Carnivorous Plants

[sbrofio]

I only have a Sarracenia psittacina (3.5$ - 3€) and a Cephalotus follicularis. I use only pure water: my home water is too rich in limestone (it forms white marks on glasses!!)

[LostInPeru]

Wow thanks for all the replies and information everyone! I am learning more about CPs here than I have on most CP forums lol.

[Paul]

Cps have their own issues which can limit their being grown well or even at all in a home as opposed to those fortunate enough to have a greenhouse or favorable outdoor conditions.

Nepenthes
Many get too large for the average home grower's space if not outright huge.
They require a relatively high humidity and high light if you want pitchers. Something impossible for many folks to do indoors. (Many orchids, such as catts, on the other hand, are quite forgiving of low RH.)

Some of the Sarracenia require a cold winter rest.

Vfts, MUST have a cool/cold dormancy if they are to survive more than a couple years. Not easily done if you live in a tropical clime or the far north where it gets too cold to leave them out.
(Btw, water is actually rather easy, IME. In case you had not tried this ... Make sure to have the vft in a deep pot [6"/15cm or more] -- which is what they want anyway -- and put the pot in a deep saucer/bowl/et cetera. During the heat of summer, especially, water until the water level is around 3"/7.5cm up the side of the pot. When the water is just about gone ... or even is gone but the media is still moist ... water again to achieve the previous water level.)

Many of the Drosera and Pinguicula (butterworts) have require dormancy periods. Without such, they die.

As with orchids, many cps have specific temperature ranges -- cold or intermediate or warm/hot. So another issue is researching to find ones whose temperature requirements you can meet. Pretty much across the board, cps are VERY sensitive to water quality (not unlike Pleurothallids) -- no tap water ... use rain water, distilled water, or RO water.

Now having said that, if you research the needs of the various cps, one may find ones that can do very well in one's particular growing environment. And they are very interesting plants in their own right. Be aware too, that some cps -- especially some neps, are expensive -- making even some of the pricier paphs or other orchids look like a bargain.

I've posted pics in the past of the few cps I have -- some Pinguicula and Drosera. They are indeed "doable" if one wishes to make the effort.

[SlipperGirl]

I love carnivorous plants! I only have two flytraps, two sundews and a bunch of sundew seedlings. I hope to get more in the spring

[Skycat]

I would actually love to have a Sarracenia psittacina, just because of the name. Anything named after parrots is automatically awesome.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Skycat

I would actually love to have a Sarracenia psittacina, just because of the name. Anything named after parrots is automatically awesome.

Do you keep any parrots?

[Skycat]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Do you keep any parrots?

Yep. I have a budgie and a cockatiel.

But I don't want to hijack this thread with bird talk.

[JungleMel]

Originally Posted by Paul

Nepenthes
Many get too large for the average home grower's space if not outright huge.
They require a relatively high humidity and high light if you want pitchers. Something impossible for many folks to do indoors. (Many orchids, such as catts, on the other hand, are quite forgiving of low RH.)

This isn't entirely true, many more tolerant Nepenthes can be grown, and pitcher well in a windowsill. Yes, they do eventually get quite large, but you can prune them and keep them on the shorter side if need be. Nepenthes ventricosa and sanginea are two species that do well in a window and aren't quite as larged leaved as some. Many hybrids can grow fine in normal household relative humidity as well. If you've got a window with a lot of sun, southern or west facing is enough light for them. You also can water them with tap water if you flush the pots regularly with some distilled or RO water. They aren't as sensitive and difficult as made out to be.

That being said, if you're not a fan of giving North american carnivorous plants a dormancy, tropical sundews (Drosera) and butterworts (Pinguicula) can be grown in windowsills easily too, but can be more sensitive to water quality than Nepenthes are.

Edit: here's some of my Nepenthes that did fine in a windowsill
Ok it's only letting me upload one picture, but you get the point

[isurus79]

Y'all might find this thread interesting: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ores-such.html

[My Green Pets]

CPs were my first love and orchids joined them a few years later. My faves are S. leucophylla and S. flava, especially the mature ones with pitchers measuring over a meter in height. Some of the more bizarre Nepenthes (like toilet-shaped lowii) are stunning as well.