FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

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Discuss any carnivorous plant that doesn't fit in the above categories here or general chat about carnivorous plants

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By Adrien
Posts:  758
Joined:  Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:13 pm
#348491
Hello, I was just wondering what insect has the highest levels of nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium for carnivorous plants? I know high levels of nitrogen helps with foliage growth, phosphorus helps with root/flower development, and potassium helps with overall health of the plant. Carnivorous plants can’t be fertilized so I just wanted to know the best food for CP.
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By paulsflytrap
Posts:  276
Joined:  Mon Sep 08, 2014 1:23 am
#348493
hi,
I have been using FREEZE DRIED blood worms for years now and there awesome :)
most pet stores carry this product and one bottle goes along way.
By twitcher
Posts:  656
Joined:  Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:56 am
#348517
I can't speak to food value, but I like the natural approach. I use fruit flies (vestigial wings so they cannot fly) which I culture myself. Very easy to culture and harvest, but I must admit that the occasional fly does manage to escape into the wilds of my plant/fish room (and sometimes they do show up on the pings or drosera). I dump the live flies from the culture into a zip bag and then freeze them. For feeding, I just dump some of the flies into a small sample container and use a moistened toothpick to feed. I also use a very weak solution of maxsea on occasion, applied lightly, but never on young or smaller plants .
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By Adrien
Posts:  758
Joined:  Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:13 pm
#348537
twitcher wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:29 pm I can't speak to food value, but I like the natural approach. I use fruit flies (vestigial wings so they cannot fly) which I culture myself. Very easy to culture and harvest, but I must admit that the occasional fly does manage to escape into the wilds of my plant/fish room (and sometimes they do show up on the pings or drosera). I dump the live flies from the culture into a zip bag and then freeze them. For feeding, I just dump some of the flies into a small sample container and use a moistened toothpick to feed. I also use a very weak solution of maxsea on occasion, applied lightly, but never on young or smaller plants .
That’s interesting I would like to do that as well, where did you get the wingless flys? And how do you raise them?
By twitcher
Posts:  656
Joined:  Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:56 am
#348589
The flies can be obtained at many pet stores, especially the ones that sell lizards. I am willing to trade a starter culture for a cp of interest, once the winter subsides (probably April would work) if none are available in your area.. What is needed is an appropriate container and media for the flies. I use 8 oz container of applesauce mixed with baby oatmeal as the media. The flies need something to crawl on and keep them off the media all the time. I use excelsior. (available at craft stores or Amazon). A small handful is enough fo the culture. They also need a container with screen or cloth covering to admit air and restrain flies from escaping.
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By Adrien
Posts:  758
Joined:  Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:13 pm
#348659
Thanks, I’ll check my local pet stores. I would use them for most my CP. I also went through forums and someone already talked about the insects that contain more nitrogen and it’s usually the carnivorous insects such as spiders, wasps, Beatles, (etc). If I don’t find any wingless flies I’ll message you, in the meantime I’ll do some research on caring for them.
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