Question
Hi. I know you don't answer questions about how to.... etc but I was wondering if I could 'pick your brains'.
I grow all types of carnivorous plants in Singapore from Venus fly traps to butterworts to various sundews. All grow very well so far but Singapore is very concerned about stagnant standing water. This is understandable as there is a mosquito carried disease called Dengue that is quite common here. Currently I use mosquito pellets in the water and this is 99% effective but needs to be regularly topped up. The authorities here aren't keen to see my plants standing in water. Any ideas? Currently I have several pots standing in my pond with fish but the others are in trays. I could fill the trays with sand and sink the pots inside so that the water would be effectively covered by sand but it would make the trays heavy. I have about 12 trays with 4 pots in each and the rest in my ponds. Unless you have a better idea to prevent mosquito breeding in the stagnant water in the trays  I may be forced to reduce my collection. Please help!! I love my carnivorous plants!! Of course my nepenthes are no problem as the don't stand in water.
Thanks.
Neil.

Answer
You have several options.  The first is removing your plants from trays and top watering them several times weekly to prevent the soil from drying.  The standing water is a convenient method to keep the plants hydrated, but it's not absolutely necessary.  We do it because the plants can tolerate it.  However, they'll also grow very well without sitting in water as long as the soil is never allowed to dry.  You can set up a drip system on a timer to come on daily for a few minutes. The actual time will depend on the rate of the drip.  You'll need to research on the internet on how to set this up properly.  The disadvantage to a drip system is that you'll have small hoses going to each pot coming from a main hose hooked up to your faucet.  For some, this isn't aesthetically pleasing.

You can also repot your plants into self-watering pots.  These pots have a small enclosed reservoir that you can fill regularly.  The disadvantage is that the pots are expensive.

Of course, filling the trays with sand would also work.  If you use this method, I recommend setting empty pots in the tray, and then filling the tray with sand.  After adding the sand, place your potted plants into the empty pots.  The empty pots will prevent the sand from filling the empty space if you need to remove your plant from the tray later.  Yes, the trays get heavy, so you'll need to find a semi-permanent location for each tray.

In choosing a particular method, you'll need to decide if dealing with the inconvenience associated with each solution is better than dealing with a smaller plant collection.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin