Field guide · vol. 1

How to keep a carnivore happy

Carnivorous plants are easy once you unlearn your houseplant habits. They grow in bogs: wet, sunny and starved of nutrients. Recreate that and they'll thrive.

The basics

Water

Use only rain, distilled or reverse-osmosis water. Most carnivores like the tray method: stand the pot in a saucer with 1–2 cm of water.

Light

More than you think. A sunny south-facing window, outdoors in summer, or a strong LED grow light for 12–16 hours a day.

Dormancy

Temperate plants (flytraps, Sarracenia, many sundews) need a cool winter rest. Skipping it weakens and eventually kills them.

Never

No potting soil, no fertilizer, no tap water, and no feeding them hamburger. Live insects only, or nothing at all.

By plant type

Difficulty

01Beginner

Dionaea

Venus Flytraps

Dionaea muscipula: the classic snap-trap, from typicals to named cultivars

Light: Full sun: 6+ hours of direct light or a strong grow light
Water: Tray method with distilled, RO or rain water; keep soil damp
Dormancy: Required: 3–4 months cool (0–10 °C) over winter

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02Beginner

Sarracenia

Pitcher Plants

Sarracenia: hardy North American trumpet pitchers in vivid colors

Light: Full sun outdoors for best color
Water: Sit in 1–2 cm of pure water all season
Dormancy: Required: cold winter rest, hardy outdoors in most climates

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03Intermediate

Nepenthes

Tropical Pitchers

Nepenthes: hanging pitchers for windowsills, terrariums and greenhouses

Light: Bright indirect light; east-facing window or grow light
Water: Keep moist, never waterlogged; pure water only
Dormancy: None: keep warm (18–30 °C) with humidity above 50%

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04Beginner

Drosera

Sundews

Drosera: sparkling sticky tentacles that curl around their prey

Light: Bright light; sunny windowsill or grow light
Water: Tray method with pure water; soil always wet
Dormancy: Depends on species: tropical types need none

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05Intermediate

Pinguicula

Butterworts

Pinguicula: flypaper rosettes with beautiful violet-like flowers

Light: Bright indirect light or a sunny windowsill
Water: Water from below when the mix is nearly dry; pure water only
Dormancy: Mexican species have a dry 'succulent' winter phase

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