# Your carnivorous plant pics



## Benurmanii

So I know we already have a thread for your plant collects, but since I'm specifically a CP enthusiast I want to know if there are any members here who are specifically into carnivorous plants as well.

I'll start off with a few pics from the main part of my collection 

If you have any questions on the plants, feel free to ask! I'm pretty new to the CP hobby, only been growin them for a little over 6 months now, but I should be able to answer most care questions

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## Benurmanii

I photo to include a pic of the cape sundews, which I often forget about as they have been exiled to my propagation room.

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## Introvertebrate

Nice plants.  What kind of lighting are using?


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## Benurmanii

A fixture with 4 T8 bulbs. 2 are 3500k and 2 are 6500k.

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## leaveittoweaver

That's awesome! I've always wanted to keep carnivorous plants. Are they really difficult to maintain?


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## schmiggle

leaveittoweaver said:


> That's awesome! I've always wanted to keep carnivorous plants. Are they really difficult to maintain?


Just like any group of plants, it depends on the species.  Drosera capensis, for example, is very easy, whereas Roridula and Darlingtonia are almost impossible without a crazy greenhouse or someone living in an appropriate climate (or so I've read).


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## Benurmanii

schmiggle said:


> Just like any group of plants, it depends on the species.  Drosera capensis, for example, is very easy, whereas Roridula and Darlingtonia are almost impossible without a crazy greenhouse or someone living in an appropriate climate (or so I've read).


I've found that ease of care really comes down to the amount of money and time you are willing to invest. Darlingtonia seem to have a bad rap, I've found a lot of people have don't have a problem with them. I am less sure about Roridula, but I believe that most people have problems with them because they will get covered in bugs but cannot digest them. You need to fertilize them to make up for the lack of nutrient intake, and you will also need good airflow to keep the carcasses from developing mold, or you will need to pick off the dead bugs by hand.


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## obie

awesome plants


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## JohnDapiaoen

This pic is from last year, right now they are just starting to wake up from dormancy
	

		
			
		

		
	




-JohnD.

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## Shawnee

I don't really know anything about plants.. I can't really keep anything alive, but your pictures are awesome  Thank you for sharing them! I think carnivorous plants are so cool. Looks like you have a nice little collection


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## schmiggle

Nice collection!  which species are those? (other than the venus flytrap, of course)


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## Benurmanii

schmiggle said:


> Nice collection!  which species are those? (other than the venus flytrap, of course)


In my or JohnD's collection?


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## schmiggle

In JohnD's.  You already listed yours in this thread: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/your-plant-collections.265170/page-3 
As wonderful a collection as always, though. 
I'm posting a picture of one of my sundews (D. filiformis) from over the summer (apologies for the orientation, which I don't know how to fix...), and of my cephalotus now.  My sundews are currently just coming out of dormancy.  Enjoy!

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## alphacheese

Benurmanii said:


> I'll start off with a few pics from the main part of my collection
> View attachment 205166
> View attachment 205167
> View attachment 205170
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Wow, those all look incredibly healthy! Kudos


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## JohnDapiaoen

schmiggle said:


> Nice collection!  which species are those? (other than the venus flytrap, of course)


Three types of _Drosera capensis_: alba, broadleaf, and red.
_Drosera aliciae 
Drosera rotundifolia 
Drosera spatulata
Drosera binata_
And a small pot of hybrid _Pingulata._

-JohnD


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## Chillilisous

Benurmanii said:


> So I know we already have a thread for your plant collects, but since I'm specifically a CP enthusiast I want to know if there are any members here who are specifically into carnivorous plants as well.
> 
> I'll start off with a few pics from the main part of my collection
> 
> If you have any questions on the plants, feel free to ask! I'm pretty new to the CP hobby, only been growin them for a little over 6 months now, but I should be able to answer most care questions
> 
> View attachment 205166
> View attachment 205167
> View attachment 205170
> View attachment 205171
> View attachment 205172
> View attachment 205173


Could you post a picture of that set-up? Appears to be some sort of glass display case? I'm setting up a recently vacated room in my apartment with a series of plants and am looking for some good storage methods.


