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Carnivorous Plants/Carnivorous Plant lighting indoor.

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Expert: - 8/13/2011


Question
plants
plants
Hello, I have several plants in my room that i want to grow. I just to take them out side because its super hot in the summer here in south Texas, but I notice that my plants might not get enough sunlight on the window i have them (north facing window). What type of lamp, preferably a desk lamp, could I use to help my plants get more light?? I saw some online and wanted to know if they were good for this situation. I really don't have the space for big setups :(

I saw these in amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunlight-Desk-Lamp-consumes-Emulation/dp/B000N551RE/ref=sr


http://www.amazon.com/Trademark-Collection-Sunlight-inches-72-0813/dp/B001M5CUL4


the plants I have are:
2 Venus Flytraps (dionaea muscipula, & akai ryu)
1 sundew (drosera spathulata)
1 Nepenthese (sanguiniea)
1 pitcher plant (tarnok)
1 pinguicula

Answer
Hello Luis,

The Venus Flytrap and Sarracenia (Tarnok) are full sun plants that can handle high temperatures up to about 110 degrees. The other plants prefer very bright light, but only need indirect or partial light all day. Some, like the Butterwort, will burn in direct sun outside if they have no shade plants over them.

There is no need to go looking for expensive plant lights and daylight bulbs and such. All you need is the window and a couple of regular desk lights with 100 to 150 watt equivalent florescent bulbs like those used to replace incandescent bulbs. Just buy a regular lamp at a retail store and get the bulbs there too, cheaper and just as effective as that overpriced thing you saw online. Keep an eye on the Venus Flytrap and Sarracenia as those require full sun to grow properly. If the combination of window and lamp is not working, you will need more light from some source or you will simply need to move them outdoors and monitor them for heat tolerance. I placed a Sarracenia outside in my part of South Texas and found that it did fine in a spot where it received about 6 hours of direct morning sun on a patio with plenty of indirect light the rest of the day. It would be better if the plant could get 8 or more hours of direct sun though. If you are able to obtain enough indoor space and want to spend 80 dollars on lights, you can go the route I took. I constructed a bank of six florescent light shop lights with 12 tubes of the 40 watt cool white variety in a 4 foot by 3 foot section in my home. It produces upwards of 30000 to 36000 lumens optimally and is capable of growing anything. I have several generations of Venus Flytraps and Sarracenias growing under those lights.

Whatever setup you use, just ensure that the plants grow normally and keep tweaking things until it works properly for the needs of your plants.

Christopher
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    Commentthanks for the information! helped alot


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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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