# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  pitcher plant and venus fly trap

## dts_spawn

How do I keep them in a vivrium? Me and my friends tried pitcher plants in pots but they never survived past a wk. I want to try them in vivrium again but i'm afraid they die on me again; they're not cheap.  :Crying:

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## Wild Ginger

> How do I keep them in a vivrium? Me and my friends tried pitcher plants in pots but they never survived past a wk. I want to try them in vivrium again but i'm afraid they die on me again; they're not cheap.


Hi Willy, the trick to planting pitcher plants, venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants is to provide ample humidity and very weak soil. Weak soil meaning it's very low in nutrients and not forgetting that it has to be loose and well drained. The roots to these plants can't tolerate wetness and too damp. 

Plant them in spaghnum moss ontop of clay pellets. Provide ample light and keep a lid on them. DO NOT let them dry out as they will die. 

Propagation is by side shoots and runners. Once your matured plant is around 10-12cm in diameter, loosen up the soil and gently break off loose young plants. Individually replant them in either coco peat or spaghnum moss. 

IMPORTANT factor to take note of, DO NOT fertillize them as it'll "burn" the roots. 

I hope these will help you clear of your fears. 

Regards,
Phillip.

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## lorba

By fertilizing, you mean what type of fertilizer?

Will the phosgen slow release type kill or burn the roots of them?

How about the animal ash, although it might not be suitable for vivarium due to the smell.

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## Wild Ginger

> By fertilizing, you mean what type of fertilizer?
> 
> Will the phosgen slow release type kill or burn the roots of them?
> 
> How about the animal ash, although it might not be suitable for vivarium due to the smell.





> IMPORTANT factor to take note of, DO NOT fertillize them as it'll "burn" the roots.


Hi Lorba, these plants do not need any form of fertillizer. In their natural habitat, they grow in absolutely weak soil and their only form of nutrition is by "catching" their prey and dissolving it in their liquids. 

So NONE at all for fertillizers for these type of carnivorous plants. Just plain coco peat or loose soil with enough drainage. 

Regards,
Phillip.

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## lorba

Thanks, got it now.

What about plants like bird nest ferns etc that we place on trunk forks? When I depot them, I usually see the slow release fert granules.

The one below was left on a dead branch for 6motnhs and is already rooted. I am wondering if I should put some fert.

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## Wild Ginger

> Thanks, got it now.
> 
> What about plants like bird nest ferns etc that we place on trunk forks? When I depot them, I usually see the slow release fert granules.
> 
> The one below was left on a dead branch for 6motnhs and is already rooted. I am wondering if I should put some fert.


Hi Lorba, what ya can do is to grind those fertillizers into powder form, get a pinch from there and mix it into your sprayer bottle. Spray the diluted fertillizer fortnightly as ferns in general require very little fertillizer. 

Another option is to add a drop of fish emulsion into your water and spray it onto the roots fortnightly also. Fish emulsion is good for ferns in general and it boosts up the growth of the leaves, also not to mention turning it much more a brighter green. 

Avoid direct sunlight and "drafty" areas. 

Regards,
Phillip.

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## lorba

thanks for the advice, Phillip.

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## ranmasatome

i dont know about the tropical species but for the more northern species of pitcher plants...actually whether the soil be wet or dry really depends on the species of pticher plant..also depending on the species.. it is probable that soil nutrient uptake is dependant on prey capture..but that hypothesis hasn't been proven yet so i dont know if it is true... it does seem like they all grow in nutrient-deficent habitats but insect capture is not the only form of nutrient uptake for these plants.. actually it only provides about 20-30% of what they need...other forms of nutrient uptake comes from rainwater, certain rotifers that live in them, and sometimes that also depends on where they are situated (light conditions etc.)...
personally i think the soil does play a part...but i agree with philip about keeping the soil nutrient level low in general....

this is actually quite interesting...maybe i should start a scape with sundews and pitcher plants..like in thier natural habitat..Can we grow sundews here??  :Smile:

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## Wild Ginger

> i dont know about the tropical species but for the more northern species of pitcher plants...actually whether the soil be wet or dry really depends on the species of pticher plant..also depending on the species.. it is probable that soil nutrient uptake is dependant on prey capture..but that hypothesis hasn't been proven yet so i dont know if it is true... it does seem like they all grow in nutrient-deficent habitats but insect capture is not the only form of nutrient uptake for these plants.. actually it only provides about 20-30% of what they need...other forms of nutrient uptake comes from rainwater, certain rotifers that live in them, and sometimes that also depends on where they are situated (light conditions etc.)...
> personally i think the soil does play a part...but i agree with philip about keeping the soil nutrient level low in general....
> 
> this is actually quite interesting...maybe i should start a scape with sundews and pitcher plants..like in thier natural habitat..Can we grow sundews here??


Nice analogy on the plants. Yes we can grow sundews here provided the soil you use is not acidic and it has to be constantly humid in the environment it's staying in. 

Regards,
Phillip.

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## itssg

From here http://www.thegardenhelper.com/flytrap.html you will know the basic of pitcher plants, venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants. You might need to feed them the insects at least once a month.

