Carnivorous plants (Part Three) |

March 26

Carnivorous plants (part three)

Fabio D'Alessi
AIPC Italian Association of Carnivorous Plants

Introduction to the cultivation

After learning to recognize the main kinds of carnivorous plants, we now learn the cultivation of the species at least simpler.

For hundreds of years, since the first attempts at cultivation, carnivorous plants have always been considered difficult to grow plants. Difficult to hold, difficult to play, almost impossible to raise a seed.

This occurred because the explorers often reported that these plants in Europe is not accompanied by information about the plants where they are. Carnivorous plants, thus, ended grown as if they were of normal roses, dying in a very short time.

Fortunately, as they have accumulated more data on the native environments of these plants and that they try to artificially reproduce the natural conditions are more favorable to their growth, it was discovered that carnivorous plants are not, in general, so difficult to grow as it might seem. They are special, not difficult.

They are unique in that cultivation techniques are quite bizarre and different from those commonly used for other plants. They are not difficult because once you have learned these techniques is not unusual to be able to grow with great success even more rare species and unpalatable.

In other words, it is just to learn.

The vast majority of carnivorous plants in need of a few, but fundamental requirements: water, mud and sun. Do not forget that these plants often grow in peat soils, swamps, fens. All these environments have these things in common: they are soaked with water, are often exposed to direct sun from morning to night, and the soil is composed mainly of plant debris or from sphagnum moss and peat.

Once recreated these conditions, the crop will be only a matter of free time and passion, but it will not be impossible or impractical.

Ground
Many carnivorous plants, and certainly all those that are recommended for beginners, will feel great on pure peat moss. In this regard, it is necessary to be able to recover the acidic peat moss is absolutely pure and free of fertilizers and dispensing. Are excluded from the "fertile peat", the "humus added" i "terravita" and all products of this type, because they contain nitrogen, although it is good for ordinary plants, is a poison for the carnivores. So, we only use acid peat moss, which also costs almost nothing and is located at all the big garden centers and nurseries. A method for choosing a sour peat moss to fail is to check, in the data table of peat, the pH. If the pH is between 3 and 4.5 the peat goes well. If instead the pH is above 4.5-peat is unwrapped.
To this add some substance to make it less packed. It is often used perlite, gravel or quartz. This is because it is necessary to use neutral substances that pollute the soil or alter the pH. Without going into details, look in the shops of the normal aquarium gravel of quartz, or get from a nursery of perlite.
Land preparation is quite simple: just squeeze and hydrate the peat until it is wet. Mix it in proportion 1:1 with perlite or quartz, pure and fix it or use it in pots (preferably plastic).

Water
it is important that water is ALWAYS present in abundance. For this you use the system sottocassetta or saucer: placing the pots on saucers or sottocassette and are held sottocassette always full of water, pouring water directly into sottocassetta and never on the vessel or on the plant. The sottocassetta full of water simulates the situation of the swamp, where the surface layer can also be dried and burned by the sun, but where there is always a few inches below the mud and water in huge quantities. This is a basic requirement, and if the peat would dry up for lack of water the plants would die very quickly.
That water should you use? Beginners can use any water to obtain acceptable results for both for dionee sundews and other plants. Most savvy but 'know that the more "tender" and "sweet" water, the plants grow better. For this purpose we often use rainwater or demineralized water (sold in supermarkets) or, more experienced, even a reverse osmosis plant to make large quantities of water poor in salts, great for the carnivores.

Position
Contrary to popular belief, apart from some cases, carnivorous plants are tropical plants and undergrowth are not plants or sensitive. Are, indeed, III & IV floor sun and kept outside all year round. During the winter must be kept in a cold place, with temperatures around at 2-5 ° C, so they enter the phase of dormancy. Next spring will be more vigorous and vispe than ever. Instead, keep a pitcher plant Dionea or at home, warm, seemingly represents an advantage, because then the plant in spring, grow slow and labored.
The special case of Nepenthes and a few other plants that are actually tropical temperatures and therefore require more in the order of 15-20 ° C. In winter, these plants need a terrarium or a place still wet, hot and photoperiod of at least 12 hours of light. These very difficult to simulate unless you spend a lot, make it more difficult to keep these plants.

