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Carnivorous Plants/i want to make my terrarium more attractive...

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Expert: - 12/12/2007


Question
I have a 18 18 18 exoterra terrarium with three nepenthes plants in a pot and on saucers.  The plants look dull just sitting on the glass bottom.  I  want add things like leaves and tree llike stuff to cover the terrarium floor and the pots to make a tropical jungle appearance.  How can I do this?

Answer
Hello again Jake,

You could just use potted ivy and other plants of that sort to fill in the open spaces around the Nepenthes. Add some colored strips of plastic or wood to the sides below the pot depth to cover the pots up and add a background with scenery like leaves and branches to give it some seeming depth above the pot depth. The ivy will grow out and you can wind it around the Nepenthes pots and keep it trimmed back to emphasize your Nepenthes while keeping the open spaces and blase parts of the terrarium covered.

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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