Question
Adding photos to the summary page of your care sheets would be a good idea since people like me don't always know the full name of what have, and seeing a picture would help.

I was reading over what you say about terrariums, and how raising them by setting a pot in standing water is the best way to raise it, when I had an idea I wanted to run past you.  In stores like Wallmart you can get a square of plastic to start seeds in that has a small clump of peat moss in it.  They are only about 3/4" deep and about 1" x 1" square.  What would happen if you but them to fit in a terrarium, punched small holes in the sides near the bottom to let the water in, set it in the terrarium, leave a spot open to fill the water with, removed the peat mosss, added water to fill in the bottom, and covered it with the right kind of soil?  Would that kind of compromise still work for carnivorous plants?

Answer
Hi John,

Yes and no.  It would be an acceptable method, but it seems more work than necessary.  The vast majority of carnivorous plants adapt well to lower humidity, so a terrarium isn't really necessary.  The idea of having this sort of hobby is to have fun.  If it gets too technical and elaborate at the outset, most people lose interest after several months.

The simplest method is to just grow the plants on a sunny south windowsill.  The ambient humidity from the water dish and the moist soil is enough for these plants.  Our e-book goes in depth about how plants adapt to lower humidity and why constant high humidity does more harm than good.  A good concept to remember is that more plants die from constant high humidity than from lower humidity.  So if it is at all possible to raise your plants in lower humidity, you will make it much easier for yourself in the long run.

If you still want to use a terrarium, just remember to keep it simple.  Use the terrarium like you would a greenhouse and place your potted plants inside with their own water dish.  Place a very strong light source (40 or more watts of fluorescent lights) over your plants.  This type of set up is very easy to clean should mold and fungus become an issue.

Look for an update to our web site and care sheets in the next couple of weeks!

Good growing!
Jacob Farin