# joossa's Carnivorous Plants



## joossa (Aug 13, 2021)

Thought I'd share some pics of my carnivorous plants from this year's growing season. It's been a good year for the plants. Good weather has kept them happy in my small yard.

I have had some of these plants for over 10 years now, some for 15 years. I mainly grow North American species. Some of the plants in the pics are hybrids I created myself (manually cross pollinated and grew from seed).

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## joossa (Aug 13, 2021)

More pics:

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## coolnweird (Aug 13, 2021)

Beautiful plants! You've got some lovely blooms on the one in the back right corner, is that a drosera?

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## viper69 (Aug 13, 2021)

Gorgeous!!!!!
Is it true a fly trap is only good for one close of its leaves?

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## joossa (Aug 13, 2021)

coolnweird said:


> Beautiful plants! You've got some lovely blooms on the one in the back right corner, is that a drosera?


Yes. Good eye. That is a _Drosera filiformis var. tracyi_. A temperate sundew plant from Florida that makes long sticky tentacles that catch and digest tons of bugs.
You can see how the blooms are active far higher than the carnivorous tentacles so the plant does not kill and eat it's own pollinators. Haha. This pic would have been taken in May or early June when this plant normally blooms. Right now, its seed pods are maturing. The seed spread to the neighboring pots and the babies grow like weeds! I have had this mother plant since 2007 and it's almost indestructible! 




viper69 said:


> Gorgeous!!!!!
> Is it true a fly trap is only good for one close of its leaves?


Nope. Most can close and digest prey a couple of times. You'll see in some of the pics, some of the traps have two dried up, digested bugs. That indicates the trap has caught and digested (closed and sealed) a prey item more than once.

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## coolnweird (Aug 13, 2021)

joossa said:


> Yes. Good eye. That is a _Drosera filiformis var. tracyi_. A temperate sundew plant from Florida that makes long sticky tentacles that catch and digest tons of bugs.
> You can see how the blooms are active far higher than the carnivorous tentacles so the plant does not kill and eat it's own pollinators. Haha. This pic would have been taken in May or early June when this plant normally blooms. Right now, its seed pods are maturing. The seed spread to the neighboring pots and the babies grow like weeds!


It's gorgeous! I love how prolific drosera are, my D. capensis "big pink" flowered in early July and I'm looking forward to seedlings any week now. The same plant is sending up another flower stalk, I think I'm going to snip it and attempt propagation.

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## joossa (Aug 13, 2021)

coolnweird said:


> It's gorgeous! I love how prolific drosera are, my D. capensis "big pink" flowered in early July and I'm looking forward to seedlings any week now. The same plant is sending up another flower stalk, I think I'm going to snip it and attempt propagation.


Awesome. D. capensis is known to easily grow from seed. They easily take over if you let them. Haha. Good luck with yours!

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## coolnweird (Aug 13, 2021)

viper69 said:


> Gorgeous!!!!!
> Is it true a fly trap is only good for one close of its leaves?


OP explained perfectly, I just want to mention that if part of the prey remains outside the trap, and the trap fails to get a "good seal", it cannot properly digest the prey and typically dies off! The way they eat is fairly complex, I find it very interesting

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## viper69 (Aug 13, 2021)

joossa said:


> Yes. Good eye. That is a _Drosera filiformis var. tracyi_. A temperate sundew plant from Florida that makes long sticky tentacles that catch and digest tons of bugs.
> You can see how the blooms are active far higher than the carnivorous tentacles so the plant does not kill and eat it's own pollinators. Haha. This pic would have been taken in May or early June when this plant normally blooms. Right now, its seed pods are maturing. The seed spread to the neighboring pots and the babies grow like weeds! I have had this mother plant since 2007 and it's almost indestructible!
> 
> 
> ...





coolnweird said:


> OP explained perfectly, I just want to mention that if part of the prey remains outside the trap, and the trap fails to get a "good seal", it cannot properly digest the prey and typically dies off! The way they eat is fairly complex, I find it very interesting


thanks guys! the reason I asked - I read/watched an educational program that claimed 1 close and poof that's it. Which didn't sound right to me at all.


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## viper69 (Aug 13, 2021)

@joossa 

Sometime I've seen people own Pitchers (my favorite) and their pitchers lack the enzymatic liquids at times. I always thought the liquid was present all the time, but maybe it isn't?


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## joossa (Aug 13, 2021)

viper69 said:


> @joossa
> 
> Sometime I've seen people own Pitchers (my favorite) and their pitchers lack the enzymatic liquids at times. I always thought the liquid was present all the time, but maybe it isn't?


It depends on the species of Sarracenia and if it's being grown correctly. The tall trumpet pitcher plants like S. flava and S. leucophylla will almost always have some fluid, even if it's just at tad bit of fluid at the very bottom of the pitcher. Their pitchers have evolved a hood or lid to avoid rain from getting into the pitcher and diluting the fluid and digestive enzymes.

