Yesterday was the opening ceremony of the Horticultural Society of Pakistan's flower show 2014 - Yes, I have a lot of pictures, so I soon will be uploading them all in a different thread over here... Anyway, I yesterday got this beautiful Venus Flytrap! However now I have no idea on how to take care of it, or how to propagate it. The instructions that came with it only say: "Venus Flytrap CARE: This bogplant likes much light - place pot in a saucer with always 0.5 centimeter of water - prefers rainwater - do not apply fertiliser - keep plant cool during winter - never make the trap shut in an artificial way." Now I have done exactly what it says, I even placed a bottom of a glass petri dish under the pot - And have even filled it 0.5 cm of rain water (yes I do collect rainwater whenever I can). It like much light, so does that mean direct sunlight? Or just a well lit place in shade? Also, is that moss growing in the pot with this plant? If so then what do I do about that? Is it vital to the plant? We here have no moss of any type in nature. So how do I take care of it? Venus Flytrap ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Venus Flytrap with moss ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Now that's a cool plant. Always wanted one, but they always seemed a bit expensive around here. And I have no idea where to keep it in winter. Enjoy it! It will bloom, it looks like. Maybe you will have seeds that you could try to germinate. I tried, and failed. Twice.
Venus flytraps are native to bogs and swamps in North and South Carolina, USA. Because of a lack of nutrients in their native soil, they have developed the ability to extract it from unsuspecting wildlife that ventures too close to the plant's attractive traps. A generous supply of sunlight, in excess of 4 hours will go a long way to keeping your plant happy, the brighter the better. Living in a pot of nutrient poor acidic soil like Perlite and moss is an ideal medium and your plant will also appreciate your local high humidity from March to November. The plants thirst can be quenched with mineral free water, either rain water or distilled, never tap water. The occasional victim of a flyswatter can benefit both your plant and your curiosity for the plants unique activity. Enjoy your plant, Great pictures, Jerry
It reseeds itself very easily. I will go out to the greenhouse to see if mine is still there and take a picture of it for you. I keep it in a 'little' tea pot, with hole drilled in bottom. It always has little babies in it. Like allot. It has little bulb like thingies underground. Here, sometimes it goes to rest a little and sometimes the parent dies and the babies survive. Maybe the moss is live Sphagnum Moss, It's hard to tell. That's what they usually put them in. It's usually dried and cleaned but maybe in your neck of the woods they do it differently. I have grown my own Sphagnum but it's hard to find live here.
Now I've just returned from the Flower Show once more - And this time I bought this Pitcher Plant. Unfortunately, this one came with no instructions whatsoever... Both plants, the Venus Flytrap as well as this Pitcher Plant - Are planted in coco peat. That anyway is what the man told me, which thankfully is available here. I was told that our soil is very salty, so planting any of these plants in our soil will kill them. And as Jerry too suggested, either give it rainwater, or distilled water. It's been almost a year and a half since we had any rain here - So I have only 28 liters stored. However I can thankfully distil water on my own, at home. Anyhow, I was told that I am also to put water in the plant's pitcher too. So, like, is this correct??? Pitcher Plant 1 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Pitcher Plant 2 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Those are very nice looking plants S-H. Good luck on keeping them alive. Follow Jerry's advice and hopefully you will do a much better job than me. I seem to always kill them, but I never did anything other than follow the very basic instructions on the tag and evidently that wasn't good enough. I think humidity is very important, though.
Oh my mistake I have Sundew in that tea pot. Sundew in teapot Sundew These plants all take an extreme amount of moisture. Spray, spray, spray.....
With over 130 species in the Nepenthes genus this info will be generalized. Your plant looks to be in the Nepenthes genus and so is native to South Asia. Knowing the plants origin helps to determine if it needs cool nights. Divided into upland and lowland species they differ in the night time temperatures they experience. In either case the plant will not like temperatures below 40°F/4.5C. As for sunlight, they require bright sunlight. If the leaves turn bright yellow, you have a lowland species that grows lower in trees and needs filtered light. If the leaves darken it is the species that grows high in the forest canopy. In their native habitat these epiphytes are known as climbing pitcher plants. You can save some of your 28 liters of rainwater as the pitcher plants are not as fussy about minerals in their water as the Venus fly trap. Their soil needs to be damp but not soggy. A mixture of nutrient poor soil, the plant has its nutrients delivered, will keep it happy. Speaking of home delivery the plant needs only capture a couple of insects a month so you will not need not 'fatten' it up. The plant will not like table scraps. The 'water' in the pitcher is often a diluted solution of rainwater and elastic polymers of the plants own making that aid in the digestion of unfortunate insects that take the one way trip down into the pitcher. Have fun with your plants, I sure would not want to be a fly on your wall. :-( Jerry
Thank you all! Yes, I too hope that these plant do well, as they really are the costliest horticultural purchases I have ever made... So far they both seem to be doing fine. The pitcher plant has grown a little too (in less than 24 hours)! And I really can't wait for the Venus Flytrap to flower. I by the way am only going to use rainwater for them. And when I run out, I will start distilling tap water at home (I already have all the basic labware). The chamber of secrets ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) The person selling these plants told me that after the Venus Flytrap starts flowering, I will also get seeds! So that's when the real fun will start! Because they will make for a wonderful gifting commodity (that the recipient will remember for a very long time)! But as for propagating the pitcher plant - Well, the man told me that it will (from time to time) automatically sprout a younger plant from it's roots. So I'll just have to separate it carefully, and plant in a new container (filled with coco peat). Propagating Moss however is a real challenge - As I've never done that, simply because we don't have any type of Moss in nature over here. We just don't... Have only got you guys and Google to guide me on this. And Jerry you are 100% correct about the Pitcher Plant. All exotic plants come here from Southeast Asia. Mainly from the rainforests of Malaysia, Indonesia, And Thailand too. Even the Venus Flytrap (although a native of North and South Carolina USA) - Is however commercially cultivated in Southeast Asia. And yes, I am keeping them humid at all times. One question though: Are these plants big enough to be given insects? I really suspect that the Venus Flytrap is too young for that, so doing this right now may do more harm then good. The Pitcher Plant I am sure can take 1 fly (2 at the most). But right now I have a lot of tiny young caterpillars attacking my Grapefruit tree. They are about the same size as flies. So will they do instead? I think they will have more nutrients than an ordinary fly. Of course, I do not want to give it to them alive. So will probably cut them with a blade. Of course, common sense really needs to be applied here. So I won't feed any insects that have been killed by insecticide, nor any collected from a bug zapper (as they would have been roasted to a crisp). Nor would it be polite to share my burgers or pizzas with these plants...
What do you know? The Pitcher Plant has started catching mosquitoes on it's own! Pitcher Plant digesting mosquitoes! ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Isn't that cool???? I had one like that and I left it outside in the Summer. Sometimes I had to fill it but most of the time rain or me watering it kept it filled.
Just love those tasty mosquitoes. Now you can put a sign on your door. THIS HOUSE PROTECTED BY GUARD PLANTS - MOSQUITOES BEWARE!! Jerry
