Question
Max's Setup
Hi there my name is Max and I bought a venus flytrap, Purple Pitcher, and a Sundew. The place where I bought them from has failed to return my questions which makes me think I should have purchased from your nursery and am seriously considering doing so. :P Furthermore I just had a couple of details I wanted to run by you to see what you thought.
Could you read the following and take a look at these pictures and let me know what you think as far as my indoor setup?
Soil:
I have this perlite from miracle grow, but I dont know if there are additives that could ruin the plant and was thinking about using this: Just Sphagnum Peat moss? How does that sound? I am going to put it in a pot using the tray method and just watering from the bottom.
Lighting:
I have 2 Philips 48" in length by 1-1/2" in diameter - 40 watt "Natural Sunshine" bulbs and the color scale (temperature) is 5000K and 2200 Lumens (light output) it says on the box out of a scale of 0-100 the lamps ability to show colors accurately (color rendering) is a score of 92.? Hows this lighting? is it too strong? About how far should I place the lighting from the plants?
Humidity:
The humidity here in northern utah is about 30%-80% roughly and indoors it seems to stay at about 50%. I have a terrarium but have no idea how to construct it and for now I think I will just keep my plants in the pot-tray method. In my terrarium I can keep the humidity at like 80% though so I am not sure if this is really that important or not?
If you would please respond to my emails this is my 3rd one, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
-Max Parker
AnswerHi Max,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the set up is entirely unnecessary for your plants. The Venus flytrap and purple pitcher are North American plants. They grow well outdoors and acclimate very well to lower humidity. At our nursery, we grow these plants exclusively outdoors in Oregon. I also have a customer in Salt Lake City who grows his North American carnivorous plants outdoors.
We're also strong advocates against the use of terrariums. They essentially cause more problems than solutions and make more work for yourself. Even your suundew, which is possibly a Cape sundew based on your photo, grows well as a houseplant. No terrarium is needed.
However, all three plants require a great deal of sunlight. Your plants are showing symptoms associated with poor lighting - pale green, lanky leaves. Keep in mind that the purple pitcher is names such because of its rich red colors. You would only get those red colors by growing the plant in full sun.
Since we're well into the fall season, it's too late to acclimate your plant to outdoor growing. For now, grow your plants under your fluorescent lights. Keep the lights about 8 inches above the plants, 14 hours per day.
Any fertilizers in the soil will kill your plants, so MiracleGro?is inappropriate in this case. You'll need to use perlite and peat moss that is free of fertilizers. If you can't find an appropriate type of perlite, use washed sand for horticultural purposes.
Really consider getting a good resource for growing carnivorous plants. Consider these:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets
http://www.cobraplant.com/ebook
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD
http://www.cobraplant.com/humidity
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
