Got a new Venus Fly Trap - now I need a pot

[Fez909]

It's quite a small plant, so doen't need to be huge. I'd rather not use plastic, but apparently if you use ceramic it should be glazed to stop minerals leeching into the way and killing the plant.

The 'saucer' needs to be large so I can keep it topped up with lots of rainwater. I'm terrible at looking after plants, so the bigger the saucer the better.

Any recommendations as to where I can find one?

Will post a pic in a sec.

Also, it's indoor, so needs to look nice

 

[TopCat]

Ikea

 

[Fez909]

Ikea

Of course. Forgot about there

Thanks!

 

[Artaxerxes]

It's quite a small plant, so doen't need to be huge. I'd rather not use plastic, but apparently if you use ceramic it should be glazed to stop minerals leeching into the way and killing the plant.

The 'saucer' needs to be large so I can keep it topped up with lots of rainwater. I'm terrible at looking after plants, so the bigger the saucer the better.

Any recommendations as to where I can find one?

Will post a pic in a sec.

Also, it's indoor, so needs to look nice

Most commercial ceramics will be glazed

IKEA, Tiger even a larger Tesco will have something you can use?

Charity shops are always worth a punt as well

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

It's quite a small plant, so doen't need to be huge. I'd rather not use plastic, but apparently if you use ceramic it should be glazed to stop minerals leeching into the way and killing the plant.

The 'saucer' needs to be large so I can keep it topped up with lots of rainwater.I'm terrible at looking after plants, so the bigger the saucer the better.

Any recommendations as to where I can find one?

Will post a pic in a sec.

Also, it's indoor, so needs to look nice

Good luck, they die really easily...

 

[Fez909]

Ikea

Maybe not. Just had a look online and none of the saucers are big enough. They all fit snugly around the pot, which looks neat and tidy, but isn't enough water for me.

Like this:

 

[Artaxerxes]

I don’t think you need to give them that much water, you just need to make sure they aren’t keeping water in the bottom of the pot and it’s able to breathe and excess water evaporate. A snug saucer is fine

If your keeping them enclosed or drowning them that might explain why your having issues with other plants

Edit: oh right Venus, you do need to keep wet

You still shouldn’t have to large saucer

 

[Indeliblelink]

Has anyone ever managed to keep one going for more than a year?

 

[Fez909]

Good luck, they die really easily...

I've heard mixed reports. Some people say they die easily, but the care instructions are quite simple:

1. Full sun, as much as a possible - I have it in an upstairs window, South-facing, so all good there
2. Proper soil - it's in a peat bog mix that came from a carniverous plant specialist garden centre, so I have no doubt that the soil is fine. Of course if I re-pot, I might fuck this up
3. No tap water, rain water only - I have a water butt in the garden and will only use collected water for it, so all good.
4. Don't trigger the traps without a fly/food - I will not do that, and don't have kids or visitors in my office who might. The cat could, but she doesn't go on that window much.
5. Cut off the flowers - not neccesary, but can help the plant put more energy into growing leaves/traps. They flower in spring, so I shouldn't have to worry about that for a year
6. Pot - Will see what the outcome of this thread is

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I've heard mixed reports. Some people say they die easily, but the care instructions are quite simple:

1. Full sun, as much as a possible - I have it in an upstairs window, in a South-facing garden, so all good there
2. Proper soil - it's in a peat bog mix that came from a carniverous plant specialist garden centre, so I have no doubt that the soil is fine. Of course if I re-pot, I might fuck this up
3. No tap water, rain water only - I have a water butt in the garden and will only use collected water for it, so all good.
4. Don't trigger the traps without a fly/food - I will not do that, and don't have kids or visitors in my office who might. The cat could, but she doesn't go on that window much.
5. Cut off the flowers - not neccesary, but can help the plant put more energy into growing leaves/traps. They flower in spring, so I shouldn't have to worry about that for a year
6. Pot - Will see what the outcome of this thread is

Every one I tried dried out within days, being in full sunlight and that...

Thread needs pics.

 

[TopCat]

I grew them for years. A sunny window in the bathroom. Pot up into a big shallow pot, more wide than deep.

Don’t water them with cold tap water. Fill a watering can with tap water and leave it overnight to warm up and let the chlorine evaporate off. Add a squirt of lemon juice to adjust the ph.

Add seaweed extract to the watering can.

Don’t over feed them with stuff in the traps. Let them get flies by themselves.