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## Benurmanii

Chillilisous said:


> Could you post a picture of that set-up? Appears to be some sort of glass display case? I'm setting up a recently vacated room in my apartment with a series of plants and am looking for some good storage methods.


It's actually a giant 70 gallon fish tank. I'll post pictures when I get home

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## viper69

Benurmanii said:


> I photo to include a pic of the cape sundews, which I often forget about as they have been exiled to my propagation room.
> View attachment 205178


What are the stoppered tubes for, what liquid is inside? Beautiful CPs, never owned but observed them in the wild.


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## truecreature

I was super into carnivorous plants a year or two ago but never ended up doing anything about it because it seemed like most of the plants I wanted, like the big pitchers, weren't an option for me because it gets too cold in the winter here for them and they're supposedly too big for indoor grow lights to work very well. At least that's what I recall reading.

Still into them and might at least pick up a flytrap or a sundew sometime


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## viper69

I read an interesting story this year, news article, how the wild CP population is suffering quite a bit because people buy the plants w/out knowing or caring if they captive propagated or WC, just like Ts. I also read Venus's in particular I believe, are very much in danger.

There's a guy I THINK up in NH maybe Maine, that breeds many different CPs and sells them too.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Benurmanii

viper69 said:


> I read an interesting story this year, news article, how the wild CP population is suffering quite a bit because people buy the plants w/out knowing or caring if they captive propagated or WC, just like Ts. I also read Venus's in particular I believe, are very much in danger.
> 
> There's a guy I THINK up in NH maybe Maine, that breeds many different CPs and sells them too.


As far as I know, the areas where poached carnivorous plants are really a problem are in the U.S., where people could dig up thousands of Venus Fly Traps and only receive a 50 dollar fine (until recently), and Australia, where the same problem is happening but with tuberous sundews (some extremely rare tuberous sundews in cultivation are actually said to have never propagated artificially, they are just torn out of the ground and then sold to someone who either doesn't know or doesn't care).

There was also a big problem with the tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes) in the 80's when many CP collectors only cared about collection aspect of the hobby and would travel over to the south pacific to poach Nepenthes. Then when locals caught word of the value of the plants, they sold them to collectors as well (which I can't really blame them much for). Nepenthes, especially their seeds it seems, are still poached, but I believe they are a bit better protected than before.

Fortunately, there are many CP suppliers all over the world who propagate their plants instead of taking them out of the wild, especially in Europe. Europe has way more variety when it comes to available species. Unfortunately, since the U.S. is a giant landmass, you have to jump through more hoops when purchasing plants from Europe, which usually just means paying more. Actually, come to think of it, the cost that European nurseries usually have you pay for the phytosanitary certificate is around 40 bucks, so it isn't much different from paying over-night shipping here, cost-wise at least.


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## Benurmanii

Currently the biggest threats to CPs are climate change and urban building (in the U.S., whole populations of unique forms of Sarracenia have been wiped out to be replace by a mall or parking lot).


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## Benurmanii

viper69 said:


> What are the stoppered tubes for, what liquid is inside? Beautiful CPs, never owned but observed them in the wild.


The test tubes are for leaf cuttings. It's just an easy way to float a leaf without taking too much room.


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## Benurmanii

As requested, here is the setup (at least for my terrarium/vivarium thing), some others are outdoors, and some are under lights outside of a tank.

Note: the sippy cup is for watering purposes.

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## schmiggle

Ironically, venus flytraps have been introduced outside of their native range, so they may end up becoming extinct where they're endemic but invasive elsewhere...


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## Benurmanii

That's true, people have even introduced a tuberous sundew (all tuberous sundews are native to Australia) in a bog in southern Oregon where it has thrived. 

While I'm not as worried about the Venus Fly Trap as I am, say, Drosera zonaria or Nepenthes clipeata (go look that one up), the point is that the reducing Venus Fly Trap populations goes to show really how little we do to protect the wonders we have.


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## Pipa

nice plants!!!

