My carnivorous plants

[windcharm]

Venus Fly Trap


Pitcher plants:N. hookerina (thanks to Simon for the ID)




nepenthes x ventrata (alata x ventricosa) - thanks Lucasjiang for ID

[chooz]

Nice plants.

I always have problem maintaining these carnivorous plants. May I know what kind of substrate/soil, fertilization and watering system/schedule do you employ?

[Simon]

first pitcher is the N. hookerina and the second not very sure, it is a common hybrid, initially thought it was a N. alata, but without the specklers

chooz, CP (Carnivorous plants) do not require fertization as nutrients are received from the insect they consume. Substrate is dependent on location, some like neutral while some acidic. But I normally use peat moss.

Watering also depending on the species, humidity plays an important role as well, jungle species need high humidity then lowland species.

Please google, you can find alot of information. But do note that some growers in temperate country have different growing patterns

[chooz]

I tried searching on the web before but it returned a bewildering amount of information and most of them are relevant only to temperate countries.

I am interested in local species only. Do you have any "guidelines" for growing them? What if they don't get enough insect to feed themselves?

[lucasjiang]

The second pitcher plant is a nepenthes x ventrata (alata x ventricosa).

[windcharm]

Nice plants.

I always have problem maintaining these carnivorous plants. May I know what kind of substrate/soil, fertilization and watering system/schedule do you employ?

I am using moss as the "substrate" as moss help to keep the roots of the plant moist. No fertilization as too much fertilization may cause the plants to stop growing pitchers/crawls.

I only water only per day usually at night after work. Due to the higher temperature here in Singapore, I found out that my topping up water into the "pitcher" helps the growth of the plant and prevent "burning" of the pitcher with a syringe. I try to avoid using tap water directly as these plants are not a fan of chlorine. I will use the water from the my little pond or fish tank to water/refill the plants. The water from the pond/fish tank will contain some form fertilization for the plant already.

Do not place the plants in direct sun light as it may burn pitcher.

first pitcher is the N. hookerina and the second not very sure, it is a common hybrid, initially thought it was a N. alata, but without the specklers

chooz, CP (Carnivorous plants) do not require fertization as nutrients are received from the insect they consume. Substrate is dependent on location, some like neutral while some acidic. But I normally use peat moss.

Watering also depending on the species, humidity plays an important role as well, jungle species need high humidity then lowland species.

Please google, you can find alot of information. But do note that some growers in temperate country have different growing patterns

Thanks for the ID, Simon. I am planning to get more variety of such plants soon.

I tried searching on the web before but it returned a bewildering amount of information and most of them are relevant only to temperate countries.

I am interested in local species only. Do you have any "guidelines" for growing them? What if they don't get enough insect to feed themselves?

These plants generally do not need insects. Insects are just "supplements" for them. For me, if I found any insects, I will just drop them into the pitchers/crawls. Sometime, I will drop the dead little fish/shrimps into the pitcher.

Caution: Do NOT feed your Venus Fly Trap will the little dead fishes/shrimps as there are some sort of chemical from these fishes/shrimps that will kill the crawls causing it to become "black". For pitcher plant it is ok.

I hope these help you in taking care of your plants as well.

[lucasjiang]

I tried searching on the web before but it returned a bewildering amount of information and most of them are relevant only to temperate countries.

I am interested in local species only. Do you have any "guidelines" for growing them? What if they don't get enough insect to feed themselves?

Heres some help regarding the care of nepenthes.

substrate:
1:1 (peat : perlite)
1:1 (coconut husk : perlite)
1:1 (spaghnum moss : perlite)

Fertilising: none/ in small amounts

Water: Tap water/distilled water, watering on alternate days

[Simon]

my substrate mix is 1:1:1 peaterlite:gravel for drosera and VFT, for Neps, I go with spaghnum moss and perlite, peat and perlite or spaghnum & burnt soil.

For Singapore, choose lowland species for starters. Most popular are the N. ampullaria, which IMO is the nicest and easy to take for.

[windcharm]

In all, these plants needs good drainage.

[chooz]

Thanks for all the information.

To Windcharm, sorry for hi-jacking your thread to become a "how-to-grow-carnivorous-plant" thread.

[windcharm]

Thanks for all the information.

To Windcharm, sorry for hi-jacking your thread to become a "how-to-grow-carnivorous-plant" thread.

No problem. I am happy to share it with everyone here.

[Fuzzy]

Sorry to derail your thread again..

But how much direct sunlight can pitcher plants or venus flytraps tolerate? or do they have to be shaded at all times?

Also are there any nurseries locally you all could recommend that have a good selection of carnivorous plants? I've noticed many buy theirs from Malaysia.

[trece]

venus flytraps shouldnt have direct sunlight, and if so at most a couple of hours. however they still need a long photoperiod.. rather bright. google up on their care and you should be able to get loads of information.

i believe that most of these plants, especially the venus flytrap, requires a hibernation period to be healthy. meaning if you want it to last more than just a couple of years, youre gonna need to make a winter season. once again there are many sites offering tips and advice on how to do this.

[stormchild]

i put mine for hibernation and it never revived.

[Simon]

trece

not really true, some hobbyist keep them outdoors under the sun and they thrive, however, they should be covered above with fine nettings so that the rain doesn't trigger the traps. Unlike other carnivorous plants like sundews, VFT do not require dormancy. Problems with information on the web is that people who do post caring of such plants lives in temperate countries and the weather there do affect the plants more than in the tropics.

Fuzzy
Different pitchers have different lighting requirements, you have to observe the plant and adjust accordingly, if leaf develop sunburn, then move them to a brightly lit area. But best to slowly acclimatise them before putting them under the sun. Indirect sun is sufficient for most, some do better with direct.

local nurseries do carry more common species like those above, you can also visit plant sale at Botanic garden on the first sunday of every month. For varieties, many order them online like Borneo Exotic in Sri Lanka. Check Green Culture forum, they sometimes mass order the plants.

There will be Gardentech at Hortpark (14-18th Aug), you could find some interesting pitchers to start off

[Simon]

FYI, during the last Gardentech show, Borneo exotic named one of their new hybrid after the show N. x gardentech (ventricosa x ampullaria), very nice pitcher plant however, they are extremely slow

Fuzzy, if you are near Yishun, try Worldfarm at Bah Soon Pah road (Near to Khatib camp)

[Fuzzy]

Great thanks for the tips! I'll start online and maybe with the Botanic Gardens plant sales first!

[felix_fx2]

Nice home plants you have.
The last time i saw them was in the army
My CSM had weird hobby of keeping pet tarantulas, snakes and monkeys (which of course kana shoot by people until he gave them away *thank god*)

I believe we can see some specimens of pitchers in lim chu kang training area. you might want to expend your collection from there (if u can get in thou )

[windcharm]

Nice home plants you have.
The last time i saw them was in the army
My CSM had weird hobby of keeping pet tarantulas, snakes and monkeys (which of course kana shoot by people until he gave them away *thank god*)

I believe we can see some specimens of pitchers in lim chu kang training area. you might want to expend your collection from there (if u can get in thou )

Be careful when you venture into protected area!

[felix_fx2]

Be careful when you venture into protected area!

nah, i only saw them cuz my bastard CSM used to "ask" us to follow us go his so called nature treks.

thou he never noticed them, if not we'd have to bring them back too

edit: that was many many years ago when i was like 18-20... 8-9 years ago.