Question

Carnivorous Garden at   QUESTION: Hello guys,

I just received the drosera I ordered and I'm very happy. I've read all the caresheets in your site and saw that they can be put in a pond. My pond is about 2 years old and i have many aquatic plants in it and the water is always been clear. I've done other reads and they say that is bad to keep CP's on ponds because of minerals nitrate etc. the pond gets about 7 hrs of sunlight. I made a small place for them where the bottom of their pots are floating on the pond. I will attach picture. By the way, I live in Zone 9 Tampa FL. I just purchased a judith sarracenia and would love to add it to my little bog garden in the pond, but if this is not right than I need to know where to move them.

Thank you

Jose Rodriguez

ANSWER: Your pond looks fairly large, and you didn't mention any fishes, so it should be OK.  If the water is always clear, you likely have a very good filtration system that takes out nitrates.  Besides, any nitrates from fertilizers will be used by your aquatic plants.  In the summer, we grow water hyacinths in our pools of aquatic Utricularia.  The water hyacinths help remove nitrates and keep the water clear.

I see in your photo that you have a flytrap.  If it's been in your pond since you built it, then the water conditions must be good.  Otherwise, the flytrap would have died by now with long-term exposure to nitrates.

Just monitor your water conditions.  Use a test kit from any pond supply store.  Also look for blackened new growth on your plants.  If you do, take them out of the pond.  That's a sign that somethings amiss with the water.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the quick great response Jacob!
I forgot to mentioned that yes I do have some fish. I have  7 orandas & guppies for mosquito control. the pond is an 4x8 two feet deep. I have plenty of plants in the water so my filtration is mostly biological. and I rescued the Venus and she's been there for two weeks now. She has continued to grow traps. So my guess is leave them in there and check for black growth then?


thanks in advance

Jose Rodriguez

Answer
Yeah, monitoring your plants is the most you can do.  Sometimes you just have to experiment to see what will actually happen.  Every pond is different. Add a water hyacinth for good measure, though I'm not sure if you can get it in your region.  It's considered invasive in the south.  I also recommend testing your water conditions periodically.