You are here:

Carnivorous Plants/purple pitcher plant and venus fly trap

Advertisement

Expert: - 8/5/2009


Question
i bought 1 each of the above plants in 4" pots from a vendor online about 1 month ago. i transfered them both into 6" pots using peat for the V.F.T. and sphagnum for the P.P.P.i keep them both outside on a patio under very hot Texas sun and high humidity.since then they both have been dying at about the same rate of time.i have trimmed several dead pieces of the plant until now i am left with only 2 leaves remaining on each of the plants.i have kept them watered with distilled water and occasional rain water.i have fed them live and dead insects.am i going to lose them because i am doing something wrong?these are my first carnivorous plants.thanks Chris.

Answer
Hello Jerry,

I am going to need some additional information about the environment your plants are in before I can make a specific diagnosis.

In general, the North American carnivorous plants do well in direct sun outside, however; can die off in extreme heat. About 100 to 110 degrees is the upper limit for Venus Flytraps and Purple Pitcher Plants. Even at 90 to 100 degrees, those plants need a lot of water to keep their roots moist and cool. My thinking is that the plants are probably being roasted by the heat of the Texas sun as both species are found farther North where the temperatures are not quite so intense. You will want to potect them from the hottest periods of midday sunlight with some shading and keep them standing in trays of water. The Venus Flytrap would require up to 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water and the Sarracenia Pitcher plants all prefer up to half the pot in standing water.

Also, make sure the potting material you used does not contain fertilizers of any kind. Fertilizer in the soil will kill carnivorous plants quite thoroughly.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

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.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.