Few people grow tropical plants at home, especially thoseinsectivores . Such specimens, also known ascarnivores , are very simple to breedand bring a lot of satisfaction to their owner.
The groupinsectivorous plantsincludes, among others :
- Droser's sundew,
- Dionaea flycatcher,
- Sarracenia,
- Darlingtonia Darlingtonia,
- Utricularia swimmer,
- Cephalotus Cephalotus,
- Heliamphora heliamphora,
- oily Pinguicula.
There are at least as many ways to catch insects as there are species. Many of them produce special organs (traps), such asflycatcherorpitcherSome of them have sticky substances sticking to the victim on the surface of the leaves. Usually, after such a meal, the only thing left of the insect is chitinous shell, which is blown away by the wind.
Growing
In order for ourinsectivorous plantsto grow properly and develop well, we must provide them with appropriate conditions.
Lighting
The most important thing is light and warmth. The best temperature is 25 ° C in summer and 10 ° C in winter. The best place forcarnivorous plantsis a sunny window facing south. We use artificial lighting only on cloudy days and in winter.
Irrigation
Watering should be dosed. In summer, it can be approx. 2-3 cm of water poured into the stand under the pot. In winter, however, we significantly reduce its amount, without, however, completely drying the soil. Suitable humidity is from 40% for capricorn beetle to 80% for sundew.
It is very important to use soft, preferably distilled water. If we do not have access to it, a simple tap water must suffice, but it is boiled and let it stand. The idea is to get rid of compounds that will not be used by plants.
Fertilization
There is no need to use fertilizers when growinginsectivorous species . They have adapted to the changing and harmful conditions of their natural environment. It was thanks to this that they developed a system of traps for catching insects. Even if the plant itself does not provide food for some time, fertilizers are not necessary. Simple watering is enough.
Substrate
The substrate on which ourcarnivorousfavorites are grown is as important as watering and temperature. They definitely prefer sour peat, its mixture with sand (2: 1) or sour peat with sand and perlite (2: 1: 1).
Seedling selection
For beginners, I recommend the purchase of small or medium-sized plants. I advise against sowing seeds, because they germinate for a very long time (about a month), requiring high humidity of the substrate, the environment and high temperature.
Adult plants found in stores often have brown leaves. However, if we provide them with good conditions - they will quickly release new, he althy and plump ones. So let's choose a specimen that does not have a dry substrate and is in good condition.
If we decide to grow insectivorous plants, it is worth reading more about the requirements of individual species. They are quite varied. So my tips can be treated generally. We should also remember that all their parts are poisonous and it is necessary to keep them out of the reach of children!
Andrzej Stera
Garden Recipe - Do you know that …
- The fastest in the world of insectivorous plants is the swimmer. The flap in his trap opens at a speed of 1/160 second.
- Nepenthes bicalcarata has insect tenants. Its interior is inhabited by Colobopsis ants from Borneo. They help to cleanse the host's digestive system and also eat larger insects that the plant cannot digest.
- In sundew, the leaf closes over the insect lasts 3 hours, and the trap reopens for 24 hours!
