Question
Hi! I'm hoping to build a terrarium or tank or something of carnivorous plants for our undergraduate lab. We work with fruit flies all the time, but the class room really only gets 6 hours (winter) to 9 hours (summer) of afternoon sun. Are their any species you would suggest, that may share a soil type? Thank you!

Answer
Hi Angela,

Fortunately nearly all carnivorous plants don't require terrariums, so I'd recommend to ditch the terrarium and just grow the plants like you would regular tropical houseplants.  Only a very small number of carnivorous plants required the controlled environment of a terrarium.  The vast majority of carnivorous plants commonly found in cultivation grow well, or even better, without a terrarium.  Besides, terrariums pose more problems than solutions, so you're always better off not using them whenever possible.

The best plants for your location would be Pinguicula moranensis and Drosera adelae.  These plants grow well as windowsill plants and produce lots of leaves to capture fruit flies.  We even have a collection called Fruit Flies' Nightmare, which contains these two species and Drosera prolifera.  We chose these species for that particular collection because they grow well in slightly lower light conditions, are easy plants for first-time growers and do a great job in capturing fruit flies.

You can check them the collection on our website.  We also have a feature called Best Plants for You.  All you do is answer a few questions about your growing conditions and you'll get a list of plants best suited for your environment.  I also encourage you to read our care sheets on Mexican butterworts (Pinguicula) and tropical sundews for more information about growing these plants.

http://www.cobraplant.com

Good growing!
Jacob Farin