Hey, Forumites! Check out page 18 of your new Swimmer Magazine for a spread on fellow Forumite, Fly Trap (Matt Miller)!!! Kudos to Elaine K. Howley for writing the terrific article, and cheers to Fly Trap! :applaud: :cheerleader:
If I read correctly, the bugs are a source of nitrogen in their native climate, correct? So, if you don't have a lot of bugs, you probably have to make sure their soil is decent quality, I suspect.
It is correct that insects are a source of nitrogen for carnivorous plants. But if they don't catch any bugs, it doesn't harm them. They just don't grow as quickly. However, potting them in a "quality" soil (one that is high in nutrients and minerals) will kill most carnivorous plants. Flytraps are especially sensitive to minerals in their soil and their water. For that reason, they are most easily grown in sphagnum-based soils, either long fiber sphagnum (like orchid moss) or in sphagnum peat, which is naturally low in minerals. They must also be watered with rain water, distilled water or reverse osmosis water. Tap water in most areas of the country will kill flytraps in a matter of days or weeks.
If I read correctly, the bugs are a source of nitrogen in their native climate, correct? So, if you don't have a lot of bugs, you probably have to make sure their soil is decent quality, I suspect.
It is correct that insects are a source of nitrogen for carnivorous plants. But if they don't catch any bugs, it doesn't harm them. They just don't grow as quickly. However, potting them in a "quality" soil (one that is high in nutrients and minerals) will kill most carnivorous plants. Flytraps are especially sensitive to minerals in their soil and their water. For that reason, they are most easily grown in sphagnum-based soils, either long fiber sphagnum (like orchid moss) or in sphagnum peat, which is naturally low in minerals. They must also be watered with rain water, distilled water or reverse osmosis water. Tap water in most areas of the country will kill flytraps in a matter of days or weeks.