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## pannaking22

Benurmanii said:


> While I'm not as worried about the Venus Fly Trap as I am, say, Drosera zonaria or Nepenthes clipeata (go look that one up), the point is that the reducing Venus Fly Trap populations goes to show really how little we do to protect the wonders we have.


Great collection! I'm hoping to pick up some _Drosera_ this spring so I can finally get into CPs! I've seen both US _Drosera _and _Sarracenia _in their native habitats and it was a real treat. Couldn't find any _Dionaea _at the time, but it was mid march and I suspect many hadn't started growing yet. Hoping that anyway and they weren't all collected. I'm betting they were just still dormant though since someone that was poaching certainly would have taken the other CPs we found there. 

And I looked up _N. clipeata_! That's a crazy adaptation! I guess something had to grab that niche, but man...


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## Benurmanii

Got two new plants from a friend at a CP meet in Portland:

P. cycloclesta and D. adelae

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## schmiggle

Very nice!  That purple on the pinguicula is really pretty.


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## Sana

Here goes the idiot post.  I recently got a venus fly trap which if I'm understanding correctly is a Dionaea muscipula.  I'm going to guess that this section of the forum is similar to the tarantula sections in preferring proper names to common names.  The information from my local greenhouse on carnivorous plants is pretty vague.  Could anyone tell me the best way to care for the poor little thing so that I don't damage or kill it?


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## schmiggle

https://www.flytrapcare.com/
http://venusflytrap.info/venus-fly-trap-care-tips-guide/
http://www.pitcherplant.com/care_sheets/flytrap_care.html
Thirty second google search.  There are also entire forums devoted to venus flytraps, if you're really interested.  And for a quick summary: equal parts peat/silica sand soil, no fertilizer, leave standing in water, likes fairly high humidity, lots and lots and lots of light, winter rest which can be down to 20 degrees farenheit (if I remember right).  But read those websites.


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## Sana

Thank you so much.  I was afraid that doing a google search would get the same type of results as tarantula care.  Usually questionable advice and I don't know enough to know what is really off the wall.  I appreciate the websites.


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## Benurmanii

Found this sorta old (taken March 19th) but rather flattering picture of my D. capensis 'alba'. Here it is

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## brolloks

Hi everyone,

Very nice plants you all have there! I am also an avid CP collector and though I would share some of my photos.

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## schmiggle

Great pictures!  Is that your whole collection?  Also, what are the species in the fourth and fifth pictures?


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## brolloks

schmiggle said:


> Great pictures!  Is that your whole collection?  Also, what are the species in the fourth and fifth pictures?


Thanks!
No, not my entire collection. I have quite a few plants and will look at posting more photos.

The forth plant is a close up of Drosera Spatulata and the fifth one is Pinguicula x Emarginata x Ehlersiae both are very hardy plants which grow well, but most Pinguicula do like to go into dormancy in winter when days get shorter and nights longer.


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## brolloks

S. Purpurea

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## Staehilomyces

I can fully understand how populations of species could be pressured by something like that, and carnivorous, at least from my experience, are harder to look after than any tarantula.


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## brolloks

Staehilomyces said:


> I can fully understand how populations of species could be pressured by something like that, and carnivorous, at least from my experience, are harder to look after than any tarantula.


Some CP's can most definitely be quite troublesome to grow successfully, but there are of course those that are quite easy to grow and given the right environment they will flourish.


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## xFujimoto

Ahh these are all gorgeous, I'd really love to have some CP someday.

Are you able to obtain clippings easily to start new plants? I know my mom does this with a lot of her plants but she says some are easier to start new growth than others.


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## brolloks

xFujimoto said:


> Ahh these are all gorgeous, I'd really love to have some CP someday.
> 
> Are you able to obtain clippings easily to start new plants? I know my mom does this with a lot of her plants but she says some are easier to start new growth than others.


Hi,
You can propagate most species via root cuttings, some can also be propagated via leaf cuttings. Quite a few will create lots of little plants over time and spread all over the pot. Then you get those that flower and set seed like crazy, such as D. Burmannii who if given time will spread like a weed and take over adjacent pots


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## SDCPs

Such awesome photos!


