FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

[Dini]

I currently have a Nepenthes pitcher plant, Venus fly trap, sundew and a sarracenia and I just want general tips on growing them outside like amount of direct sunlight? or watering, anything that would be useful for taking care of them hehe... I'm new to carnivorous plants. Thanks!

[sanguinearocks101]

What USDA zone are you in? Do you know what species the sundew is? The Sarracenia and Venus flytrap and maybe the sundew depending on the species require a winter dormancy. I believe that the Nepenthes and sundew will be the hardest to acclimate, but for the Nepenthes I would definitely recommend going slow and steady, if all it’s old growth is killed by sunburn then it’s going to be hard for it to recover. For watering keep them moist, try your best to not let them dry out. For the sun I’d put the Sarr and Vft in bright direct sunlight and maybe the sundew and Nep in less bright sunlight.

[MikeB]

Where are you located? We need to know what the climate is like in your area before we can give you any recommendations.

[Dini]

I live here in New Zealand

[MikeB]

I live here in New Zealand

Okay, that narrows it down a lot. Can you give us a nearby city to check the local climate? What works on the North Island may not be doable on the South Island.

[Dini]

in the north island

[MikeB]

I went to Google and did a search on "climate auckland new zealand"

Auckland.jpg (25.3 KiB) Viewed 7962 times

and another search on "climate wilmington north carolina" (in the heart of Venus flytrap country)

Wilmington.jpg (24.44 KiB) Viewed 7962 times

Temperature-wise, they're very similar during winter (I'm talking about the season, not the months on the calendar). This is great for the dormancy requirements of Venus flytraps and Sarracenia. However, the summer temperatures in Auckland are much cooler than those in Wilmington. You want to give your flytrap and Sarracenia at least 8 hours of sun, preferably from dawn until mid-afternoon. In addition to the sunlight, you're also trying to warm up your plants. If you can put them close to a south-facing wall, they will get extra warmth from the heat radiating off the wall. For water, it has to be low-mineral: 50 PPM or less. Flytraps like to be damp, and Sarracenia like to be a bit more on the wet side.

You didn't say what species/hybrid of Nepenthes that you have. Nepenthes are tropical plants, but their temperature requirements vary depending on whether they're lowland, intermediate, or highland species/hybrids. The most commonly sold Nepenthes lean toward lowland conditions. They like to be warm and humid. For sunshine, start off with sun from dawn until noon and then dappled sun or bright, indirect light for the rest of the day. You can use the same water as that for the flytrap and Sarracenia. Nepenthes like to be damp but not flooded. If you keep it constantly wet, then rot is likely to set in.

I can't give any advice on the sundew without know what species it is.

[Dini]

I went to Google and did a search on "climate auckland new zealand"

Auckland.jpg

and another search on "climate wilmington north carolina" (in the heart of Venus flytrap country)

Wilmington.jpg

Temperature-wise, they're very similar during winter (I'm talking about the season, not the months on the calendar). This is great for the dormancy requirements of Venus flytraps and Sarracenia. However, the summer temperatures in Auckland are much cooler than those in Wilmington. You want to give your flytrap and Sarracenia at least 8 hours of sun, preferably from dawn until mid-afternoon. In addition to the sunlight, you're also trying to warm up your plants. If you can put them close to a south-facing wall, they will get extra warmth from the heat radiating off the wall. For water, it has to be low-mineral: 50 PPM or less. Flytraps like to be damp, and Sarracenia like to be a bit more on the wet side.

You didn't say what species/hybrid of Nepenthes that you have. Nepenthes are tropical plants, but their temperature requirements vary depending on whether they're lowland, intermediate, or highland species/hybrids. The most commonly sold Nepenthes lean toward lowland conditions. They like to be warm and humid. For sunshine, start off with sun from dawn until noon and then dappled sun or bright, indirect light for the rest of the day. You can use the same water as that for the flytrap and Sarracenia. Nepenthes like to be damp but not flooded. If you keep it constantly wet, then rot is likely to set in.

I can't give any advice on the sundew without know what species it is.

wow thank you so much for all this info! also my pither plant is a nepenthes bill bailey which I heard is a highland species and for my sundew its a drosera filiformis! thank you again!

[MikeB]

For the Drosera filiformis sundew, treat it just like your flytrap (temperature, light, water). In the autumn, the leaves will die off, and the plant will form a hibernaculum (Latin, "tent for winter quarters"). It will ride out the winter as a bud on the soil, then open in the spring and roll out new leaves.

I did a quick check on Nepenthes 'Bill Bailey'. Carnivero (a vendor in the U.S.) has a good write-up on how to care for this hybrid.