Dans Papers - May 18, 2007

The Venus flytrap is perhaps the most well-known carnivorous plant, but, throughout history, over 600 different species and subspecies of carnivorous plants have been identified. A plant is considered carnivorous if it attracts, captures and kills animal life forms, digesting and absorbing the prey's nutrients. Many people assume that this type of plant's diet consists strictly of insects, but according to the International Carnivorous Plant Society, these plants have been known to feast on rats, birds, frogs and other vertebrate creatures. Contrary to what Little Shop of Horrors would have us believe, there is no documentation of a carnivorous plant ever shouting, "Feed Me" and then digesting a human. They are completely safe to have around children. As long as you are larger than an insect, you are safe - these plants won't eat your flesh or sizzle through metal, like several alien movies suggest.

Because they do not receive nutrients through their roots like most plants do, carnivorous plants naturally live in wet, mineral-deficient soils, such as bogs and other marshy areas, catching prey with their leaves. There are a wide variety of carnivorous plants, beside the Venus flytrap, available in our area, such as pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, cobra plants and bladderworts. The following general care tips are useful when incorporating these bizarre but beautiful plants into your home plantings.

While a few get lucky with these plants, most homeowners find it nearly impossible to grow carnivorous plants in their backyard garden and only find success growing them on their window sills or in a greenhouse. They live the longest when planted in a plastic or glazed ceramic pot that has holes in the bottom for drainage. Terra-cotta pots should be avoided, as the rate of evaporation tends to be high and the soil may absorb harmful mineral salts from the clay, which will eventually kill the plant. Place a tray filled with about 1/2 inch of water under the pot. Keep the soil moist, but not drowning. Water the plants using distilled or rain water, never with tap water. It is normal for algae or moss to grow on the soil surface. When repotting, use fertilizer-free soil and stick with mixtures of Perlite, Sphagnum Peat Moss, Long Fiber Sphagnum Moss and sand. These plants can survive with fertilizer, but do better without.

Carnivorous plants prefer warm temperatures. Although they do best in the sun, they should not be in direct sunlight for more than an hour a day. These plants also enjoy fluorescent grow lights, halide and sodium incandescent bulbs and grow well in terrariums. Some carnivorous plants, such as Venus flytraps, are dormant for about 3-5 months in the winter and should be kept in cooler conditions, somewhere between 35-45 degrees. Handle carnivorous plants as little as possible, because the more stress they endure, the more likely they are to die.

Feed your carnivorous plants live or freshly killed houseflies, ants, spiders, sow or pill bugs and other moistened dried insects, but never force-feed them. Because owning a carnivorous plant is sometimes more like owning a pet, it is fun to watch them snag their prey, but beware, because these plants are gluttons and will eat until they die. Some carnivorous plants are active and use movement to help trap their prey, but only a few are quick. The Butterwort uses flypaper-type leaves to catch its prey, while other species are considered passive and do not move. These passive plants wait for prey to come to them and then trap it in a gluey substance.

If you want to grow carnivorous plants properly, educate yourself. No amount of love will compensate for a lack of knowledge. There are many books and websites available that disclose precious information about how to care for these hungry plants. If you try to grow a carnivorous plant as you would a conventional plant, its death will surely ensue. But if you treat them with attention and care, they can bring joy to any home gardening endeavor.