The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v. 12

Carnivorous Plant Horticulture

Clearly unsatisfied with growing mere Venus flytraps, you seek a wider palate of dangers for your garden. Oh, such a reckless person you are.

The FAQ, once a small site, is now so complicated and huge it can be a little intimidating. So I have set up a beginner's section---the first several pages---just to answer the very basic questions. After that, I start the more complicated questions for the more advanced grower.

By the way, I consider a more advanced grower to be someone who has managed to keep their carnivorous plant alive for more than a couple of years. If you have about thirty or more species of carnivorous plants, then you're an expert grower in my book.

A final bit of philosophy on growing these carnivores. I am providing you with guidelines, OK? However, none of this includes a guarantee. You might follow these instructions exactly, but still find yourself unable to grow carnivorous plants. Far more likely, and indeed a veritable certainty, is that you can violate just about any one of the guidelines I provide and still grow plants. I get a constant dribble of e-mails from expert growers who say things like

"Dear Barry, let me respectfully submit you are a dork. Your FAQ is wrong when you say...(choose from the below)
...you should not use rainwater"
...you should wash your sand"
...you should not let Pinguicula sit in water"
...you should not fertilize"
...that charcoal is stupid"
...that SUPERthrive is silly"

I remind such dorky e-mailers that I am providing guidelines to beginners. This is not an article in Carnivorous Plant Newsletter about some detailed aspect of carnivorous plant growing, OK? I know I'm speaking in generalities! Do whatever works for you, and not what I tell you!

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Revised: 2018
©Barry Rice, 2018