FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

What if you closely monitored the moisture level of the soil in the fish bowl? Or is that too risky?

Too risky, you can't drill holes. Why can't you just use tall plastic cups?

I actually can drill holes in glass and clay pots and a cup isn't as visually appealing. I have a picture plant that I planted in a terrarium and it did really well as I didn't know how tall they could get

Are the plants going to be grown inside or outside? Conditions can be controlled better inside but providing enough light can be problematical. Airflow would be important so a fan would probably be needed.

I understand the desire for nice pots but I would look at regular, but nice looking plastic pots…maybe well -glazed ceramic pots.

SlowPoke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 8:10 pm I actually can drill holes in glass and clay pots and a cup isn't as visually appealing. I have a picture plant that I planted in a terrarium and it did really well as I didn't know how tall they could get

A fishbowl would work and you could use a carbide tipped drill bit specifically for glass cutting.

However, glass presents an extreme downside outside in the light as it has high potential to magnify the sunlight and act as a death ray on your plant.

It is possible if you tinted the glass perhaps or instead just had it inside with adequate lighting and artificial ventilation.

The topic of reusing or alternative containers has come up before. Here --> upcycling-food-containers-t49436.html

Panman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 5:36 pm Aquariums and fish bowls are bad ideas for flytraps as they do not like to have their roots sitting in water.

Honestly I've grown vfts sitting in water with no prob. However, I typically used pots that were at least 6" deep and the water the pot sat in was only 1-2" deep.

Here you go.

[url]httpshttps://www.amazon.com/Novelty-Plastic-Striped- ... B019NYMBTG[/url]

The plastic would likely rot from UV, but it's an idea.

Clear glass or plastic would allow too much light into the potting medium: potentially a heat concern, and definitely an algae habitat.

It blows my mind that some folks don't mind looking at Slurpee logos or cheap styrofoam while they are admiring their lovely plants. Like @Intheswamp in the original post, I like plain plastic tall tumblers from Walmart, Ikea, etc., to keep all the focus on the green guys. Those gray Walmart one work great. Easy to drill holes.

Having said that, I may have purchased Delizza frozen eclairs solely to get the white square plastic container to use for seedlings.

Thank you schmeg! That's probably the best explained pros & cons answer I think I've been looking for! Since I posted this I went to a fast food joint and got a shake, it came in a 16-20 Oz cup with a dome on it and it gave me an idea. While it is NOT attractive, I think it'll work as I have been paying attention to everybody's advice... thank you again!

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 9:56 pm Are the plants going to be grown inside or outside? Conditions can be controlled better inside but providing enough light can be problematical. Airflow would be important so a fan would probably be needed.

I understand the desire for nice pots but I would look at regular, but nice looking plastic pots…maybe well -glazed ceramic pots.

They're outside for now but will be brought in when it gets too cool for them. I'm also going to be transplanting them into something more suitable.

If plants are outside in direct sun (as they should be), look for white or light-colored potting containers. These won't add as much heat to the peat, compared to dark containers (although material matters...black styrofoam would be more insulating than black metal).

davinstewart wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 6:08 pm You know what I want? The flower pot equivalent of a quart of milk. White plastic with a square top and straight sides so they stack tightly together, tall, plastic. Burn a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

That would be awesome.

Actually, maybe I'll grab a few plastic milk containers and try that.

I use about three inches of the bottom of a gallon milk jug for a “tray” under a pot of D. capillaris. It has held up well this summer but does grow some healthy algae in it.

FWIW, following up on Panman’s mention of the popcorn containers I was in a Dollar Tree earlier and took a snap of these…$1.25 for either two small ones or one big one. Big ones seem a bit flimsy but would probably steady up when filled with growing medium. The smaller ones seem fairly stable. They’re thin and as John mentioned they may or may not hold up under a hot sun. Very decorative, too!

schmeg wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 4:27 am Having said that, I may have purchased Delizza frozen eclairs solely to get the white square plastic container to use for seedlings.

Ohhh, the sacrifices that we make for our plants....

One other thing to consider ... plastic grow bags. I've been trying these lately and am a big fan so far. Super cheap, white exterior, almost no wasted root space.

Interestingly, I've also found that as long as the bags are cheek-to-cheek they insulate better than styrofoam containers.

Here's some that I'm considering getting for individual venus flytraps: Hydro Crunch D94002111-100PC 1/2 Gal. B&W PE Grow Bag Set (100-Pack), Black/White

These would be for my outdoor ebb-and-flow table. They have the added benefit that the more space is occupied on the watering table, the more efficient it becomes and the less water is needed to water the plants.

davinstewart wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 3:40 am One other thing to consider ... plastic grow bags. I've been trying these lately and am a big fan so far. Super cheap, white exterior, almost no wasted root space.

Interestingly, I've also found that as long as the bags are cheek-to-cheek they insulate better than styrofoam containers.

Here's some that I'm considering getting for individual venus flytraps: Hydro Crunch D94002111-100PC 1/2 Gal. B&W PE Grow Bag Set (100-Pack), Black/White

These would be for my outdoor ebb-and-flow table. They have the added benefit that the more space is occupied on the watering table, the more efficient it becomes and the less water is needed to water the plants.

Those bags have some excellent reviews on Amazon. It makes sense, too, that the bags positioned touching their neighbor bag would have better insulation than a 1/8" thick styrofoam cups...lots of surrounding "airy" mass except for the outer sides of the outside bags, those might get a bit warm or cold depending on ambient conditions, sunlight hitting them, whatever.

I'm envisioning how the growbags nestled against each other would work in regards to allowing water to surround and enter and exit the holes in the bottom of the bags. Seems them nestled against each other might cause a "seal" between them. They do ok with this?

Do you see much soil/root disturbance when you move the bags? I've had flimsy 6" plastic pots to flex pretty bad when lifting them. I'm taking that you're using these in a nursery-type setting to either up-pot the plants or either ship bare-rooted?

The size sounds about perfect and the price isn't bad at all. The questions are just me trying to wrap my head around how these would work. Thanks!