Q1 What is the
difference between Carnivorous Plants & Insectivorous Plants ?
A1 Carnivorous Plants is given more readily in the
past 30 years but to be true there are classed as insect eating
plants so the older name is better name for these great plants…
Q2 Can I grow these plants ?
A2 Yes BUT you have take in to account that there
are around 1000 of these plants in the world, which grow in
different places and conditions. See this page
Some Information on growing
Q3 Can I grow them in any type of soils ?
A3 NO, as these plants have come to trap insects to
provide them with the nutrients they need, the soil must not
contain nutrients.
For a more detailed article on soil types
please have a look at this site,
www.insectivorousplants.co.uk.
Q4 What water do I use ?
A4 Rainwater is best for all these plants. All tap water
will kill your plants.
Q5 Can I grow a Venus Fly Trap ?
A5 Yes these plants can be grown easy as long as
you give them the same conditions that they receive in nature.
These plants need to be warm in Summer and
cool / cold in Winter, as they need to slow down their growth
rate ready for their winter dormancy.
Use this page link Dionaea
Q6 Can these plants help me with the killing of
insects ?
A6 YES these plants will trap and kill most
insects, but some of the traps can only be used around 5 times
before they die,
but the plant will grow another to replace it by this time.
In summer, most of these plants grow more traps due to more
insect about at that time.
Some of these plants are used in commercial greenhouses to
provide an organic environment.
Q7 What if my pet or child eats a bit of these
plants ?
A7 These plant do produce a type of nectar, which
is full of sugars and chemicals that make some insect fall a
sleep.
We, like most animals may be ill / sick for little while, but if
you feel that it going on to long then get help.
As for Children, it may be an idea to see a Doctor as these
plants do have dead insects decomposing inside the traps.
(Some of these plants are being used for medical research in the
past, and are being tested now for new applications.
Some are used in places for making some foods. )
Q8 Which plants are best to grow for me ?
A8 The best plants that easy to grow are the ones
that grow in your area of this world.
Here in the UK it is best to grow most north American, North
Europe and North Asia as these all have the same
winter temperatures. However, there some Austrian plants that
will grow well too here in the UK.
Q9 If I have a Greenhouse can I grow more of these
plants ?
A9 YES But as a Greenhouse can be a cold, warm or
hot you will need to look up the plants for the conditions you
have.
Q10 Can I grow them around my pond ?
A10 It depends on what you are growing them in, as
these plants will need rainwater in the summer and pond water
cannot be used for watering these plants.
They cannot be planted in normal garden soil. You can make bog
garden next to the pond, which does look good,
so if you are making a pond get more rubber then you need for
the pond, and then you can use it to make bog garden.
There is a good
description on building a bog garden at this site
www.insectivorousplants.co.uk
Q11 The plants I have are turning brown, are they
dying ?
A11 The leaf / trap will normally die from the end
to the base after a time.
Some species also die back in late Summer/Winter
to prepare them for the Winter
dormancy.
The brown dead parts of the plants can be trimmed back, it is
advisable to keep trimming the tips back as the traps will still
be using the 'fly soup' it has produced in the base of the
traps. .
Q12 Do I use a big pot when I re-pot or when
receiving these through the post ?
A12 Most of these plants have small roots, which
are replace over time.
In some species these can easily break.
We send most carnivorous plants potted, they can be grown as
supplied or can be re-potted once they have recovered from the
journey.
Some species like to be root bound, such as some
Utricularia.
Re-potting these into larger pots will produce more leaves but
they need to be root bound to flower.
Please remember that the roots are there to hold secure them in
the soil and to take in water.
Q13 How do I tell if my plant is growing OK ?
A13 Most of these plants will grow faster in the Summer
then they do in Winter.
It is a good idea to use sphagnum moss around the plants, as it
will go brown and dry looking if the
plant is not give enough water, and will turn slimy if there is
too much water and not enough air movement. .
Q14 I have a small garden can I still grow these
plants ?
A14 Yes, if you have some room for a planter you
can grow a number of plants together. Alternatively, many can
grow on a windowsill too.
Q15 Is there any where on the Internet I can get
more details on these plants ?
A15 Yes, try this
www.insectivorousplants.co.uk have a look at our guides
pages or other sites.
Q16 Do these plants flower ?
A16 Yes some of these plants have great colours and
shape
Q17 Do I Let my Venus fly
trap flower ?
A17 On Venus flytraps, it is best to cut them off
when the flower stalk is about 3 inches tall.
With the plant using a lot of energy to produce the flower,
removing them will transfer the energy back in to the plant.
If your interested in producing seeds, it is best to wait until
the plant are over 4 years old, as older mature plants can
survive flowering better than younger ones.
Other species can be left to flower, as these can be very nice
to see and in return, you may get some free
seed.
Q18 My Sarracenia has
black mould on it, is this normal ?
A18 YES it can be clean off with a damp cloth.
To keep this off you plant you need to keep them in an airy
place and do not keep them to wet in
winter.
Also, look for a small brown scale insect that can introduce
this to your plant, so clean them off with your fingers when you
see them.
In addition, the nectar on the trap can go black and dusty, this
is normal at times.
Q19 Are there any hardy plants that can be grown
outside in the UK ?
A19 Yes, many can be grown out side; we have 8
plants that grow natural here. All
Sarracenia, many Drosera's,
Utric's and
Ping's too.
Q20 How many of these plants are there in the world
?
A20 Around a thousand to date. Not all are grown in
the collector’s world.
Q21 Are these plants rare ?
A21 Some are very rare. The
Venus Fly trap is now rare in nature and like all plants are
not to be dug up.
Always purchase your plants from a reputable source, and make
sure they are not collected from the wild.
We only supply plants that have been artificially cultivated by
nursery grown stock.
In this way, we are protecting these plants, and spreading them
through collectors for future generations.
With most of these being on SITES endangered list, there are
rules to shipping some plants to overseas countries,
so please see your local government for details.
Q22 Do I have to feed these plants ?
A22 Most carnivorous plants only require a small
amount of food each year.
A Venus flytrap can survive on a
single fly a year.
It can do more damage feeding them 'caught' insects than just
leaving them to catch their own.
One way to encourage them to catch their own is to put the ones
grown inside, outside on a summers evening,
they will catch as much as they can, then they can be put back
inside. |