So, given the basic requirements, we summarize the points that are absolutely fundamental for the general cultivation of carnivorous plants:

* Always use acid soil: peat moss acid-free dispensing and possibly lighter with quartz or perlite.
* Always place the pots so that we are always at least a couple of inches of water on the bottom to keep the soil very moist, especially during the summer. Use of the system sottocassetta.
* Place the plants in a very sunny outside, and let them spend the winter in cold conditions during the winter.
* Do not fertilize never with any kind of fertilizer.
* Do not play with traps, traps of fun to close dionee or feed any food that contains fats or oils. This therefore excludes animal flesh. Plants arrangeranno alone to catch insects.
* After placing a plant in a location not move it frequently, but let some months of time to adjust to new conditions of light and moisture. Move the plants frequently means weaken.
* In the case get seeds, seminateli always under conditions of high humidity, on peat purest.
* Repotted in February, with particular care not to tear or damage the roots of these plants, often delicate and rather sensitive.

Remember to always water in flower vases.

If you plan to leave the house within a few seconds and run to take peat, perlite, and water pots to start your adventure into the world of carnivorous, some advice is to read the section on materials on the site, which contains details, names of products and prices of everything you need, along with some parameters that have to be careful not to take products that are unsuitable for carnivorous.

Carnivorous Plants for Beginners

Dionaea muscipula
Very common and easy to find in stores for 3-7 euros per jar. Be kept outside, always, and very sunny. If it receives enough sun reddens and becomes buoyant and beautiful to see. In the winter must be kept in a sheltered position, but however with temperatures never above 5 ° C, otherwise will not enter into winter rest and deperirà. Easy to grow, with the usual precautions: Use only pure peat, water in abundance and very direct sunlight. It is recommended that white flowers always cut to avoid weakening the plant.

Drosera capensis
Another plant very easy to hold, very common among beginners, along with other easy sundews such as Drosera spatulata, twin Drosera, Drosera intermedia, Drosera rotundifolia and others. Growing conditions are simple and always the same: pure peat, plenty of water in the saucer and full sunlight. In winter they can be kept at home but it is better, however, provide them with a cold winter and repaired, with temperatures around 5-15 ° C. Produce groups of flowers purple or white, small, forming many seeds.

Pinguicula moranensis
Common plant and simple to cultivate, as well as the many types of hybrids on the market (Pinguicula 'Hans' and Pinguicula 'Weser' for example). III & IV floor not to keep the sun all day, but placed some 'sheltered, like on a windowsill exposed to the East or West. Land of pure peat or perlite mixed. Not abound with water in the saucer, but still make sure that the peat is still wet enough. It produces beautiful flowers in violet, pink.

Sarracenie
Plants are not very common, but not unusual to find in nurseries and specialized in fans. It is not difficult for a beginner be able to successfully keep a pitcher plant. Requires pure peat soil mixed with perlite 1:1 and abundance of water in the saucer. Full sun, as usual. In winter it is recommended that the Sarracenie outside even if the temperature falls below zero.

Recent recommendations

If you are really interested in carnivorous plants, started slowly, concentrate on a few species, although it is apparently bad to start with easy plants labeled as "beginner plants."
Advanced degrees. Dionea, Drosera capensis and twin, then passed to pinguicole or some rosette sundew (D.spatulata or D.aliciae). If we grow all fine for months, a season or two, then launch yourself on the most challenging and spectacular species as some species of Nepenthes and Sarracenia.

If you do not know where to find a few plants to start with, no problem: there is always a resource aipcnet.it particularly useful, the index carnivorous plants by species, where there are also e-mail addresses of farmers willing to send free seeds and material to those who are beginners.

If you prefer the approach of the Internet, then you can read from the list of sites recommended by AIPCnet is a reduced list, but it's a starting point. Speaking of internet, a smart move is certainly subscribe to the list discussion about Italian carnivorous, where you'll find dozens of fans who will be more than happy to give you seeds and plants to start with.

But especially, subscribe to ' AIPC , the Italian Association of Carnivorous Plants.

In any case, good cultivation.

AIPC - Italian Association of Carnivorous Plants