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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2006 13:49:56 GMT
These just love being in a conservatory, they are easy to keep, but must be watered using rain water.  If you have ever wondered what to do with a fly you have just swatted then just feed it to the venus fly trap who will love you for ever. Never give them flies that have been killed using insecticide though and I have been advised not to allow the venus flytrap to flower. I have a starter collection which I bought last year - www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/customer/product.php?productid=17293&cat=266&page=1I can recommend Little Shop of Horrors, my plants arrived though the post really well packaged too, the web site has loads of good info on it too.  littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/customer/Some plants can be grown outside too  |
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Post by Spruance on Aug 30, 2006 14:40:32 GMT
I have been advised not to allow the venus flytrap to flower. Hi Rita, That's interesting to know. I have a venus fly trap and pitcher plant on 'fly duty' in each of my two greenhouses. It's much nicer than having to deal with those awful sticky yellow traps. I'm afraid that I have allowed my venus fly traps to flower which might explain why I've never successfully overwintered them. I know they're supposed to be quite hardy, and whilst one of the venus fly traps just about scraped through last winter, it was in such a state that I replaced it. Fortunately my local GC has a good range of carnivorous plants at around £3 each. Would you suggest bringing them into the house over winter? If so, do they need the same watering regime as in the summer or do I just treat them as dormant plants and water on a strictly as required basis? Spruance |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2006 15:10:56 GMT
It is quite strange and spooky that I started this thread today, as just a few minutes after doing so I received an email from the Little Shop of Horrors containing loads of info. I will copy and paste what it had to say about VFT's - Venus Flytraps These too will have been catching a lot and some of the traps will have gone black. Just remove them. The rate of growth of new traps will slow as autumn approaches. The plant will begin to look a bit yellow and sickly but do not worry. VFT’s vary in how much they die back over winter. Some will keep a few traps, other plants will lose them all. They will need to be kept less wet, and quite cool (light frost is OK) over winter, taking off the traps as they go black. Spruance - with regard to bringing in your VFT over winter, well I suppose that would depend on whether you heat your greenhouse. My conservatory gets pretty cold in the winter, but no where near as cold as an unheated greenhouse. I was told that if a VFT is allowed to flower it will sap the plant's energy - prior to being told that I had always let mine flower, I have one plant which is about 4 years old, and up until this year I let it flower and produce seed, it had up to 8 flower stems on it at one time. |
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Post by Spruance on Aug 30, 2006 17:01:34 GMT
Hi Rita, Thanks for that The greenhouses are unheated, so the plants may be better off in somewhere like the utility room I suppose. Even the garage window might be warmer than the greenhouses. One day......... I'll get some GH heating sorted out. (Must watch out for those flying pigs! ;D) Spruance |
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Post by 4pygmies on Aug 30, 2006 18:54:02 GMT
Oooh, I love Carniverous plants. Bought a couple 2 years ago at GWLive. The Sarracenia purpurea (SP?) lived outside on my little coffee drinking table until last winter when the extreme cold did for it. My OH swore that his wine was always bug free when he sat there of an evening. I have found them quite tricky to overwinter too.
Now I have a VFT , another Sarracenia pur. and a Nepenthes. So interesting and oddly beautiful I think. Thanks for recommended company, LSofH, Rita. I bought some plants from FlorAlive over the net this year but one died and they woudn't answer my email asking for a replacement. I don't deal with them anymore! I shall have a good look round the Little Shop of Horrors site.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2006 22:34:12 GMT
Excellent thread! We are now the proud owners of 5 different monster munching plants, which will spend this winter in the conservatory. Good to know that VFT die back to a certain degree over the winter. Thanks for all the info!! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2006 22:50:06 GMT
Some carnivorous plants are perfectly hardy. I have two Saracenas which are growing at the edge of my pond. They are apparently hardy to minus 10 degrees C. They add a touch of the 'exotic' to the garden.
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Post by madonplants on Sept 15, 2006 11:39:28 GMT
Just a quickie. I have been put off buying a carnivorous plant as I have been told, by a garden centre, that they can actually make the fly population worse, due to the wetness they have to have. Is this true or not.
Keith
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2006 13:42:50 GMT
I would say false, Keith |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 16, 2006 14:04:29 GMT
Toadspawn - watch the temperatures with your Sarracenias by the pond - mine was really lovely until last winter when the weather was very very cold for several days and it curled up and died. It was outside but under the eaves of my house. I was so disappointed as it had been growing really well and looked lovely. I was told it would survive outside too.
And Keith, I think that's wrong too. I have 3 in my conservatory and it's been the least fly infested room all summer!
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Post by madonplants on Sept 16, 2006 17:50:17 GMT
Thanks, maybe I need to think about getting one. My 11 year old loves the cobra lily, are they easy to grow for a beginner? Any tips?
Thanks
Keith
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 16, 2006 18:02:44 GMT
I'm a beginner too. All I know is that they need quite a poor growing medium, only rainwater to water them with and you have to watch the temperature in winter as some of mine got a bit sad looking during the last really cold snap. I find them very interesting plants though and strangely beautiful, particularly the pitcher plants.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2006 11:23:54 GMT
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Post by madonplants on Sept 17, 2006 19:05:05 GMT
Thanks Rita, will read it when the kids have gone to bed.
Keith
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Post by Plocket on Sept 19, 2006 15:00:55 GMT
Hia Rita could I pick your brains please? I've got a butterwort but wondered if I should keep it outside during the summer - any thoughts?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2006 15:55:26 GMT
Plocket I'm not an expert I'm afraid - and I've got very few brains to pick lol I did a search of the website where I purchased my plants as there is lots of info there on the care of these plants With regard to yours going outside in the summer perhaps you should read the link, below, as it would depend on which variety of butterwort you have www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/customer/pages.php?pageid=4I want to buy some more carnivorous plants, but have decided to wait until we have moved house. |
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Post by Plocket on Sept 19, 2006 16:11:13 GMT
I think I'm going to have to find out what sort of Butterwort it is! It doesn't have a label unfortunately. Thanks for the link though Rita - what a cool site!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2006 14:03:49 GMT
I keep mine in a shallow concrete pot so I can keep them wet, I put it into the cold greenhouse for the winter & they survive really well. The Butterwort is native British I think and sort of sticky. Visiting children are kept endlessly amused opening the old traps and counting the captives. I do take the Venus Fly Trap out of the greenhouse & indoors for the winter, jsut too cold here for it.
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