More primitive Sarracenia, like S. purpurea, actually don't produce any enzymes of their own or very little or ineffective enzymes (if I remember correctly). They actually have an open pitcher (no hood) that allows rain to fill up the pitcher with water. Once water is in, they actually rely on bacteria and other microorganisms to establish themselves and breakdown any prey that may slip in and drown. At that point, the pitcher can absorb the nutrients. These aquatic "micro habitats" inside the pitcher fluid are called phytotelmata communities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025736/

Some pitcher plants are also more "active" in terms of their carnivory in only certain parts of the growing season. So, S. oreophila for example, is active in early spring. Come mid summer, their pitchers may have no fluid left over or may have started to brown and dry up altogether as the plant shifts from carnivore mode to "I just want to photosynthesize" mode.

All of the above applies to the North American pitcher plants (Sarracenia) when the plants are grown in ideal conditions and are healthy. Otherwise, they may have dry pitchers with no fluid at all (and other issues).

There are also tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes), which I have very little experience with, that are all sort of crazy and produce tons and tons of fluid in their pitchers.

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## schmiggle (Aug 14, 2021)

joossa said:


> There are also tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes), which I have very little experience with, that are all sort of crazy and produce tons and tons of fluid in their pitchers.


My Nepenthes tend to be at least half full at all times. Nepenthes tenuis has this crazy mucusy digestive fluid that seems almost sticky.

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## joossa (Aug 14, 2021)

joossa said:


> Awesome. D. capensis is known to easily grow from seed. They easily take over if you let them. Haha. Good luck with yours!


Went out this morning to take more shots of the Drosera. You'll see a lot of the D. capensis are weeds hijacking the pots of my Sarracenia.

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## joossa (May 13, 2022)

Spring 2022 Pics:

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## Rick McJimsey (May 13, 2022)

You're making me want to get back into carnis, stop!

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## joossa (May 13, 2022)

Rick McJimsey said:


> You're making me want to get back into carnis, stop!


Come back to the dark side.

It had been many years since I added another CP to the collection (at least 7 or so) and this spring, I ended up buying like 10 new Sarrs!

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## coolnweird (May 13, 2022)

Beautiful! My carnivores are all still young plants, I'm really looking forward to seeing them grow and get as big as your specimens are. What zone are you in? I struggled to find a good dormancy solution this past winter, as my roommates wouldn't tolerate me taking over the fridge  if you ever feel up to it I'd love to hear how you winter yours!

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## joossa (May 13, 2022)

coolnweird said:


> Beautiful! My carnivores are all still young plants, I'm really looking forward to seeing them grow and get as big as your specimens are. What zone are you in? I struggled to find a good dormancy solution this past winter, as my roommates wouldn't tolerate me taking over the fridge  if you ever feel up to it I'd love to hear how you winter yours!


Thank you. It's so rewarding growing them. They are like Brachypelma or other NW terrestrials... You gotta be in it for the long haul! 
I'm right at zone 9b/10a. I'm in LA County, California. I leave them outside for the winter and let them sleep outside all winter long. They go dormant from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day more or less.

What zone are you in? Did you want to use the fridge method because it gets too cold or because it doesn't get cold enough? What plants are you growing?

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## coolnweird (May 14, 2022)

joossa said:


> Thank you. It's so rewarding growing them. They are like Brachypelma or other NW terrestrials... You gotta be in it for the long haul!
> I'm right at zone 9b/10a. I'm in LA County, California. I leave them outside for the winter and let them sleep outside all winter long. They go dormant from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day more or less.
> 
> What zone are you in? Did you want to use the fridge method because it gets too cold or because it doesn't get cold enough? What plants are you growing?


I'm 6a/6b, so from my understanding it gets too cold for them to winter outside. They did get a bit of a snow dusting one day, and then spent Nov-March on a very chilly drafty windowsill (single pane glass, nonexistent caulking) which was about 50° F during the day and 40° F at night.

I currently have a Drosera capensis, Dionaea muscipula, and Sarracenia x Judith Hindle! I admittedly ended summer with more than that, but those are what came out of dormancy  It was my first winter and not a very good one, so I'd love any advice! I'd done some research on different methods but gotten some mixed advice from other hobbyists. Thanks so much!

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## joossa (May 14, 2022)

coolnweird said:


> I'm 6a/6b, so from my understanding it gets too cold for them to winter outside. They did get a bit of a snow dusting one day, and then spent Nov-March on a very chilly drafty windowsill (single pane glass, nonexistent caulking) which was about 50° F during the day and 40° F at night.
> 
> I currently have a Drosera capensis, Dionaea muscipula, and Sarracenia x Judith Hindle! I admittedly ended summer with more than that, but those are what came out of dormancy  It was my first winter and not a very good one, so I'd love any advice! I'd done some research on different methods but gotten some mixed advice from other hobbyists. Thanks so much!


Ah! I see. Very good starting selection!
Do you have an unheated garage or storage shed? You could try that. I have little experience with alternative methods for dormancy. I've read people multch them in a bigger container when it's too cold out. Pine needles.
From what I know, giving them some decent airflow and not letting them get too dry or moist is key. I keep mine on the drier side during dormancy to avoid fungal issues. That's why people pretreat for fungus if using the fridge method.

