TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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Mickey nailed it: Sarracenia and Dioneae don't like closed environments, they want to be outdoors, in open air with plenty of blazing sun. Mind you, since you are in Michigan, you are going to have to acclimate them to outdoor conditions slowly and carefully. If you take them straight outside at this time of year you will fry them or freeze them, or both unless you do so gradually.
I've grown all these plants in the terrarium. Light amounts of cinnamon do no harm to the plants and I often use it on seed trays, The problem is that I've only found it to control algae buildup, not fungus. I would personally recommend that you install a small fan to increase air flow to fight the fungi. Do keep in mind though, that almost all species of pitcher plant WILL outgrow the terrarium, and these plants need lots of light.
---------- Post added at 01:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 PM ----------
Another thing to you'll need to keep in mind is their dormancy requirements if you keep them for the long haul.
---------- Post added at 01:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 PM ----------
Another thing to you'll need to keep in mind is their dormancy requirements if you keep them for the long haul.
Flytraps and sarracenia do best outside in full sun. If you wish to give them optimal conditions, outside is the best place for them. If you wish to go this route, you will need to acclimate them to less humidity first if your terrarium is a closed environment by opening it up a little every couple days or so until completely opened. Then acclimate them to sun by putting outside in dappled sun for a while and then slowly more sun over the next couple of weeks.
If you wish to keep them inside, then leave the terraium open and place under lights. You can use a shop light with 40 watt cool white bulbs with the plants close to the light. The sarracenia and flytraps will need a winter dormancy of at least 2 months. You may get by without dormancy for a couple of years, but the plants will slowly deteriorate and eventually die after that.
High humidity is not necessary for sarracenia and flytrraps and mold/fungus will be an ongoing battle in a terrarium setting.
If you wish to keep them inside, then leave the terraium open and place under lights. You can use a shop light with 40 watt cool white bulbs with the plants close to the light. The sarracenia and flytraps will need a winter dormancy of at least 2 months. You may get by without dormancy for a couple of years, but the plants will slowly deteriorate and eventually die after that.
High humidity is not necessary for sarracenia and flytrraps and mold/fungus will be an ongoing battle in a terrarium setting.
The terrarium has a CFL bulb on it, and they are seeds that are just sprouting. I heard that they are supposed to stay in high humidity, and they are in a 1:1 peat sand mix. This was a kit I got for Christmas and the only other plants I have are Neps. So I'm trying my best here...
Would cracking the lid a little to circulate more fresh air work? Without killing any new plants?
Would cracking the lid a little to circulate more fresh air work? Without killing any new plants?
Yes.
You can't know what you don't know. I applaud you asking questions to gain the knowledge you need to be successful
I have gotten these what I call "death cubes" in the past both with just seed and with growing plants and the first thing I do is crack the lid.
If they are just sprouting, I would very slowly acclimate to lower humidity over the next couple of weeks by opening the lid a little bit more every couple of days or so. The flytraps and sarracenia seeds do not need high humidity to germinate or grow, they are not tropical plants and growing them as such causes unnecessary problems like you are seeing with the mold/fungus. Grown indoors, and especially with high humidity, the sarracenia and flytraps will form weak leaves and most likely will stay green in color.
Also, the flytrap will be very subseptale to root rot in terrarium conditions as they do not tolerate as wet a soil as the sarrancenia will when they pass the seedling stage.
It is possible to keep them growing under the lights at normal household temps and humidity for a couple of years, but they will decline after that without dormancy. The sarracenia will outgrow the terrarium very quickly.
This is my advice based on my own growing experiences with these plants over the past 7-8 years and what works for one may not work for another. Best to research their natural gowing conditions in the wild and try to simulate those conditions as best as possible.
You can't know what you don't know. I applaud you asking questions to gain the knowledge you need to be successful
I have gotten these what I call "death cubes" in the past both with just seed and with growing plants and the first thing I do is crack the lid.
If they are just sprouting, I would very slowly acclimate to lower humidity over the next couple of weeks by opening the lid a little bit more every couple of days or so. The flytraps and sarracenia seeds do not need high humidity to germinate or grow, they are not tropical plants and growing them as such causes unnecessary problems like you are seeing with the mold/fungus. Grown indoors, and especially with high humidity, the sarracenia and flytraps will form weak leaves and most likely will stay green in color.
Also, the flytrap will be very subseptale to root rot in terrarium conditions as they do not tolerate as wet a soil as the sarrancenia will when they pass the seedling stage.
It is possible to keep them growing under the lights at normal household temps and humidity for a couple of years, but they will decline after that without dormancy. The sarracenia will outgrow the terrarium very quickly.
This is my advice based on my own growing experiences with these plants over the past 7-8 years and what works for one may not work for another. Best to research their natural gowing conditions in the wild and try to simulate those conditions as best as possible.