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## mervin

> Me and my friends tried pitcher plants in pots but they never survived past a wk..



hi there,
another trick is to ensure that the "pitchers" are always fill with water, never allow them to be dried up.

mine are growing and growing and growing after fellowing the above instruction from a plant farm chap.

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## lorba

where can we get the venus fly trap? I havent seen any in nuseries like far east.

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## Fei Miao

> hi there,
> another trick is to ensure that the "pitchers" are always fill with water, never allow them to be dried up.
> 
> mine are growing and growing and growing after fellowing the above instruction from a plant farm chap.


It'll be a good addition to my vivarium, any plantlets for me  :Grin:

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## dts_spawn

I bought mine recently at the nursery beside AMK library. Quite cheap: fly trap for $12, pitcher for $3.
If i'm not wrong, far east selling fly trap for $18

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## Fei Miao

Thanks, will drop by if have the time this weekend

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## Biotypical

I happen to be lucky enough to live in an area where Sarracenia pitcher plants, Sundew, and Venus Fly Traps grow wild as well as having a professor who's made his career on Pitchers. We have three large bogs in the school's botanical gardens and we grow our carnivores in an approx mixture of 1/3 peat, 1/3 clay, and 1/3 Perlite and crushed granite. I've found this works very well for Cryptocoryne too.  :Smile: 

They can be fertilized, but it needs to be very dilute as the plants aren't used to having salts in the soil for very long. Cockroaches are their favorite food. In the wild places I've collected them they grow on the surface of a moderately thick clay mud or in periodically saturated soils on hillsides that drain into a wet area.

Aside from drainage the most important need of Sarracenia is light. These beauties grow in full sun and need strong lighting to thrive and complete their annual cycle. I would hesitate to keep them in a terrarium under anything other than halides. 

For better information send an email to Dr. T. L. Mellichamp, UNCC Botanical Gardens-

http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/Faculty/Mellichamp/index.htm

Regards,
Phil

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## mervin

> It'll be a good addition to my vivarium, any plantlets for me



mine are rather huge !!!
the "cup" is about 5-6 inches leh.

don't think it will look good unless u have a 10 ft one !

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## dts_spawn

Big problem!! My fly trap is starting to turn black. Not all though. Is there anything wrong with my plant or is it a natural process?

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## itssg

Mine having the same problem. I think you better cut off the black leaf... Else, the leaf which next to it will turn black and melt like that.

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## betta_luRver

bro, for vivariums and for the ease of keeping CP(carnivorous plants), choose the asian specimens.. for pitchers, get the nepenthes variety.. far east flora has them but if u got problems, can find me, i can order them for you, on-demand.. price range around $15- $18... to mix flytraps and pitchers is quite a chore as flytraps have dormant periods and you have to maintain a certain level of humidity.. IMHO, having at least 3 varieties of nepenthes in a 2ft vivarium would be interesting and relatively easy to handle... for my nepenthes, i dun fertilise them as i prefer the natural process of it attracting insects to it... more "natural".. for the problems of flytraps turning black, its becos of the presence of nutrients in the substrate or the insect it has captured is too big..

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## itssg

> bro, for vivariums and for the ease of keeping CP(carnivorous plants), choose the asian specimens.. for pitchers, get the nepenthes variety.. far east flora has them but if u got problems, can find me, i can order them for you, on-demand.. price range around $15- $18... to mix flytraps and pitchers is quite a chore as flytraps have dormant periods and you have to maintain a certain level of humidity.. IMHO, having at least 3 varieties of nepenthes in a 2ft vivarium would be interesting and relatively easy to handle... for my nepenthes, i dun fertilise them as i prefer the natural process of it attracting insects to it... more "natural".. for the problems of flytraps turning black, its becos of the presence of nutrients in the substrate or the insect it has captured is too big..


Hi,
Any method to cure or safe this venus flytrap from turning black?

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## dts_spawn

> its becos the insect it has captured is too big..


I think this is the case....



i fed the plant with this and after a few days the of the plant turn black. But why would this happen? too much food?

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## betta_luRver

IMHO, it is the incapability of the trap to metabolise the insect.. anyway.. how's the vivarium coming up?

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## dts_spawn

my vivarium is doing ok. Only thing is that some part of the fly trap is turnning black, but that seems to be arrested. Another thing is my pitcher plant is not producing pitchers.

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## betta_luRver

great setup bro!! hmm.. about the pitchers, dun really worry, juz ensure a good humidity level by mist spraying them at least twice a day and maintain intese lighting.. Btw, how long have they been planted in there?

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## dts_spawn

thanks! it's been planted for about a month.  :Grin:

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## betta_luRver

oh ok.. then, dun worry too much bro!  :Smile:  remember keywords! humidity and intense light!

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## dts_spawn

humidity, check. Intense light, is 13W for 1ft cube enough?

