FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Would organic fertilizer be safe to use on CPs? Ex. Earth Juice?

Hello,

I know that some growers use Peat Tea. What's on your mind? What types of Fertilizer?

hb

savagegardener wrote:Would organic fertilizer be safe to use on CPs? Ex. Earth Juice?

I don't know what's in "Earth Juice" (I've never heard of it previously) but generally any type of fertilizer or nutrients will harm the roots of Venus Flytraps. The roots and plant are very sensitive to chemical burn from fertilizer and even tap water with its "dissolved solids." However, people do try to feed Venus Flytraps in various creative ways, such as very weak foliar nutrient spray. However, even the slightest amount (even a light overspray) of fertilizer solution, if it lands on the surface of the soil, will encourage a flush of slimy algae growth, so I personally avoid it scrupulously. However, I do have a fertilizer experiment going on right now that does not involve foliar feed nor anything in the growing medium. Too early to know whether it works or to talk about it though.

Generally, Venus Flytraps grow very healthily just from photosynthesis, with the insects being a bonus.

Steve

I had similar ideas. If the usual type of fertilizer is bad, maybe an organic type will work. I think it's a good idea, but the flytrap roots are so sensitive that even this can hurt them if it is too concentrated.
Here's what happened to me. I haven't tried Earth Juice, but I have tried watering with a homemade solution of organic material found in rich soils. The salt level was very low so I thought it would be safe. It probably was safer than using your typical salt-type fertilizer, but I found out that if it was too concentrated, even this type of organic solution could damage the plant. I gave it to one plant last year and it still has not quite fully recovered. I tried rinsing the soil with clean distilled water several times, but the damage was done and rinsing the soil had no effect. I could transplant it to fresh peat moss, but that also is traumatic. I'm hoping it will be fully recovered by the end of this year. It's currently making lots of traps but they are still small. Last year, the traps would die long before they ever opened. It's improved a lot since that one experiment, but it still has a way to go to catch up with my other plants.
On the other hand, I have used Maxicrop liquid seaweed in the water at less than 1/4 the concentration given on the jug. This is a known concentration and can be diluted accurately. My homemade organic solution was an unknown concentration. It might have worked if more dilute, but I'm not going to try again.
I like using kelp and liquid seaweed (which is made from kelp) on other plants, but it does tend to be high in certain salts so I don't use it for flytraps on a regular basis. Once in a while seems OK, but over time the salts may build up to harmful levels. I don't know for sure, I'm just being cautious.

Why not just let them grow in nutrient poor soil and allow them to catch bugs on their own, like nature and evolution intended, instead of torturing them with fertilizers they obviously can't handle?

Personally, I'm always trying to get a little bit more out of things. I experiment with everything. Hopefully I'll hit on something really fantastic one day. Plus, there are no bugs in the house for the plants to catch.
I'm not trying to torture them with fertilizer they can't handle, I'm trying to find fertilizer they can handle. After failing to make a workable incandescent lightbulb filament for the umpteenth time, Thomas Edison is reported to have said (I'm paraphrasing here) that "it wasn't a failure, he now knows another way that doesn't work." Learning what doesn't work is part of understanding what does work.