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Hi, new guy, lots of questions

Finch

Whats it to ya?
Hi there.

I am interested in carnivorous plants. I don’t exactly own one yet. Can I still post if I dont own one but am planning to get one?
Im going to buy a cape sundew because i know there a good beginners plant, and will get one as soon as the weather permits. I have some house plants, but they dont grow too well because i overwater them! I know carnivorous plants will live in permanently moist soil. I know they need purified low sodium water. I have a mini- terrarium as well as a unused large one.
But i have some questions. Will a cape sundew (D capensis) grow in a 1ft by 1ft square terrarium, and will it be large enough? The closest petstore is a hour away, and I don’t know if they have insects that i will be able to feed it during bug-less times (tough they keep lizards, so they probably do have something.
If not i might be able to get maggots at the local bait store
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(eww)
Is D. slackii Good for beginners too? What plants would you recommend?


You may be wondering why my screen name is Finch. Thats because i love birds, and own a bustling colony of zebra finches that would double its population size in 6 months if i didnt remove the eggs
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Hey Finch, welcome to the forums! Feel free to post all the questions you want even if you never get a CP!

There are a lot of factors that will determine what plants are right for you. First, where do you live? Many CPs do much better as outdoor plants. In addition, some require winter dormancy where they should be kept in cold temperatures.
Also, what sort of light do you have available? Most CPs require a LOT of light, so at minimum for indoors you'll need a windowsill that gets a lot of direct sunlight.

The cape sundew is a great beginner choice. It will grow fine in a 1foot by 1foot space, and is quite tolerant of less-than-perfect conditions. D. slackii is not a difficult plant, but I'd wait to see if you succeed witht the cape sundew. You might also want to try the D. spatulata or D. aliciae for small, rosetted sundews. Don't worry about buying bugs, your 'dews should catch plenty on their own, and they don't need much.

By the way, if you have a sunny spot outdoors, you gotta get a venus fly trap!

Capslock
 
Thanks,

I live in South Dakota. You know northern plains,, hot summers ( dry the past few years) with no humidity in the air and bitterly cold, -20 winters with very little snow (this year). I have an office lamp that i can outfit with a growlight bulb. If it wont work, i can buy a new lamp just for the plant.
 
Finch, what about sunlight? Do you have a window that can provide some? One office lamp bulb is going to be probably not quite enough on its own. Incidentally, for that lamp, buy a compact fluorescent bulb, preferably in "daylight" or "cool white" colors. Go for as high a wattage as you can find. I'm currently growing a D. capensis in a window without much sunlight, but an office lamp like this, and the plant is doing fine.

Other cheap lighting options are 2-foot and 4-foot fluorescent tubes in cheap shop-light fixutres. You can get them at Home Depot for cheap.

Capslock
 
Hi Finch.. welcome to the forums
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As Capslock has already said there are mant determining factors which need to be considered before buying a carnivorous plant. The cape sundew (Drosera capensis) is a very easy plant to grow and is quite adaptable to many conditions. Bear in mind that while it will thrive outdoors in summer, it will not fare so well come winter in your climate. Sunny windowsills are good for those plants. If you have your heart set on dews (who can blame ya
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) then Drosera adelae is another great windowsill plant. I also have to agree with Capslock that every collection must include at least 1 Venus Fly Trap. Hey guess what... Petflytrap (the company that provides us this awesome forum) just happens to sell all the plants that are perfect for beginners. Click on the "Petflytrap.com" tab at the top of this page to see what they have available. All the plants that they sell are in tip top condition and include a very good basic care sheet which is geared specificaly towards beginners. Should be perfect for you. and anything not covered by the care sheet we will be happy to answer here on the forum.

Good luck
Steve
 
Thank you.

The only problem i see with the Drosera adelae is that the website says it requires high humidity (like most carnivorous plants). Its pretty dry out here year round so it'd have to be in a terrarium. Humm. I'v done alot of research on this and have been practicing watering techniques with my spider plant in the terrarium. Surprisingly, is growing faster, but i cant really tell if the humidity is higher in there.
 
