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wert9wert

Newer than a newbie .... need advice :)

wert9wert
16 years ago

Hi Everyone,

I've been thinking about carnivorous plants for awhile and have found this site so full of information.

I bought a Sarracenia at Home Depot the other day and it's doing great sitting on my screened porch. I'm in South Florida. Now I read that these plants should be in the sun - well, does that include our "Florida Sun" (which is a lot hotter than normal sun areas)?

The areas that I have to plant in are either full sun or under trees with dabbled sunlight. Temps range from the summertime high 80's to "maybe" a day or two of 45 degrees in the winter - and of course always humid. So I need your expert advice as what to start out with and where to plant them (sun or partial sun). I want to plant in pots not the ground.

Right now, the Sarracenia I bought is putting out a lot of new shoots. I just put the pot it came in in a twice as big ceramic pot without a hole. The lip of the original pot holds the plant up from reaching the bottom of the ceramic pot ... the water drains through the original pot into the ceramic pot.

So (I hope I'm making sense with all of this) - please recommend some plants to start out with. Presently, I'm looking at the flytraps and the butterworts - does that sound right?

Thanks in advance - Loretta

Comments (8)

  • petiolaris
    16 years ago

    I would put them under dappled light, at least to start. Too much too fast can fry them. And I would go with VFT's and a variety of American pitcher plants (Sarracenias). P. primuliflora comes from down south, so that is a good candidate.

  • wert9wert
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks ...

    what is VFT?

  • drwurm
    16 years ago

    I used to live in florida too. The hot sun there and the humidity will be very kind to your sarracenia. They love intense sunlight. The same goes for flytraps.

    It is probably a good idea to acclimate them a bit first, but I've taken sarracenia straight from shady nurseries to full sun before with no ill effects. In a few weeks, you'll probably see some pretty coloration on the pitchers.

    Use a 1:1 soil mix of NON-fertilized peat moss and perlite. Never ever use miracle grow soils, potting soils, or fertilizers. They kill plants fast.

    For planting in pots, use either plastic or glazed. Terra cotta loses water fast and can leach nutrients into the soil (bad). Use only distilled water or the abundant florida rain to keep em wet. Generally, CPs are kept on the tray system, where they are planted into a draining pot which is inside of a deep tray. This way, you keep standing water close to the roots.

    Now comes the problem. You bought your plant in winter. And since you got it from a hardware store, it probably has no idea what season it is. Sarracenia and flytraps need dormancy as a general rule, but it's probably best if you don't try to force it on them this year. Hopefully it'll survive.

    I'd recommend only buying tropical plants if you want more this winter. That means mexican butterworts, nepenthes, and tropical sundews. I'm not sure how cold it's gonna get around where you are. If you don't expect significantly low temps, you could probably get away with growing butterworts and sundews outside in partial sun. Nepenthes can be a bit testy, so I'd hold off on them for now. However, I suspect that florida would be a great place to grow lowland nepenthes outside year round.

  • drwurm
    16 years ago

    VFT = venus fly trap

  • mutant_hybrid
    16 years ago

    Hello Wert9wert,

    Drwurm and Petiolaris provided great advice. Sarracenias and Venus Flytraps are full sun plants that can take 80 degree temps like a walk in the park. They can typically grow in regions where temperatures reach 100 degrees in summer and down to 20 degrees in winter. that is in general, some Sarracenias and Sundews are actually native to Florida.

    Keep your new plants from the hardware store in partial light to start with and slowly step up the intensity each week for a couple weeks to reduce leaf burn. Hardware store bought plants typically have been deprived of light for weeks before being bought so leaf burn can occur if they are suddenly put out in full sun.

    Plants that grow well in your region are Drosera filiformis, Sarracenias, Venus Flytraps, and I would say any of the tropicals, like Drosera capensis and Drosera adelae. Butterworts and Drosera adelae would need only indirect sun, so keep them on a screened porch out of direct ultraviolet light. Nepenthes like bright light, but generally not as intense as Venus Flytraps, so slight shading would work well for them too right up at the screen of your porch or under a shady tree. You would need to keep the tropicals out of temperatures below 60 degrees in general though some finicky Nepenthes actually prefer a temp drop at night down in the 40-50 range.

  • wert9wert
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Wow ... such good advice. Thank you all very much.

    Loretta

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    Hi
    Like any other type of gardening in zone 10 it's different.lol Most ,not all types of CP require a cool if not downright cold rest period.. While Sarracenias grow wild in the northern part of the state they will not tolerate year around warmth. You can simulate a cold rest period in several ways ,none of which work really well. I think the main problem is a "cool down" before a cold dormmant period. Almost impossible to duplicate in zone 10
    I grow VFT in reverse starting out in Nov. grow through the winter and then keep them in thr fridge during the summer. Early June is when the real heat starts so you can replicate the "winter" during the worst part of the year.
    Some will grow for long periods but eventually they will
    croak from the eternal heat.
    Some good choices for 10 are "tropical" species. Nepenthes almost become weedy here. Of these be sure to select from "lowland" types . The high altitudes will not tolerate warm nights. All can be grown here but require an entirely differnt method.
    gary

  • growerofrajah
    16 years ago

    you could put it in your fridge for dormancy

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