FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi guys, has anyone tried Doff Orchid Drip Feed on their VFT's or Pitcher Plants? Do they work and if so, what method did you use to introduce them to the plants?

Many thanks,
Brian

Feel like that would kill flytraps outright. I'd ask Matt how he soil fertilizes. I feel like I remember him talking about that one time but soil fertilizing a flytrap is kinda sketchy if you don't know what you're doing. They have little tolerance. I honestly never tried the soil. Pitcher plants I don't know; they're more tolerant of soil fertilization but the dose would make a difference. Also components in the fertilizer. Idk about all orchids but mine are dosed with osmocote slow release at a level comparable to any other potted plant and their tolerance is significantly higher than a CP. Still, if you have an extra you would like to test with, it'd be interesting to hear about.

Thanks again Apollyon. I've got one stuck in the soil of my VFT right now but after your warning, I think I'll switch it over to my Pitcher Plant for now, at least until I get some further advice.
Cheers mate!

Apollyon wrote:I'd ask Matt how he soil fertilizes. I feel like I remember him talking about that one time but soil fertilizing a flytrap is kinda sketchy if you don't know what you're doing. They have little tolerance.

This is accurate.

I have and do, on occasion, fertilize flytraps via the soil. They respond well to it at very low dosages, but it is super easy to take it too far and burn them. I typically mix 1 tsp of Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro into a gallon of RO water and water the flytraps only once or twice with that in the spring. They won't burn with that amount, but they also don't get a huge growth burst. They respond much better to being hand-fed rehydrated freeze-dried blood worms. Though, of course, that is very time consuming to do.

Thank you Matt. So the orchid feed I have is no good for my Pitcher Plants then? I also hand-feed both my Pitchers and my VFT's with freeze-dried bloodworms like you!

I personally wouldn't risk it. Not if you only have a couple. Foliar feeding works well too (misting the leaves) and is a little safer. Try Maxsea 16-16-16 at 1/4-1/2 tsp a gallon. Start by misting it every 2-3 weeks or so. My plants show a response almost every time I use it.

Maxsea is pricy lol... Try doing a miracle-gro solution, make it out to be 2g/l and it works miracles get it?

Or put some diluted fertilizer inside the pitchers. The vertical Sarracenia species don't like having water in their pitchers, and they will quickly drain it off. When they do that, they also absorb the fertilizer that was in the water. My Sarracenia purpurea and rosea plants benefited from this, too.