Question
Hi guys, my name is Brandon and I live on the west coast near a city called
Palm Springs. I just baught a carnivorous plant growing green house made
by DuneCraft and it comes with seeds of various species, including venus
flytraps and a few pitchers, soil, and a few "swamp rocks". Ok and i was
wondering, they said once i put the seeds on the soil they said to put the
container in the fridge for 8 weeks for a process called stratification. Is this
what i should do or should i do something different?

Answer
Hi Brando,

That is what you need to do.  Sarracenia pitcher plants and American sundews are perennial and the seeds need a cold, damp period before they will germinate.  It will also be a very good idea to spray the seeds with a fungicide such as a sulfur based fungicide or one based on Neem before you put the seeds in the refrigerator.  This will inhibit mold that will often kill the seeds while they are in a cold dark place.

Now, here's the part you may not want to hear. :(  If you get germination of your plants, you will need to be patient.  It takes Venus flytraps and Sarracenia pitcher plants 4-5 years to reach maturity from seeds.  Hardy sundews are a little faster, only two years.  Also, the germination rate from the seeds in those kits isn't great since you don't know how old the seeds are.  It's a really discouraging way to get introduced to growing carnivorous plants.  Growing them from seed is usually and endeavor for the intermediate to experienced grower.  It's way, way different than growing vegetables or annual flowers from seed.  Each of those plant species will have slightly different care also.  Visit our care page at http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets/ for information on specific species. This will also introduce you to the many different kinds of carnivorous plants, and which may be easier for you to grow.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com