Carnivorous plants

[Steve Denning]

Have a look at this article, it's from the BBC Gardening site, you may find it useful.

 

[Gina145]

Thanks Steve. I haven't got time now as I've still got work to do on my trees before it gets dark. But I've left it open to read later. I'll report back when I've read it.

 

[Steverd]

Carnivorous plants are one of my specialties. I grow sundews, pitcher plants, venus fly traps, and nepanthes.
I grow them all outside here in the Northwest. Well most need a cold/rest peroid. Except for the Nepanthes the cold would kill them. Here is one of them:

 

[firelily99]

Can you buy ladybirds where you are? I know you can get them off the internet, but you need to make sure they are being sent from the same country you are in. Ladybirds love aphids more than anything else.

Some garden centers now sell lady bugs and praying mantis egg sacs. I am able to buy them locally at a small garden center And they do quite well.

 

[Lacey]

I tried to grow a venus fly trap and it was really hard to grow. It grew about a centimeter and then died. I did a lot of research on them so I could make sure they would grow, but it didn't. I love them, I think they are so amazing to see and watch.

 

[DeaneRenata]

How about a thread of some cool looking, meat eating plants?
Here's a good old venus fly trap.

You know I was tempted to buy some venus flytraps and I almost did, except for my mother told me that she was disgusted that they are meat-eaters and that they take a week to digest small insects.

 

[Treeca86]

I love Venus Fly Traps. My grandmother had a big one when I was young. She'd give me little chunks of meat to feed it. It was really fun to watch it's "mouth" slowly close, then slowly swallow it and it go down.

 

[MindyT]

How hard is it to maintain and keep a Venus Fly Trap? Every time I see one, I think of the movie, Little Shop of Horrors. Well, it is actually a musical. Has anyone else seen that movie? The plant's name is Audrey II. I won't say very much more about the movie for those who haven't seen it, but let's just say she is not an ordinary plant!!

 

[Whitewolf2578]

I would love to get some. I have always been interested in Venus Fly Traps. It is cool how they attract insects due to a sweet scent they give off. I could really use one right now here in my room, this fly has been buzzing around all dang day and won't leave. I have tried to swat at him a few times, but I almost knocked over my computer monitor in the process. These plants would save me the time and effort. I once tried to use ladybugs for aphids, but when I set them in the garden they just took off. I find that the prey mantis is the better insect to use for dealing with pests.

 

[ChanellG]

I purchased a venus fly trap at Whole Foods a little over a week ago. It's indoors for now, but if I manage to keep it alive, I may try cultivating more plants outside. The flies and mosquitoes can be such a pain. I just worry about other insects - the beneficial ones, like bees, getting trapped in the plant.

 

[warmweatherwoman]

I don't live in a place that is humid enough to have a Venus Fly Trap without it being in a terrarium of some sort

I always wanted one not just because my real name is Venus- but because I think they are beautiful and really mysterious. My mother was also dead set against it because they area meat eaters but in the summer time I get many flies in my house because of the dogs using our yard..so I thought what better way to combat them- maybe I will invest in a terrarium after all.

 

[ChanellG]

Hmmmm, maybe that's what happened with the one I had just recently - not enough humidity. I wish that information had been on the packaging; it came in a plastic cylinder that had some printed information that included watering and feeding instructions. I also read online that you shouldn't fertilize or give it tap water.