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Carnivorous Plants/are these healthy

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Expert: - 10/5/2010


Question

Some Sarracenias
Hi Chris i just wanted to make sure these were healthy and if i was growing them right i have bought a dunecraft carnivorous creations kit which you probably already know about and they were harvested in early may of 2010 and i both them in late July and i put all the Sarracenia and Drosera in the fridge for six weeks at temp. of 37. degrees F. and i put Venus flytrap seeds in the soil and now it has been 6-7 weeks and everything has sprouted except for the drosera and i grow them under a artificial light under a 27 watt cfl bulb desk lamp and it is about 6-10 inches from the seeds and they are in a humidity dome i keep the light on for 13-14 hours a day and if you need more info. please ask and i think that is about it so here is what i want to know. 1. If they are healthy and/or growing right. 2. if it is ok if i have use light i have if it is at the correct distance. from plant and if it is a good idea to use it at all and i think that's about it. Thanks i hope you can help and sorry for writing long write ups and bothering you THANKS again.

Answer
Hello Ean,

Congratulations, you are about the second or third person I know of to actually get fledgling plants from those Dunecraft Terrariums. The dome is not needed. You can remove it slowly over a couple weeks by opening it a fraction of an inch every three days until two weeks has passed and the humidity equalizes.

You seem to have wintered the seeds appropriately, however; if some are not sprouting, it could be that they were killed by mold when sitting in the fridge. In any event, wait longer as some carnivorous plants simply take longer to sprout. You might even have seeds sprout half a year from the sowing date.

You really did not have to stratify the Venus Flytraps as they grow immediately right from the seed pod. I just let my Venus Flytraps flower, collect seeds a couple months later, then drop them around the parent plant. A couple weeks later, a new crop of Flytraps is forming.

As the plants get bigger, you will need more intense light. Try placing them in a South facing window or under 40 watt shop lights of up to 12000 lumens for the first couple of years. At first, the 27 watt compact will be fine, but as they get bigger, they will need more coverage and intensity from larger light sources. Just be cautious of heat buildup as compact florescent lights produce far more heat then shop lights.

Christopher

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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