As a starter I suggest you read the Frequently Asked Questions section at
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html
There is a wealth of information there.
Good luck, but be very careful -- growing carnivorous plants can be very addictive. I got hooked in 1955 with some Venus Flytraps.
 
Actually, Bob, a link from that site brought me here!
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Ok one last question! The tiny terrarium gets narrower twards the top, and the plant (most likely a sundew) may have leaves against the side of the terrarium. Will this be a problem?
 
Finch,
Don't worry about the sides. If it's 1 foot wide, you'll have no problem. And the humidity WILL be higher in there. Give it a shot! You've got nothing to lose. Get the D. capensis.

Capslock
 
  • #10
Hi Finch!! Don't worry so much! You'll be welltaken care of here. Bob has been growing forever, as have I , and Tamlin and a host of others, and we delight in seeing someone starting out. It is a fun and enjoyable vocation ( it ain't no hobby!) that will last for years and years. It is always changing, always learning new things, and always new plants to get. Oh, yeah! Sit back and enjoy the ride. BTW, I hail from Montana, and I have relatives in South Dakota in Rapid City. The poor souls don't grow a single carnivorous plant, and my heart goes out to them. They have no idea what they are missing! Welcome aboard!!
 
  • #11
Hi Finch!  Welcome to the forums!  
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  I don't grow carnivorous plants at all.  It's a struggle for me to keep houseplants alive.  (My yuletime rosemary just died  
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 )  I'm an outside gardener & if spring ever gets here  
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  , I will have an awesome garden.  
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 I'm on this forum because of all the great people here.  I was introduced to them by my life partner, Tamlin.  I'll tell him you're here.  
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  • #12
Hey Finch and welcome to the forums. I can speak for everyone here that after you get your cape sundew, that you "hobby" will become an ever growing obbsesion. I would know just a few years ago I had a drosera spatulata, purple pitcher plant, and a flytrap. I am now currently growing about 20-30 different species of Cps, and am adding more within the next week.
Anyway, I would definitely recomend a cape sundew. Flytraps are also quite easy(given enough light), and I also recomend a purple pitcher plant. We're here to help, and we hope you enjoy your stay. Here's my growlist, and if you ever want anything you can PM me, and I'll see what I can do.
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My Growlist
 
  • #13
Wow everyone here seems to be very nice

I think i can provide sunlight. But what about cloudy days, what should i do then? And whats a purple pitcher plant? and if a leaf toches the sides of the tank, will that be ok?

I have had a stressfull day today. Ever tried to catch a wild bird by the hands? (my finches are not tame, and there so hard to catch) A had to clip my birds toenails today and they keep wiggling their little feet and struggling, i was afraid of clipping a toe off. thek kept pulling theif feet close to their bodies. Alot got away from me and it took awhile to round everyone up
sad.gif

I was also afraid of squezing too hard on them to prevent them from escaping. We had a little scare once whe i clipped one nail too short and it started bleeding, but everyones find now. (whew)
 
  • #14
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Finch @ Feb. 07 2004,10:22)]Wow everyone here seems to be very nice

I think i can provide sunlight. But what about cloudy days, what should i do then? And whats a purple pitcher plant? and if a leaf toches the sides of the tank, will that be ok?

I have had a stressfull day today. Ever tried to catch a wild bird by the hands? (my finches are not tame, and there so hard to catch) A had to clip my birds toenails today and they keep wiggling their little feet and struggling, i was afraid of clipping a toe off. thek kept pulling theif feet close to their bodies. Alot got away from me and it took awhile to round everyone up
sad.gif

I was also afraid of squezing too hard on them to prevent them from escaping. We had a little scare once whe i clipped one nail too short and it started bleeding, but everyones find now. (whew)

Hi Finch,
Welcome to the forums! Sorry you had a stressful time with the finches.  For such a little bird, they can be quite a handful, can't they.  My daughter had a pair for several years that died about 3 years ago of old age.  She got them from her grandmother who'd had them for a couple years and was trying to get the numbers down in her cage.  She discovered they layed eggs and multiplied rapidly the hardway
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.

