Carnivorous Plants
Carnivorous Plants
Strange plants. Surprisingly simple care.
We Started With a Dead Venus Flytrap, Too.
Like a lot of people, our introduction to carnivorous plants started with a Venus Flytrap from a big-box store.
We brought it home, put it in the window, gave it water, and within a few weeks we were pretty sure we had managed to kill it.
The problem wasn't that Venus Flytraps are impossible to grow. The problem was that we didn't know they have a few very specific needs — and those needs are very different from ordinary houseplants.
That's one of the reasons we started offering carnivorous plants at Doc B's. Our goal isn't simply to send someone home with an interesting plant. We want to send people home with the information they need to become happy carnivorous plant owners.
The Most Important Rule: Water
If you remember only one thing from this page, remember this:
Never use ordinary tap water.
Use distilled water, reverse-osmosis (RO) water, or suitable rainwater.
Carnivorous plants naturally grow in environments where the soil contains very few minerals. Their roots are not adapted to the dissolved minerals commonly found in tap water. Those minerals can gradually accumulate in the growing medium and damage or kill the plant.
If you're testing water with a TDS meter, water that reads around 0 PPM is ideal.
Don't Fertilize Them
Most houseplants are regularly fertilized. Carnivorous plants are different.
They evolved to capture insects because the environments they naturally grow in are extremely nutrient-poor. Traditional plant fertilizer can burn their roots and damage or kill the plant.
Do not add regular houseplant fertilizer to the soil or water unless you are following specialized instructions for that particular species.
You Don't Need to Feed Them
One of the first questions people ask is: "What do I feed it?"
Usually, nothing.
If your plant is somewhere insects occasionally exist, it will generally take care of feeding itself. Even indoors, carnivorous plants don't need a constant supply of bugs.
Resist the temptation to put hamburger, lunch meat, cheese, or other human food into the traps. These plants are designed to capture insects — not eat dinner with you.
Light Matters
Most carnivorous plants enjoy considerably more light than a typical low-light houseplant. Good light helps produce healthy growth, strong coloration, and — depending on the species — larger or more colorful traps.
Exactly how much light your plant prefers depends on what you purchased. A Sundew, Venus Flytrap, and Pinguicula do not all want exactly the same conditions.
Meet the Carnivores
Venus Flytraps
The classic carnivorous plant. Their hinged traps close when tiny trigger hairs are stimulated by prey.
They enjoy lots of light, mineral-free water, and a seasonal winter dormancy.
Sundews
Sundews — or Drosera — produce sparkling droplets of sticky mucilage along their leaves that capture small insects.
Many varieties are excellent beginner carnivorous plants when provided with plenty of light and clean water.
Pinguicula
Often called Butterworts or simply Pings, these plants form beautiful rosettes of leaves covered with tiny sticky glands.
They are particularly good at catching fungus gnats and other tiny insects.
One Plant Does Not Equal One Set of Instructions
"Carnivorous plant" describes a huge group of plants with different growing habits. Some live in wet bogs. Some grow on rocky cliffs. Some experience a winter dormancy. Others come from tropical or subtropical climates.
That's why we provide care information based on the type of plant you're taking home.
If you aren't sure what you purchased or something doesn't look right, ask us. We'd much rather help troubleshoot a plant early than have you assume you've killed it.
The Doc B's Carnivorous Plant Basics
- Distilled, reverse-osmosis, or appropriate rainwater only.
- Avoid ordinary tap water.
- Never use ordinary houseplant fertilizer.
- You generally don't need to feed your plant.
- Give it the amount of light recommended for its species.
- Use growing media intended for carnivorous plants.
- Don't panic over every brown leaf or trap. Old growth naturally dies as new growth develops.
Welcome to the Weird Side of Houseplants.
Carnivorous plants aren't nearly as intimidating as they look.
Give them clean water, appropriate light, the right growing medium, and resist the urge to treat them like an ordinary houseplant.
We'll help with the rest.
— Doc B's Crystal Shop