 

[Fez909]

Every one I tried dried out within days, being in full sunlight and that...

Thread needs pics.

 

[Fez909]

 

[Fez909]

I've heard mixed reports. Some people say they die easily, but the care instructions are quite simple:

1. Full sun, as much as a possible - I have it in an upstairs window, South-facing, so all good there
2. Proper soil - it's in a peat bog mix that came from a carniverous plant specialist garden centre, so I have no doubt that the soil is fine. Of course if I re-pot, I might fuck this up
3. No tap water, rain water only - I have a water butt in the garden and will only use collected water for it, so all good.
4. Don't trigger the traps without a fly/food - I will not do that, and don't have kids or visitors in my office who might. The cat could, but she doesn't go on that window much.
5. Cut off the flowers - not neccesary, but can help the plant put more energy into growing leaves/traps. They flower in spring, so I shouldn't have to worry about that for a year
6. Pot - Will see what the outcome of this thread is

7. This hybrid variety, VDM002 is apparently very hardy.

 

[Fez909]

Every one I tried dried out within days, being in full sunlight and that...

That's why I need a big saucer

 

[2hats]

As a kid, I kept one inside an open tilted glass cookie/candy jar in my bedroom window. Seemed to thrive in there, as I recall. Occasional drink of rain water. Easy to bung a couple of flies in there and pop the lid on until the beast had feasted.

​

 

[Fez909]

You still shouldn’t have to large saucer

What are you basing this on? I'm no expert, so I'm not saying you're wrong, but the place I got them from has them in standing water, permanently. Like this:

 

[The39thStep]

Good luck, they die really easily...

I had one for just over two months, flowered so I cut the stem off as advised and it slowly died. Tbf there's no rainwater here.

 

[Artaxerxes]

What are you basing this on? I'm no expert, so I'm not saying you're wrong, but the place I got them from has them in standing water, permanently. Like this:

View attachment 382067

Your better off making sure it’s deep enough to maintain a standing level rather than being wide, if it’s a flat saucer you can’t fill it’ll evaporate quicker

 

[Fez909]

It makes sense that they're bog plants, thinking about it, but before I looked into it yesterday I would probably have thought they were from the desert or something. They have a succulent vibe about them somehow.

Turns out they're only native in a 60 mile area of boggy forest on the East coast of USA. Pretty niche.

 

[StoneRoad]

I shall watch this with interest.
I have always wanted to grow these, but never plucked up the courage to try.
I like the bottle on the side idea 2hats describes ...

[either - the houseplants I grow really flourish, or die very quickly, and I'm often not sure what I've done to get whichever result !]

 

[Fez909]

I have always wanted to grow these, but never plucked up the courage to try.

They're pretty cheap. Just give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?

Mine was £12 I think, but you can get them much cheaper.

I got mine from here: Carnivorous Plants | Wacks Wicked Plants

Cool place, and they also do delivery.

 

[StoneRoad]

Yeah, our local-ish garden centre has them in

will look into it again,

 

[Sasaferrato]

How long do they take to digest a fly?

 

[Fez909]

How long do they take to digest a fly?

Up to two weeks, depending on the size of the fly.

 

[Fez909]

I like this idea. Create a whole bog of meat-eaters! They've even got the same dirty windows as me, so the habitat matches 100%

 

[StoneRoad]

Given the huge number of flies about this year * maybe I should consider that option ...

{ * it was even worse for several weeks after the xxxxing farming tenant opposite decided to spread muck that wasn't ready on the field opposite}.

 

[Fez909]

Given the huge number of flies about this year * maybe I should consider that option ...

{ * it was even worse for several weeks after the xxxxing farming tenant opposite decided to spread muck that wasn't ready on the field opposite}.

We normally have loads of flies as the house gets so much sun, so the flys sit on the warm bricks, then pop inside through the open windows as it cools outside. Hopefully the VFT will help dispatch some of them.

And for downstairs, we got a couple of these meat-eaters:

 

[The39thStep]

They're pretty cheap. Just give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?

Mine was £12 I think, but you can get them much cheaper.

I got mine from here: Carnivorous Plants | Wacks Wicked Plants

Cool place, and they also do delivery.

Mine was 4.99 euros in Aldi

 

[Epona]

I like this idea. Create a whole bog of meat-eaters! They've even got the same dirty windows as me, so the habitat matches 100%

View attachment 382072

That's lovely!

I tried both venus fly traps and sundews years ago but never had much luck with them.