Carnivorous plants: growth guide

HOW to grow: basic rules

1. Soils: Peat-moss and other ingredients

• Sphagnum peat moss, sand and perlite are the main components of the recipe for growing the most of carnivorous plants.
  Those have a low mineral content and good water retention.
  
• The peat must be “Sphagnum peat moss“ (pH 3-5). If you are buying acidophilic soil, be sure that doesn’t contain minerals and fertilizers, deadly for the plants!
  
• Buy always “washed sand“. Avoid self-collected sand.
  
• Pumice, lava rock and vermiculite can be added to the mix, but those must be used according to the species!

2. Water: beware mineral salts

• Carnivorous plants required water that is low in mineral salts. There are a few exceptions, but if you want to be sure to keep healthy your carnivorous plants follow this rule.
  (Watering for a long time with hard water causes an accumulation of minerals in the soil, which in the long run causes disease and often, death).
  
• Which kind of water is safe for the Carnivorous plants?
  
  • Water with <100 ppm of dissolved solids and with low-sodium content;
  • Demineralized or purified water;
  • Rainwater (if you live in a place with low air-pollution);
    
• WATERING:
  • Keep always the soil always damp/wet
    
  • Set a pot with drainage holes in a saucer/tray and keep always one or two inches of water in it. Further information below.
    
• The living Sphagnum-moss is a natural water reserve: it can retain water inside his cells (even when is dead) and is responsible for the acidification of the soil, capturing cations and releasing hydrogen ions.

Grow the Sphagnum-moss together with your plants for exceptional results!

3. Light

• The light, natural or artificial, is the third main factor to take into account when you decide what species of CPs you want to grow.
  The number of hours and the amount of light required change according to the species.
  
  • Photoperiod: is the length of time that the plant is exposed to the light (in 24 hours-period). Some plant, as Venus Flytrap, use to grow in North America, receiving 15 hours of light in summer and around 8-9 hours in winter, meanwhile tropical Nepenthes receive around 12 hours of light/dark all the year.
    
  • The amount of light refers to the exposure of the plant to the light. Most American Pitcher Plants can grow with full to part sun, changing its coloration based on the quantity of light received, from green to deep red. Venus Flytrap is sun-lover too, meanwhile some species of Nepenthes and Butterworts prefer a bright shade.

4. Dormancy

• The dormancy is a period of rest necessary to ensure an healthy grow to some species of carnivorous plants. Do not respecting the dormancy when required will compromise your plants in the future!
  
• Species from temperate climate can survive during the cold winter slowing down the physiological functions, stopping the growth and sometimes losing the aerial part.
  
• The main factors that induce dormancy are:
  • The low temperatures
  • The short day-light period
    
• Plants that require dormancy:
  • Most of Sarracenia (American pitcher plant),
  • Dionea muscipula (Venus Flytrap)
  • Some Drosera (Sundew)
  • Some Pinguicula (Butterworts)
  • Few Nepenthes