Herself’s Houseplants

Most carnivorous like the air and soil very moist. The majority of them grow in bogs where it is both very sunny and very wet all the time. I have some now growing in a south facing stained glass window. It is a drafty old window but they like that. They are doing quite well there and regularly flower for me. I have them potted in 4″ clay pots in dirt. The pots are sitting in a tray that has an 1″ of water in it. When the tray dries I add more water.

Do not fertilize carnivorous plants. In the wild they grow in swamps with poor dirt. The nutrients they need they get from the bugs they catch. If your tap water is heavily treated or heavy in metals use distilled or bottled water for them.

My newest collections of carnivorous plants are planted in clear glass containers with tops. They are planted in sphagnum moss instead of dirt. They are thriving. I’ve found I can keep two of these terrariums, one on my desk under a fluorescent table lamp and one in a bright window and rotate them weekly.

I put the larger hanging Nepenthes outside in the summer under heavy shade and in the bathroom in the winter. It will not tolerate temperatures under 60′F. Most of the swamp growing ones don’t mind an occasional frost or two.

See also:
Micro terrariums with carnivorous plants
Carnivorous plant eats mouse
Nepenthes
Use sphagnum moss to make your plants easier to care for

More Info:
International Carnivorous Plant Society
Carnivorous Plants, from Wayne’s World