Question
QUESTION: I was considering buying a darlingtonia ( not from you guys another source thats cheaper because my budgets low) and wanted 2 see if my set up was good: Full sun for abou 6 hours and watering it in the morning and evening with cool water and not standing in water

ANSWER: Hi Preston,

Your climate would be the biggest factor in your success in growing Darlingtonia, as well as whether you're getting a coastal variety or a mountain variety.  The coastal variety isn't too tolerant of temperatures higher than 90癋, though the mountain variety is.  Both varieties will also require cool nights (less than 65癋).  

So your set up might be OK, but without knowing where you live or what variety you intend to grow, I can't really make any opinions about it.  In general, growers in the southeast where the nights are very warm and humid have a tougher time growing Darlingtonia than growers in the Pacific Northwest where nights are naturally cool.

On another note, using cool water doesn't make a difference as we've discovered through our experiments and research on the plant's natural habitat.  The main issue is soil aeration, which is optimized by daily top watering and a well draining soil mix.

For more information about growing Darlingtonia, visit our care sheet section on our main website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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

QUESTION: I live in houston Texas and i think it said the coastal variety which might make things difficult for me. is it possible to grow my plant inside with my forked leave sundews?

Answer
Keep in mind that while the mountain variety is more tolerant of warm temperatures during the day, it still needs cool nights.  So while it is possible to grow it indoors on a sunny windowsill, the main issue again would be temperature.  If you can get it low enough at night to prevent the plant from exhausting itself, then you'll have better chances for success.  I have a customer in Texas who managed to grow his Darlingtonia indoors with an air conditioner.  This was the only way he could keep his plant happy in the Texas heat.  

Also remember that while the Darlingtonia may not be the best plant to grow in Texas, you have a wide variety of other plants that you can grow with relative ease.  Many of the lowland Nepenthes will grow very large in your humid warm weather.   We struggle growing lowland Nepenthes because it's not warm enough in Oregon.   None of our plants ever get as gorgeous or as large as those grown by our customers in your region of the country.

So if you're willing to go through the hassle of keeping a plant from Oregon happy in Texas, then give it a try.  Otherwise, you'll have a much more enjoyable experience growing carnivorous plants if you stick with plants that naturally grow well in your climate.