QuestionQUESTION: We are thinking about putting some of our plants in a pot outside but we live in the Desert. I keep hearing light light light. We have several different plants. Fly traps, ryai fly trap, sundews threadleaf and wolley sundew, common sundew, tropical pitcher plants. it is a 115 out here. We are worried about killing them. They are currently in terrarium. Now im also worried about that. after reading on several sites that venus fly traps do not fair well in them. We are using 2 fluorescent lights and one regular plant light. Since we have a little dome that we are waiting for our plants to grow in.
ANSWER: Hi Sarah,
In the desert southwest we usually recommend folks "switch the seasons". Grow your U.S. native plants in a sunny window indoors for the summer. Then in the fall when the temperatures are staying below 100 place them outside for the fall and winter. This way they will still get the dormancy they need, and a good chance to grow in full sun.
Some of your plants are tropical, however. The Woolly sundews, tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes) and other tropical sundews will be happy in the terrarium. You mentioned "common sundew". Sundew is a generic term for over 100 different species of plant all in the Drosera genus. Some are found north of the Arctic circle while others are happy on the edges of South American rainforests. See if you can figure out what the species is to determine whether or not it should be treated as a tropical or temperate plant. You can visit our website at www.cobraplant.com to look at photos to help with this process.
For more detailed information on growing carnivorous plants visit our caresheet pages at http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets You can also go to our "Best plants for you" link to see which plants are more suitable for your location. After you've had a chance to review this information visit us back here at Allexperts if you have additional questions, or need clarification on the care directions.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: also my sundews are loosing their dew except for our threadleaf. the other sundew says drosera spp. it kind of looks like a lance leaf. you didnt answer about the venus fly traps. will they be ok in the terrarium?
AnswerHi Sarah,
Your Lance-leaf sundew is a tropical, so it will be happy in the terrarium. The dew loss if from making the transition from the little containers they were in to a new environment where the humidity is a bit lower. Sundews manufacture the dew from photosynthesis, so lots of light is how they will start making more.
Actually, I did answer about the flytrap. It's a U.S. native, so it will go in the windowsill. The Dewthread is also a U.S. native, so it should be in the windowsill also. It will be difficult to give them the amount of sun it will want in a terrarium. If the plant is in one of those little cubes, you will need to harden it off first. This involves opening the container a little at a time over the course of a week until it can handle normal room humidity. It's best to do this in a north window so it doesn't get any direct sun until it can handle the lower humidity. It can then go to a sunny window.
Since almost all desert climates have very hard water, be sure to have some distilled water on hand unless you have a reverse osmosis unit for your home. Carbon filtration such as Brita and Pur won't remove minerals, and softeners make the water worse by adding salt. Most carnivorous plants are sensitive to the calcium and magnesium in hard water.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
