Carnivorous Plants

My granddaughter and I decided to try growing carnivorous plants. I purchased seeds on eBay for sundews, pitcher plants and flytraps, mixed some soil and started the seeds. It has only been a few weeks, but they are doing great and some have been transplanted to larger containers. We have been using distilled water, however, buying and carting it home have been a chore, so we rigged a way to collect rainwater, which is ideal for these plants. We certainly have some unusual looking plants coming along.

 

Growing CP is interesting!

Distilled water is costly, but they will do fine in rain water.
Or if your tap water is soft, you could even use that.

 

Great idea!

 

The PPM of minerals in our tap water is too high, and the pH is high also.
jackb

 

Then rain water is the way to go.

 

They are great fun to grow I've 6 washing bowls full of them. Rainwater is certainly the way to go. They like to be kept on the damp side. I grow mine in a mix of peat and moss. They grow in damp/wet nutrient poor soils.
In New York they will certainly need protection over the winter. Mine survive well in a cold greenhouse, but that South England with mild winters.

 

Sundews grow in quantity here but I didn't realise we had 5 different types, I am going to look for them all as they are just starting to show themselves.

 

They are such interesting plants, usually you can get Venus fly traps and another which looks like small tubs or jugs that you can buy in hanging baskets (its name escapes me!). I remember being told they don't live very long indoors even if you water them with rain water, so it has put me off as they are quite expensive to buy for short term plants.

Your's look great though and they obviously can live indoors with the correct conditions! I might go back to look at the Jug plants!

 

feathered_fish, you thinking of Nepenthes?

With the right conditions they do well.
Muted sunlight, high humidity and plenty of water, and they should do well.

 

Thanks Sirius! Nepenthes is the one yes!

 

This one must like the greenhouse, as it is really growing quickly. I think it is Drosera regia, and if so it will grow to about a foot. It looks like it belongs on another planet.

 

hydrogardener,
I don't think it's regia. They don't form a distinct stem from a small size as your's has done.

My best guess would be Drosera indica.

 

Thanks for the input. I purchased a pack of mixed seeds and will have to identify each different plant that grows.