Recomendation for a Newbie?

[vera_renczi]

I don't water mine from the top because I read that it washes away the minerals found in the soil. oh and tap water's calcium isn't the best for them either but it really depends on how clean your tap water is at home. I leave mine outside, distilled water from the bottom only and it's done really well, I've even replanted it a few times. and it's getting huge!

 

[Katnapper]

I don't water mine from the top because I read that it washes away the minerals found in the soil. oh and tap water's calcium isn't the best for them either but it really depends on how clean your tap water is at home. I leave mine outside, distilled water from the bottom only and it's done really well, I've even replanted it a few times. and it's getting huge!

Great job! Hmmm.... I killed all mine in short order.

 

[vera_renczi]

oh and I forgot to mention that porous pots are not the best for venus flytraps because they absorb the water. some say glazed ceramic pots are okay but I stick with plastic, it's cheap and seems to work the best for mine. just make sure they have holes in the bottom and you should be good to go!

 

[Dwaink]

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?

Hi,

There around 200 different types of vfts, from all white to all yellow to all red. We call them designer vfts. Its really a personal preference.

Good Luck!

 

[Dwaink]

oh and I forgot to mention that porous pots are not the best for venus flytraps because they absorb the water. some say glazed ceramic pots are okay but I stick with plastic, it's cheap and seems to work the best for mine. just make sure they have holes in the bottom and you should be good to go!

Hi,

Another good idea to remember is if it was bought from a store is not to leave it in sphagnum. 50% peat moss and 50% white silica sand. If you cant find white sand, play-box sand is good wash good to get the dirt and salt out. pumice and pearlite work good to.

Regards

 

[3.1415926]

Cape sundews dont need dormancy and there seeds can cause an infestation of sundews.

 

[wangi]

I don't water mine from the top because I read that it washes away the minerals found in the soil. oh and tap water's calcium isn't the best for them either but it really depends on how clean your tap water is at home. I leave mine outside, distilled water from the bottom only and it's done really well, I've even replanted it a few times. and it's getting huge!

Hmmm. Glad I read this thread. Just rescued my mam's fly trap, some of the leaves are dying off and she thinks it's done for but maybe they've just closed their allotted number of times. It has 2 flower stalks (a mummy and a baby one ) and I left some Drosophila next to it, thinking it could do with some nitrogen. It's caught one Drosophila, I gave another leaf a small cricket. So that's its food for a month. It's still got 2 open leaves.

I killed one when I was little by giving it shed loads of crickets...over feeding I guess. I never realised they ate so little!

They're quite beautiful and fascinating, much better than poncy bagonias and dahlias any day

 

[neps]

You might find this website to be of interest. It's one I wrote about ten years ago. Mostly intact, but it is being hosted by a buddy of mine, and some of the links may now be broken. It features members of the genus Nepenthes, tropical carnivorous plants which are from SE Asia. I'm new to the mantid scene, but have been growing Nepenthes for a fairly long time.

If you have any questions, please ask and I'll try to help.

 

[nebrakacinese]

I got my first fly trap at Hyvee today Yeeeaaahhh

 

[Crazy4mantis]

Ok, here is my ultra basic grow vft guide based on experience:

Location: I keep most outside, but the ones from hardware stores are very stressed, so I keep them inside. I always buy vfts from reliable sources like the local cp society, but sometimes I can't resist the ones at osh. make sure they get LOTS of light. 10 hours of direct sunlight is still fine!

Water: vfts are very sensitive to minerals in water, even more than other cps. I always use reverse osmosis water. Keep them WET. They are BOG plants! Not soaking though.

Feeding: beneficial, but not required. Up to one insect every week. Make sure insects are 1/4 the trap size.

Dormancy: they have winter rest periods. They will naturally go to "sleep" when daylight gets shorter and temps cool down.

I WILL POST PICS OF A HUGE FORM I HAVE. It is the best one Ihave ever had. AND it is the first non hardware staore one. hardware stores just are not good sources for cps.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND VFTS FOR COMPLETE NEWBIES!!!! CAPE SUNDEWS (DROSERA CAPENSIS) ARE THE WAY TO GO!!!

Best newbie cps:

5:butter worts

4: easy nepenthes species

3: venus fly traps FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE

2: serracenia

1: easy sundews

UTRICULARIA AND GENLISEA WOULD BE HERE, BUT THEY ARE SO BORING THEY ARE NOT GOOD FOR NEWBIES

worst newbie cps: (just for fun)

4: darlingtonia

3:drosophyllum

2: hard nepenthes

1: Heliamphora

All the cool ones are hard

 

[Crazy4mantis]

if you have not too hot temps and relatively high humidity, easy nepenthes are #1. they can be watered from the hose, and they get big! a tiny plant I got at the county fair in 2008 is now big enough to cover half of my outdoor bench!

 

[Crazy4mantis]

good:

BAD:

 

[sueb4653]

can a venus flytrap live under artifical light?

 

[Crazy4mantis]

Yes, but they will not be as healthy

 

[sueb4653]

was thinking of getting to put near my aquarium and ghost nursery for the hydei that escape thoughts?

 

[Crazy4mantis]

Butterworts and large sundews will work much better