S. purpurea ssp. purpurea is very cold hardy since it grows in more northern latitudes.

Sorry!! Probably doesn't help... I know it can be tricky.

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## coolnweird (May 14, 2022)

joossa said:


> Ah! I see. Very good starting selection!
> Do you have an unheated garage or storage shed? You could try that. I have little experience with alternative methods for dormancy. I've read people multch them in a bigger container when it's too cold out. Pine needles.
> From what I know, giving them some decent airflow and not letting them get too dry or moist is key. I keep mine on the drier side during dormancy to avoid fungal issues. That's why people pretreat for fungus if using the fridge method.
> 
> ...


I do have an unheated crawl space but wackily the access to it is underneath our pantry, so for logistical reasons I don't get down there a lot. Next winter I'll likely tough it out and take a few trips down to check temperatures.

No worries, you've been really helpful and I really appreciate you taking the time!!

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## Charliemum (May 18, 2022)

Wow those plants they are amazing seen stuff like that on TV but didn't even occur to me I could grow them myself...any idea if that would be possible in the uk or will I have to keep them indoors? You have started something joossa now off to research the crap out of this  My steatoda grossa happens to be called Lady Flytrap aka Venus ( named by Ungoliant) its a sign  be rude not to grow one now


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## rock (May 18, 2022)

I love how people just gush over Latin names here DD

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## coolnweird (May 18, 2022)

Charliemum said:


> Wow those plants they are amazing seen stuff like that on TV but didn't even occur to me I could grow them myself...any idea if that would be possible in the uk or will I have to keep them indoors? You have started something joossa now off to research the crap out of this  My steatoda grossa happens to be called Lady Flytrap aka Venus ( named by Ungoliant) its a sign  be rude not to grow one now


They can be grown anywhere if you're willing to buy grow lights! I'm sure there are people in the UK growing them.


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## Charliemum (May 18, 2022)

I have grow lights for a lemon tree I have so not a problem for that , been looking today I think I will definitely take the plunge and get some they are to cool not to atleast try

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## joossa (May 18, 2022)

Charliemum said:


> I have grow lights for a lemon tree I have so not a problem for that , been looking today I think I will definitely take the plunge and get some they are to cool not to atleast try


Go for it! There are so many types of carnivorous plants that do well in different conditions. Do your research and see what may work best for you and the growing conditions you can offer. Sarracenia are my favorite becuase there are so many species and hybrids and above all, are extremely easy to care for in my outdoor conditions. A good book is The Savage Garden. I think Barry Rice also has multiple relevant books on growing as well.

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## Charliemum (May 19, 2022)

Ty hun I shall look for that book  and the author  any info is definitely appreciated  I did start looking up sp I could grow outdoors here n the uk and sarrancenias were on that list along with drosera, pinguiciula, Darlingtonias californica, and nepenthes, so I have a good range to check out and start with  I will definitely get sarrancenias through as you have recommended them  thank you again.


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## schmiggle (May 19, 2022)

Barry Rice also has an excellent website

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## GBBFreak (Aug 24, 2022)

@joossa Great stuff here!

I've got a few carnivorous, too (no pic at hand). D. capensis: alba form, store-bought from last yr, really thrivin' now, and normal red form, which I've grown from seed (1 yr ago now so they kinda look like tiny adults). Also have VFTs, they produced seeds last yr and I'm growin' gen2. And some pitchers, Sarracenia purpurea maybe? But they're very short, so I dunno, perhaps it's some hybrid.
Wish I could get some Nepenthes (say, N. rajah ^^) but they're probably expensive and not the easiest to grow... Too bad. :/

Oh, I believe your spiders would hate you if they knew you're growin' such plants. Haha


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## Europus Gigantus (Nov 19, 2022)

joossa said:


> Ah! I see. Very good starting selection!
> Do you have an unheated garage or storage shed? You could try that. I have little experience with alternative methods for dormancy. I've read people multch them in a bigger container when it's too cold out. Pine needles.
> From what I know, giving them some decent airflow and not letting them get too dry or moist is key. I keep mine on the drier side during dormancy to avoid fungal issues. That's why people pretreat for fungus if using the fridge method.
> 
> ...


This is so interesting.  I will probably get scolded for not using Google or the search function here, but, would you know of any good books that you could recommend? That, and a Venus Flytrap plant would make a great Christmas present for someone I know.  Someone who can't keep these carnivorous plants alive!  It sounds like YOU the OP could write a good book, even if just for the photographs!  Anyway, really cool garden, just fantastic.  Thank you for letting us see them.


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## joossa (Nov 20, 2022)

Europus Gigantus said:


> This is so interesting.  I will probably get scolded for not using Google or the search function here, but, would you know of any good books that you could recommend? That, and a Venus Flytrap plant would make a great Christmas present for someone I know.  Someone who can't keep these carnivorous plants alive!  It sounds like YOU the OP could write a good book, even if just for the photographs!  Anyway, really cool garden, just fantastic.  Thank you for letting us see them.


Yes! The Savage Garden by Peter D'mato and Growing Carnivorous Plants by Barry Rice. Enjoy!


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