Question

Terrarium   QUESTION: Ok before you say to yourself "I have answered this" let me first tell you. My terrarium is not your normal fish (tank) terrarium. It is in fact a 3 gallon fist (bowl). So lets get to the question.

First off the terrarium is in my bedroom on my desk. I live in a thick wooded lot and no windowsills get good sunlight. So with that said my plants need light. The only lamp I have is a desk lamp that takes the round bulbs (the kind that pops up above cartoons when they have an idea.) I don't want to go nuts (yet) with getting an 18 foot shop lamp with those long fluorescent bulbs. I know you can get fluorescent bulbs for desk lamps (the watt savers) but what wattage should i get so my plants stay healthy. Also the light needs to be able to be hot enough to help with the humidty with in the little terrarium that i have. Any Info would be great and thanks in advance. I will attach an image so you can see what I am talking about and hope it helps

ANSWER: Hello Kevin,

First off you will need to provide more information about the plants you are currently growing in the fish bowl. I need to know the species so I can give more specific advice.

In general, it is not a good idea to grow carnivorous plants of most species in terrariums and some , like many of the temperate North American species, are full sun plants that would not do well indoors without an enormous set of lights.

Please send a follow up with some information about your plants. The picture does not show the exact species well enough through the fish bowl glass.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: Wow...sorry I don't know how I didn't add the plants I have in there.

(1) Adelae Drosera
(2) Spathulata Drosera
(3) Akai Ruy Dionaea
(4) Dionaea (normal, typical one)
(5) Pinguicula Medusina

All five plants came with the bowl as a "kit". I was told that they all would do well indoors as long as they had the right amount of light and humidty. I know there getting enough light cause I have had them for about a week and there all still green. As for the humidty thats another thing. There is no humidty inside the bowl and because of that the leaves arn't really growing much. The bulb you saw in the pic I sent you WAS a 40watt. It is now a 75watt. The guy I got the kit from said I should get a 100watt for the lamp I am useing. I don't care what kinda wattage I need I just want the humidty in the bowl to be right so my poor little plants start growing.

Thanks for the reply and hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks
  Kevin

Answer
Hello Kevin,

All of the plants you obtained require relatively different culture to grow properly. For instance, none require a terrarium at all. None absolutely require high humidity at all. They grow quite well in normal plastic pots as all mine are doing right now. The individual you obtained them from apparently was just out to make a buck.

The Drosera adelae needs 1/2 sphagnum peat moss and 1/2 perlite for soil preferably in a 4-5 inch pot. It will grow out to about 4 inches across and develop an extensive root system that will generate offshoot plants. It needs partial or indirect sunlight and will do well under 12000 lumens of 40 watt florescent shop lights. I am unsure exactly how many of the 100 watt energy savers you will need if you use those as they are compact and emit somewhat more intense light up close, you might be able to get by with 2-3 of those up to 6-8 inches from the plant. Anything less than 100 watt would emit too low of a lumen intensity so you would simply need more of them.. remember they emit a lot of heat too. Shop lights emit less heat and cover more area.

The Drosera spatulata will require far more light than one energy saver bulb. I would suggest full sunlight or at least 12000 lumens of 40 watt florescent shop lights (12000 lumens translate roughly to 4 of the cool white 4 foot long tubes) 4 inches from the plant. It requires far more light than the adelae. It will require the same soil and pot size as the adelae. Both of the aforementioned species are considered tropical and will grow all year round.

The Pinguicula medusina will do well much better with specific soil for Butterworts, like a mix of 1/3 perlite, 1/3 vermuculite, and 1/3 sphagnum peat moss. There are different mix variations, but the main idea is to ensure good aireation to the roots, good drianage, and still provide some soil to anchor the roots and hold in some water. Too much water standing near the roots of Butterworts, like what that terrarium will do, will rot the roots and kill Butterworts. I grow my P. medusina under 12000 lumens of florescent light about 8 inches from the leaves and have it in a 5 inch pot, no humidity dome.

Both the Venus Flytraps will require the most drastic changes. Those are North American species and are temperate. They need the typical half sphagnum, half perlite soil and will need full sunlight or some very hefty artificial light systems. I have kept one indoors for over 2 years and have found that 12000 lumens of light 1 inch from the leaves will keep it alive. Better yet to provide a very bright south facing window and add 12000 lumens over the plant to give maximum light if you are unable to get it outdoors. In a shady wooded area like you describe, you would be unable to get enough light through a window or even on the outside patio by the sound of it. So you might need to invest in even more lights to give your Flytraps even a chance of surviving. Many stores and people looking to make money will sell a Flytrap in a humisity dome and tell you to give it partial light. A few months later, it dies after fitful attempts to grow and reproduce. The grower goes back to the store looking to get another thinking it was all their fault for trying to grow an exotic plant that has special requirements. Those special requirmenets are nothing more extraordinary than very intense light really as the soil and water are easy to provide and the humidity is of no real concern. Venus Flytraps can be easily grown in 15 percent humidity, about equivalent to an arid region. Such selling tactics only show that the seller is out to make money by selling a plant that will die, ensuring a steady stream of avid growers that have no idea why their plants are dying. Dionaea also require a dormancy period in winter for 3-4 months in cold low light conditions. Outside in a North American region in zone 7 -8 this would be no problem as it would be natural for the plant provided it is protected from the lowest frosts with some mulching or insulation around the pot. Indoor dormancy is a bit more involved and I can provide those instructions later near winter time as needed. It is always best and healthiest for the Dionaea to grow them outside in full sun if possible. Indoor growing is much more involved and takes an investment in lights and time from the grower to ensure the plants are getting what they need. The only reason mine survive is because all the light I have is on them and because I provide them artificial dormancy with specific cues.

All of the plants will require clean mineral free water. Place a tray under the pots of the Venus Flytraps and sundews as they like a lot of water standing under their roots. Make sure the pot depth in water is no more than about 1/4 the bottom of the pot. That is a good all around level to provide.

The Butterwort should be kept with a dry tray under the pot and just watered frequently a little at a time to keep its soil moist, but never waterlogged. A little water draining out into the tray can be left for a couple days to evaporate, but never leave standing water for weeks at a time under a Butterwort. Never grow them in a terrarium where there is no drainage.

I would suggest that you buy plants from a specialist source like cobraplant.com or californiacarnivores.com and get your soil and supplies through them. Those companies are rated high in customer service and quality and they care about their plants and the homes they go to. I would suggest looking at both sites and seeing what rhey have to offer. Personally I always go to cobraplant.com and I have never had any problems with any of their stock, advice, or products. As a matter of fact, I learned some of the more involved culture requirements of carnivorous plants from their data sheets and website.

Do not get discouraged if you lose any of those plants. It is not your fault you were misinformed in the beginning. Just work to correct the problem areas as best you can and provide the best home for the plants as possible.

Christopher