Don't worry about cloudy days or cloudy weeks.  They get that in their natural habitat and it doesn't bother them noticably.  If you think they need a little supplemental light, go ahead and use it.  The most basic need for CPs (Carnivorous Plants) is pure water and fertilizer free sphagnum peat or (suitable substitute).  If you can give it these two things, you should have very little trouble.  Also, many CPs can adapt to lower humidity.  There are even some sundews that prefer a lower humidity.

I would avoid having leaves touch the sides of the tank if you have condensation the glass continually.  This would encourage mold which can be one of the biggest problems a CP in an enclosed environment faces.

Purple pitcher plant is the common name for Sarracenia purpurea.  These are also a nice plant.  Mine does a good job on earwigs during the summer when I put it outside.  It is one that does need a winter dormancy like VFTs (Venus Flytraps).

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BCK
 
  • #15
Hi Finch,
Welcome to the forums!

A great thing about cps is that it's hard to overwater them! As you surf around the forums you'll notice "permanent water tray" mentioned quite a bit. Basically that means you can sit your potted plant in a tray of water, and just fill from below. The cape sundew (latin name: drosera capensis) won't mind at all
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I live in southern california so I understant the low humidity problem. There are various tricks to raise it humidity around the plant or in the terrarium if it's not adapting to your conditions. For smaller plants, I simply put a clear plastic cup on top. Depending on the weather/heat, the cup may or may not have a hole drilled in on top. Or, you could invest in a small ultrasonic humidifer from Mainland Mart.

If you have a chance, check out a book called "The Savage Garden" by Peter D'Amato. It's a wonderful beginner/intermediate book. If you're low on cash (like I often am), you can find it at Barnes & Noble bookstores and occasionally at the library. Amazon and B&N should also have it online for sale.

Glad you're here!
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  • #16
Hi Finch

Welcome to the forums!  
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 As you can see, there are lots of nice people here who are ready and willing to help with your new addiction...I mean, hobby.  
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There are lots of ways to grow CPs indoors if your outdoor weather is too harsh.  You can pick up a 10-gallon terrarium at a pet store for about 7.99 if you need more space (trust me, you will outgrow a small tank pretty quickly!).  You can get a small shop light (24") pretty cheap too.  Outfitted with a timer on it and you can control just how much light the plant receives if you don't have a bright window.

I have some CPs (including D. capensis) in my office and they are growing well in 10 gallon tanks in a west window.  No special treatment there.  Just pure water and the sun.  I keep water in the bottom of the terrarium and a loose covering of plastic wrap and that keeps the humidity high.

If you have concerns about humidity, most pet stores sell a little set with a thermometer and hygrometer (measures humidity) that isn't terribly expensive (11.99 I think).  But that will allow you to know for sure just how humid your tank or grow area is.  Just make sure there is some air circulation so things don't mold or develop fungus.   Some CPs like the flytrap don't require that much humidity and can be grown on a window sill or outside (and brought indoors in the winter if it gets too cold there).  Sundews like humidity and some are more particular about that than others.  But there are lots of beginner plants to start with.  
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If you'd like to see some photos of various plants (mostly grown by the members here) you can go to Patrick's (Trashcan) web site and see all kinds of CPs.

http://www.cpforums.org/gallery

I hope you stick around and enjoy the forums.  
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  There's lots of cool stuff here.

Suzanne
 
  • #17
Thanks guys,

Actually i have 2 unused 35 and 24 gallon 'high' tank(s) and a little reptile waterfall for humidity (i kept anoles before the petstore moved)
But the tops are 2 feet over the bottom, and id have to get florescent lights

P.S. the photos in the link you postes are grand!
 
  • #18
hey Finch, welcome to the forum, I see you are from Montana, my Great grandfather went over their when he was young, like most Norwegian immegrants long time ago....
regards Bjørn
 
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