Expert: Christopher Littrell - 2/16/2008

Question
Hello. I have recently purchased a pot that is kind of like three smallish pots joined together on the bottom with a fourth situated on the top. It is well-secured together and I cannot remove any of the pots. Each pot has a free-draining hole, including the one on the top. It does not drain onto any other pot.
I want to plant four carnivorous plants in it. I have a drosera capensis, drosera filiformis, cephalotus and utricularia livida, and I was wondering, considering that they'd have to go through dormancy if they were planted together, would it be alright to plant them together like this? Could the cephalotus, capensis and utric survive the winter dormancy of the filiformis? If I can which pots should I plant them in? The top pot is completely free-draining, so the water will drip out, while the bottom three could be placed in a saucer to suck up water. Which order would be best?

Answer
Hello Katherine,

All of the plants you mentioned have different needs that might not be provided by planting them together like you are thinking of doing. Drosera filiformis often has winter dormancy down to near freezing temperatures for 3-4 months in zones 8-9 North America.

Drosera capensis could potentially survive such temperature ranges, however; is even better off if it is grown as a tropical indoors in a sunny window during the winter months. If allowed to experience near freezing temperatures, it will die back and the roots will usually suvive until warm weather returns.

Utricularia livida is also a sub-tropical plant that might be able to handle cool temperatures but is best grown as a tropical. Keep that one indoors during winter for best results.

The Cephalotus follicularis would like the top pot as it does require good drainage and no tray underneath as it can easily succumb to root rot. They also are a sub-tropical plant that does have a winter rest in temperatures that drop to about 60 or so. Anything much lower than that would not be advisable.

I would pot each separately and place them with plants that require similar environments.

Christopher