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Carnivorous Plants/Correct sunlight for pitcher plants and fly traps.

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Expert: - 4/18/2010


Question
Last year I bought three pots of pitcher plants and fly traps at whole foods.  I live in Durham North Carolina and all the plants have made it through the winter.  My question is where would be the best place to keep them outside?  Do they need any shade or are they good in full sun?

Thanks

Answer
Hello Lanier,

What kind of Pitcher Plants do you have? There are five genera of them across the planet and some require full sun, like the Sarracenias, while others require bright partial sun, like the Nepenthes.

Venus Flytraps need full sunlight. They are native to your state and live in bogs where there are no larger plants to provide shade, so they are full sun plants all day long. If you have Sarracenias, they will require vitually the same lighting as Venus Flytraps, full sun, all day long.

Make sure to send me a follow-up with what species, or at least genera, of Pitcher Plants you have so I can give you a specific answer on lighting.

Also, did the plants go dormant over winter or did you keep them inside in room temperatures?

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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