‘How to’? Make friends with Carnivorous plants

Caring for your Carnivorous plants!

Position:
Provide plenty of natural light – a bright windowsill is ideal. Venus fly traps like full sun – a south facing window or conservatory in the summer.

Temperature:
Venus fly traps require a minimum of 5°C and a maximum 15°C. Keep frost-free but in a cool place in winter – an unheated room works well. Some Sarracenia can be planted outside and will survive temperatures down to -20°C. They like to be in a boggy patch or in a container with no drainage holes.

Watering:
Stand the plant in a generous saucer of rainwater. These plants are not lime-tolerant, so only use soft tap water. Water less in the winter months, but make sure that the soil stays damp.

Compost:
When re-potting, use a 3:1 mix of peat and sand.

Feeding:
They do not need fertilizer. If there are no insects available to them, you can feed them live insects. Each trap will catch around three insects and then die back. This is perfectly normal.