jon
________
AURION


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## silence882 (Oct 24, 2006)

hrm perhaps the garage will be a happy in-between?

And what about watering? Still sitting in a pot of water? kept dry?

--Stephen


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## Jon in SW Ohio (Oct 24, 2006)

Unheated garage would be perfect IMO. Keep dry, or just barely moist. Cold + soggy = mush.

Jon
________
TIGER BLOOD


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## silence882 (Dec 22, 2006)

More questions...

The Ping agnata is outgrowing its pot and looks to need potting up. What media should it be potted in? Hopefully normal potting soil?

Also, the same is true of the Nepenthes ventricosa. I've read it's a vine, but have no idea about what to pot it in or how to grow it.

Any help would be appreciated,

--Stephen


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## xscd (Dec 22, 2006)

silence882 said:


> More questions...
> The Ping agnata is outgrowing its pot and looks to need potting up. What media should it be potted in? Hopefully normal potting soil?



No, very probably *not*! Please do a little research before potting it--




silence882 said:


> Also, the same is true of the Nepenthes ventricosa. I've read it's a vine, but have no idea about what to pot it in or how to grow it.
> --Stephen



A good source of information would be in the Pinguicula (Butterwort) and nepenthes sections at the following very helpful carnivorous plant forum and community:

http://www.terraforums.com/

Best wishes and good luck,

Steve / xscd


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## MoreWater (Dec 26, 2006)

have you repotted yet? I have my noid mexican ping in equal parts coarse sand and peat. I actually had bad luck with the tray system and use a glass vase with no drainage. It sits under 4 fluor tubes and I water every 2 weeks or so..... I recently moved another mex ping over to it and it's taking off (finally!) California Carnivores says this about the mix: _Warm-temperate varieties do well in a soil of one part peat to one part sand. Mexican and tropical species enjoy a more open mix of equal parts sand, perlite, vermiculite, and peat._

For the nep, several months ago I repotted into a soil-less mix with lots of perlite, some vermiculite, and peat, and they are not really liking it. I'm considering moving them into a mix with chopped long fibre sphag until they get bigger.

Here's a pic of a huge basket at Al's in Leesburg:




and one hanging over water at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park:





And here's a link to the pics I took while visiting California Carnivores (click the photo for the rest of the set):


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## silence882 (Dec 26, 2006)

Thanks much for the advice and the link!

I've not repotted either since I'm still unsure of what media to use. I'm thinking of using Jiffy Pro Mix HP (peat and perlite) for the Ping and my CHC/perlite/charcoal mix for the Nep. I probably should use a bark mix, which is what it's in now, but all my orchids are in CHC and I don't want it to be lonely...

--Stephen


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## MoreWater (Dec 26, 2006)

assuming that the Jiffy Pro Mix is the same kind of thing as the Pro Mix I have, you'll probably need to cut it with lots of perlite or coarse gravel. Check out these links: one and two

Edited to add that I'm not sure if any of the ones in situ on the glasshouse site are agnata, but you get the idea. Sheer rock cliffs, tropical sun, tillies as mates.... (per _Savage Garden_)


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## NYEric (Dec 27, 2006)

Wow. Great photos.


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## silence882 (Dec 27, 2006)

Thanks for the links! I'll dilute the Jiffy Mix with perlite before repotting.

Both plants have been growing like crazy, especially compared to my sluggish slippers.

Here is the Nep ventricosa:










And the Ping agnata:





--Stephen


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