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## Benurmanii

So it's been a while folks...

I'll probably keep this thread for people who want to share their CP pics, but I'm gonna start a thread about my personal collection, so I can share unholy amounts of photos, and people can ask me questions about the plants that I grow without it getting too cluttered. Sorry to the people who asked questions previously on here, after I had taken a break from the forums.


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## Yulian

Heyyyy a fellow cp keeper! Ive kept cps for awhile now but stopped expanding my collection a few years back and have only kept a few species. I guess I'll take it upon myself to revive this thread XD I'll try to get some more pictures when I can as my tropical weather really favors the few nepenthes I have left!


	

		
			
		

		
	
 Frog fell into N.truncata Pasian variety pitcher
View attachment 232666

	

		
			
		

		
	
 N.distillatoria x rafflesiana I pollinated these myself it was a treat!


	

		
			
		

		
	
 N.truncata pasian

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## brolloks

@Yulian That Nepenthes looks amazing!  How do you grow it? Light, soil, water etc.
For some reason, out of all the CP's I have grown I struggle with Neps and they are suppose to some of the easier plants to grow..


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## Yulian

brolloks said:


> @Yulian That Nepenthes looks amazing!  How do you grow it? Light, soil, water etc.
> For some reason, out of all the CP's I have grown I struggle with Neps and they are suppose to some of the easier plants to grow..


Well that really depends on the species. I moved all of my nepenthes outdoors because they got way too large to keep in my windowsill but this N. truncata struggled to stay alive outdoors here as I have very tropical weather year round and the sun was too much for it given that this is the highland variety. So I just moved it indoors and is currently doing very well as you can see the biggest pitcher so far is reaching the 10in mark. Its in a southeast window and gets supplemental lighting from a lamp with a simple fluorescent bulb(dont remember the watts but the more the better), for water I use rain water I collect or reverse osmosis and I'll put it outside if its raining, as you probably know already CPS need pure water so its very important to provide that. Potting soil is a mix of sphagnum with perlite and orchid bark(dont really keep track of how much) the soil doesnt really matter it just depends on how you keep your nepenthes although some aeriation of the soil is always good and should be provided. I dont feed any of my cps but as you can see the plants catch their own prey. This truncata has really suprised me and has naturally caught a few lizards(all I freed except one as it was already dead) and this frog(also dead before i could get it out) and has really started growing relatively fast from all this fertilizer I imagine. Remember Nepenthes are tropical plants and they really appreciate some extra humidity and heat, but that differs if for example you get an "easier" species like N.sanguinea which would do relatively well with home humidity. Now the opposite is true with low landers and ultra highlanders. Low land species like most I own (N.distillatoria, N. Rafflesiana) require high temperatures and high humidity to thrive while ultra highlanders require more humid temperatures and a sort of cooling during night temps. One tip to help keeping plants cool is potting them in plain live sphagnum moss. I recommend trying your luck with species that have requirements similar to your climate as I do and you'll have the most success. Also remember Nepenthes in general really need alot of sun to thrive and pitcher properly. Without it they will eventually decline and die. I could go on and on about their care but I'll suggest joining the flytrapcareforums( the forum of the flytrapstore) they are really friendly and discuss anything cp related and have some really experienced hobbysts there. Best of luck!


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## Benurmanii

I give all of my Neps (intermediate to highland) days in the low 70s during winter and dropping into the mid to low 50s at night. Temps during the summer get closer to the 80s during the day, now that I upgraded to T5HOs it will probably be in the low 80s. Fortunately this means I'll get more of a temp drop than last summer, as the temps only drop to the mid to high 60s at night during the summer.


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## brolloks

Awesome, thanks for the info guys. 
How is your watering schedule, do you let the plant dry out completely or do you let the media remains moist at all times?


