Carnivorous Plants/bog plants

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Expert: - 5/2/2008


Question
I have a bog for my plants.  I also have 3 plants floating in a goldfish pond.  The plants floating in the goldfish pond are doing great.  Really growing this spring after being in the pond most of the winter.  Since they are do so well, is there a reason I shouldn't use the water for the bog plants.  It gets a little expensive buying water.  In fact one was growing so tall that I was afraid it would turn over so I replaced it with a shorter plant from the bog and now it is doing fine in the bog.  Thanks, Larry

Answer
Hello Larry,

If your bog plants are carnivorous I would avoid placing them in a fish pond as fish require very different Ph and hardness levels in their water and their waste products are broken down into nitrates and nitrites that basically make the water fertilizer. This would kill most carnivorous plants rather quickly as these byproducts leech into their moss.

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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