Recomendation for a Newbie?

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Dinora

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Hoe kay,

So I'm ready to jump in an get my first carnivorous plant now, but would like to start off with an easy to keep one, maybe one with a little color, too?

Any suggestions?

Thanx!

-Dinora

 
I thought everyone started off with the obligatory venus fly trap from their local hardware store :lol:

 
Yeah, I saw some really big ones at lowes the other day.............nearly became an impulse buy for me <_<

 
There are some sundews that are pretty easy too. :) I have several coming in the mail very shortly! And depending on where you live you might have good luck growing pitcher plants outdoors, some of them really thrive in most parts of the USA, for starters.

Whatever you get, do some research. All of the common mistakes that newbies make can be prevented with a few minutes on google, or a look through a good CP information site like http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html

 
Griever said:
I thought everyone started off with the obligatory venus fly trap from their local hardware store :lol:
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I did get a venus fly trap once when I was 12 and fed the poor thing pieces of cold cuts then cried when it died. :(

Are pitchers a good one to start with or should I wait. <_<

Keep in mind that when I decided I wanted a mantis, I went straight for the orchid (Hymenopus Coronatus) - I'm crazy like that - LOL :p

 
Dinora said:
I did get a venus fly trap once when I was 12 and fed the poor thing pieces of cold cuts then cried when it died. :(
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Thats ok, when I was 15 I was raising one for a science fair project and my brother knocked it over resulting in the plant and soil ball to fall out together.

He tried to make it look as if it never took a tumble, when he placed it back in the planter he wasn't thinking and he replaced it.............upside down soil side up, needless to say I didn't have a venus fly trap to show off at the science fair <_<

 
Griever said:
Thats ok, when I was 15 I was raising one for a science fair project and my brother knocked it over resulting in the plant and soil ball to fall out together. He tried to make it look as if it never took a tumble, when he placed it back in the planter he wasn't thinking and he replaced it.............upside down soil side up, needless to say I didn't have a venus fly trap to show off at the science fair <_<
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:eek: :angry: And then you were wishing for one of those "Venus human traps!" :rolleyes: :p

 
Griever said:
I thought everyone started off with the obligatory venus fly trap from their local hardware store :lol:
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My hubby must have looked over my shoulder or something cuz yesterday he bought me a venus fly trap while at the hardware store! B)

Yay!!!

*clap paws!* :D

*squeel with glee!* :lol:

 
4 Days old and still alive!

I've been feeding it my mantis' left overs. I have one mantis with the nasty habbit of only eating the belly of the crickets and not eating the rest of it.

He/she just lets the body drop to the moist towel below all gooey and such and goes after the next cricket! So now my new plant, Vincent, gets scraps.

Is it bad to feed them dead animals?

 
If it is a small venus fly trap, in my experience its best to wait till their a fairly large size before actually feeding them bugs. The "traps" can only open and close 2-3 times before turning brown and dying and artifically setting off a trap will drain its energy. When their little they don't produce that many leaves all to quickly and if all the leaves or "traps" turn brown the plant is in trouble. Typically a young plant will do just fine by pulling enough nutrients from the substrate to grow. Larger plants don't actually catch flies all too often in nature usually fly traps only need 2-3 flies a month.

 
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Hey, Dinora... Hubs and I were in Lowe's yesterday (bought a shed for the back yard), but we walked right by the plants and I thought of you and everyone else that has been getting the carniverous plants. Yep, I walked out with 3 of them, lol... 1 small Dionaea muscipula (Venus Flytrap), 1 med/large Venus Flytrap, and 1 small Darlingtonia californica (Cobra Lily). :lol:

Griever said:
If it is a small venus fly trap, in my experience its best to wait till their a fairly large size before actually feeding them bugs. The "traps" can only open and close 2-3 times before turning brown and dying and artifically setting off a trap will drain its energy. When their little they don't produce that many leaves all to quickly and if all the leaves or "traps" turn brown the plant is in trouble. Typically a young plant will do just fine by pulling enough nutrients from the substrate to grow. Larger plants don't actually catch flies all too often in nature usually fly traps only need 2-3 flies a month.
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Thanks for the tips, Griever! ;)

 
Speaking (or rather, typing) of Venus fly traps, it's important to keep in mind that they need a winter dormancy. I had a thriving specimen a few years ago, but unfortunately I didn't quite manage to pull it through the winter dormancy so it died. If one keeps the humidity and temperature more closely under control, I think it would be relatively easy to do so. The plant will wither away when it's ready for winter dormancy, the green parts all die off but the bulb lives on. So, simply keep the bulb somewhat moist and quite cool (such as in a fridge) but not at freezing temperatures for the entire length of a "normal winter" (i.e., a few months should do the trick), then let it have warmth and light again and it should spring back to life.

 

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