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## Yulian

Never let Neps dry out completely, or any other carnivorous plants lol except maybe mexican pings during their dormancy and thats still kind of risky. For my Neps I usually wait for the surface of the soil to start to dry out before throughly watering again. Dont keep them too wet or with wet feet(water dish always on bottom) as that can lead to rot.


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## Benurmanii

Yulian said:


> Never let Neps dry out completely, or any other carnivorous plants lol except maybe mexican pings during their dormancy and thats still kind of risky. For my Neps I usually wait for the surface of the soil to start to dry out before throughly watering again. Dont keep them too wet or with wet feet(water dish always on bottom) as that can lead to rot.


I let my Mexican Pinguicula dry out completely during their winter phase. In fact, some species that form underground bulbs, such as P. medusina and P. macrophylla, demand the soil be devoid of moisture. I've noticed that there is a lot of over-exaggeration about how they are super sensitive to moisture while in their succulent phase, too. I have multiple fully succulent P. calderoniae in a pot with a few ones in summer-mode, and the pot sits in water. Have not lost one, and they have been sitting this way for months.

In regards to Neps, yes, you don't want to the soil to dry out completely. However, with my Neps that are not in my terrarium, I am bad about water, and the surface of the soil often gets fairly dry. They don't pitcher a lot for me, only holding one or two at a time, but I believe this is just due to the humidity being a bit lower than they were used to in their previous environment; they may still be adjusting.

I actually water my non-terrarium Neps by pouring water in the dishes/trays they sit in until the pots stop absorbing water. Than I fill the dish to the point where it is full (only a cm or two). You can sit the Neps in water, as long as it is super high up the pot's level. Neps are happier with more oxygen getting to their roots, which is why it is advised against planting them in dense mixes, and sitting them in a lot of water.


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## Yulian

Benurmanii said:


> I let my Mexican Pinguicula dry out completely during their winter phase. In fact, some species that form underground bulbs, such as P. medusina and P. macrophylla, demand the soil be devoid of moisture. I've noticed that there is a lot of over-exaggeration about how they are super sensitive to moisture while in their succulent phase, too. I have multiple fully succulent P. calderoniae in a pot with a few ones in summer-mode, and the pot sits in water. Have not lost one, and they have been sitting this way for months.
> 
> In regards to Neps, yes, you don't want to the soil to dry out completely. However, with my Neps that are not in my terrarium, I am bad about water, and the surface of the soil often gets fairly dry. They don't pitcher a lot for me, only holding one or two at a time, but I believe this is just due to the humidity being a bit lower than they were used to in their previous environment; they may still be adjusting.
> 
> I actually water my non-terrarium Neps by pouring water in the dishes/trays they sit in until the pots stop absorbing water. Than I fill the dish to the point where it is full (only a cm or two). You can sit the Neps in water, as long as it is super high up the pot's level. Neps are happier with more oxygen getting to their roots, which is why it is advised against planting them in dense mixes, and sitting them in a lot of water.


XD yea I pings arent my specialty. Also tuberous sundews can handle abit of a drought and actually need it in their yearly growth cycle if im not mistaken! I had a pot of D.dichotoma that dried up completely and the plants just withered away only to find them growing back from the roots when the pot was watered again it was really quite an experience. Note that any of the D.binata variations arent tuberous sundews tho.


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## Benurmanii

I grow four species of tuberous Drosera, and some seeds I sowed super late seek to be germinating (will be power-feeding those). I also let those get pretty much completely dry during the summer. I give them a few drips of water on occasionally though, with not really any pattern. All of mine came out of dormancy fine, except the D. menziesii were very late, but they didn't go dormant until July.


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## brolloks

I have not grown any tuberous Drosera yet, but I will hopefully have some winter growning sundews soon. I sowed some cistiflora, cuneifolia, hilaris, and trinervia. Hopefully they will germinate for me once the temperatures start to drop in June/July.
I am also waiting for my Drosophyllum seeds, so excited! I can't wait to start growing these. Will give them similar conditions as I give my Roridula and see how it goes.


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## PanzoN88

I am definitely looking forward to joining this thread as a regular poster. What amazing looking plants.


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