1. Home
  2. Question and Answer
  3. Houseplants
  4. Garden Articles
  5. Most Popular Plants
  6. Plant Nutrition

Carnivorous plants keep dying!


Question
1) The species of carnivorous plant you're growing.
VFT, American Pitcher Plants, Cape Sundew, Pygmy Sundew, Butterwort

2) A concise description of a single issue.
Having difficulty growing plants (They keep dying) but have followed all instructions given as well as hints online and simply don't know what is going wrong!

More detail: Last Oct. I bought a set of Cps. All died but one about a week after arriving. Through research I discovered that the VFT had entered dormancy but since I didn't know, I had quit watering it. I suspect the ping/butterwort burnt up in the sun because it's too bright in my front yard (lots of concrete) and it would have been happier indoors rather than lightly shaded by a tree. Undetered by this setback, I followed all the instructions included with the second set to the letter.

3) The type of lighting, water and soil you're using, as well as how long you've grown the plant.
Light: bright, outside sunlight. Recieving some shade from nearby sweetgum tree and maybe the other pots.
Water: Distilled, reverse osmosis or rainwater
How Long: 1-2 DAYS, except for the  unidentified American Pitcher plant that has been with me for almost a year. It's outside and has reasonably healthy pitchers.
Soil: 50-50 peat moss/perlite mix, both by miracle grow. The sundew had triple-washed playground sand included in the 30% sand to 70% peat moss mix that was recommended.(I have herbs top dressed with the same stuff,so it works okay for horticultural purposes)
Container: Glazed ceramic with little water trays underneath

4) Your region to assess seasonal issues
Coastal Georgia
If you could tell me how come they keep dying it would be helpful. I love lavender but it took me a few tries to get it to grow in containers.

5) Photo (optional) These are the first set, the closeup is of the one that survived.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=57701770&aid=2053510#!/photo.php?fbid=54051...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=57701770&aid=2053510#!/photo.php?fbid=54051...

Answer
Ideally, this format is best suited for one specific plant at a time.  Much of the plants you listed have different growing requirements, so it's too extensive to cover each one.  (The links you provided also don't allow me to view your photos.)

However, one thing that really jumped out at me was your mentioning of using peat moss and perlite manufactured by a particular brand.  This company adds fertilizer to these products.  Fertlizer is good for herbs and other perennials, but it's quite deadly to carnivorous plants.  The reason for using peat moss as the primary soil ingredient is because you need an acidic medium that is free of minerals and nitrogen.  Unfortunately, the brand you used added them back in!  (This is also why you need to use mineral-free water, such as distilled.  Tap water is OK in the short term for emergency watering, but if you use it in the long term, you should get your water tested for mineral levels.)

Flytraps and sundews die the quickest as they are most sensitive to fertilizer.  Butterworts and Sarracenia can tolerate it for about a month before you see them decline.  Given the time frame, I'd say that this was the primary cause for wide spread plant loss.  Given the time frame, the plants may not have also been very healthy from the beginning AND/OR the fertilizer concentration was very high.  (Lighting is also a factor in plant health, but you need to have the right soil before we can focus on lighting.)

There are manufacturers that produce peat moss and perlite free of minerals, fertilizers and compost, but you have to read the label.  If you do a lot of gardening, purchase your peat moss in large bales (3 cubic feet).  This is guaranteed to be free of fertilizers.  We purchase our peat moss from Lowe's and Home Depot.  Home Depot also carries large bags of perlite of similar size.  Of course, these items are sometimes region specific, so you may need to check around.  If you can't find perlite, you can use pumice or horticultural sand instead.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you have the right information now.  I recommend reading our care sheets online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

We also have lots of short videos to help you grow your plants:
http://www.cobraplant.com/videos

For in depth information about water, soil and lighting, watch Volume 1 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series:
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

For examples on how we grow our plants at the nursery, take a look at our photo gallery:
http://www.cobraplant.com/gallery

So there are lots of resources to help you get back on track.  If you can't find fertilizer-free peat moss and perlite in your area, you can get them through our website.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

Copyright © www.100flowers.win Botanic Garden All Rights Reserved