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Carnivorous Plants/growing plants outside in california

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Expert: - 4/13/2008


Question
Hello,

Hi I live in thousand oaks which is a suburb of LA.  It is very hot here in the summer with very low humidity and temperatures commonly in the high 90's.  I have a pot with a few Sarracenia and Dionaeas.  As of now it is in Full sun from about 10am until 4pm.  It seems pretty hot...I've been told to grow in these conditions however I think it is way too arid and hot.  What should I do?

Thank you,
Jake

Answer
Hello Jake,

Sarracenias and Venus Flytraps commonly survive humidity down to 15% and temperatures up to 100 degrees. If your temperature highs and humidity lows exceed those extremes I would suggest growing the plants with some shade in the hottest noonday sun and with a very tall container of water holding 1/4 the Venus Flytrap pot and 1/2 the Sarracenia pot of water in depth to place the pots in. Make sure the height of the container is a couple inches taller than the pot to keep water vapor confined near the plants for longer to boost humidity some.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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