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## jonpoh

Interesting post on Carnivorous plants I must say.. I used to keep alot of cps last time and I mean alot. :P My friends and I would order 2 shipments per year from Australia and each shipment would cost $100+ for each of us. 
I have grow them in a terrium before but not a vivarium. 
I'm rather inspired to see one of the pic on the post. My question is:
1) Do you water the plants? Is there any forms of drainage? 
(As far as i'm concerned.. Cps such as Dioneae Muscipula aka. Venus flytrap and Nepenthes aka Tropical pitcher plant does not like water-clogged soil. Flytraps on another hand prefer root-bound soil, which means that their roots are confined in a small pot.)
2) Do you cover the tank? Do you provide extra lightings apart from sunlight?
(Abit of information which I can share is that Cps requires high lightings to thrive well. Part of the reason why I have stop keeping them now is because of the new area that I have moved in. Also note that we should not water Cps with tap water.. the least you can do is to aged the water overnight. I used to collect rain water for them and they grow very well on it.


regards
Jonathan

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## dts_spawn

> . 
> I'm rather inspired to see one of the pic on the post. My question is:
> 1) Do you water the plants? Is there any forms of drainage? 
> (As far as i'm concerned.. Cps such as Dioneae Muscipula aka. Venus flytrap and Nepenthes aka Tropical pitcher plant does not like water-clogged soil. Flytraps on another hand prefer root-bound soil, which means that their roots are confined in a small pot.)
> 2) Do you cover the tank? Do you provide extra lightings apart from sunlight?
> (Abit of information which I can share is that Cps requires high lightings to thrive well. Part of the reason why I have stop keeping them now is because of the new area that I have moved in. Also note that we should not water Cps with tap water.. the least you can do is to aged the water overnight. I used to collect rain water for them and they grow very well on it.


I think you're talking about mine.  :Jump for joy:  
1)I don't water them. The running "waterfall" would provide with the humidity. If i on it for a day, there would be a pool of water at the front. don't know what's causing so much watch to evaporate from the small tank behind.
2) yes, the tank is covered and where i'm placing the tank, there's no sunlight, only a 13W light.

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## jonpoh

Hmmm..Where does the source of water comes from? Is it recycled from the water collected at the bottom?
Do you guys have any method of removing the nutrients/minerals build-up collected over time?

regards
Jonathan





> I think you're talking about mine.  
> 1)I don't water them. The running "waterfall" would provide with the humidity. If i on it for a day, there would be a pool of water at the front. don't know what's causing so much watch to evaporate from the small tank behind.
> 2) yes, the tank is covered and where i'm placing the tank, there's no sunlight, only a 13W light.

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## dts_spawn

> Hmmm..Where does the source of water comes from? Is it recycled from the water collected at the bottom?


I hope this ans your question. I have a small tank at the back. So, the water gets pumped up, and flows back in.





> Do you guys have any method of removing the nutrients/minerals build-up collected over time?


haha.. i've never thought about this. will it be a big problem?

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## jonpoh

That's a smart idea..Cool..


Yes..and No. Minerals build-up is fine for normal plants but not so for carnivorous plants. Carnivorous plants requires low-minerals soil, basically it is un-fertilized soil. Hence repotting them once a year is important for growth. It is like changing the water for a fish tank in order to reduce ammonia and nitrite buildup

regards
Jonathan 

haha.. i've never thought about this. will it be a big problem?[/QUOTE]

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## primavera

Too bad the pictures are not working.  :Sad:  

I'm crazy about carnivorous plants too. I have Sarracenia (temperate pitchers), Nepenthes (tropical pitchers), Flytraps and Sundews. 

Well the climate here is a bit different, as i can grow the relatively cool growing ones on the windowsill (excluding the nepenthes). Just stood the pots in water. I've tried the temperate ones in terrariums too, but most if not all do badly, as it gets too hot, humid and stale in terrs. Although they are from high humidity environments, IMHO they need some fresh air too. In fact I open a gap in my window to let in air, and most of the time wind blows in as i live quite high up. It dries the water they stand in quickly, but i just have to refill every 3 days (up to 1-2 cm depth, like growing crypts emersed). At least for orchids, ventilation is needed to cool the leaves exposed to strong sunlight, especially the sun loving ones. I would presume the same for the pitchers and flytraps, and considering they like to be sun-blasted, I would keep them with more air flow. 

Perhaps one can rig up a computer fan to blow gently at them in a terrarium. I grow the tropical nepenthes this way last year. They dont pitcher at all outside, in fact they looked really sad with black half dead pitchers when i bought them from chain stores, but once in a terr, and a fan, they pitcher with almost every leaf. I had (notice 'had') N. veitchii x spathulata, N. spathulata x alata and N. ventricosa. Growing well until I had to go back home for holidays. Put them into a bigger plastic box with Fluorescent light on top and a bit of ambient light from a window. But the box lid was not airtight, came back 3 months later to a dry flower...er...pitcher arrangement.  :Crying:  

Anyway, now keeping a N. alata in an airtight container. Managed to find it languishing in a suburban hardware store for half price early this year. Got a few pitchers from it, then it started to grow its vining stems, so no pitchers to date. 

Go for tropical pitchers IMO. They are so low maintenence in terrs, and were a subject of botanical fantasy in Victoria England (I like plants that have a historical value too, one day I'll grow me a Victoria amazonica waterlily, muahahaha). Here's a link that got me hooked on them: 

Nepenthes University 

Regards
Min

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