(Part 2) Top products from r/SavageGarden

Sorry about the length of the post but this is information I wish someone had given me when I was starting. Hopefully it's not too basic.

I am by no means an expert but I can walk you through my trial and error period (which I am certainly not finished with) for terrariums. I don't know that I'll be able to help with the nepenthes though discussion in this thread indicates that humidity is key for those plants. I am seriously limited on space where I currently live so I've developed a setup that seems to work for my plants, though it's not ideal for all of them.

Initially I had been growing my plants on a windowsill but this summer I moved to a location that has proper shading over the windows (great for people, terrible for plants) so I needed to migrate to a terrarium. I started caring for plants in May so I didn't really know what I was doing. If you haven't already, I recommend purchasing The Savage Garden: Cultivation Carnivorous Plants by Peter D'Amato. It's a great introductory book with lots of useful information about growing and indoor/outdoor setups. You can find it on Amazon for a moderate price.

I ended up purchasing a 10 gallon aquarium from PetSmart or PetCo for something like 30 dollars. The box was damaged so I got it for cheaper than whatever it was listed for. Those come with a water heater for fish which you can place in a bottle of water inside the aquarium to increase humidity if needed. I then bought some Plexiglas and melted holes in it with a soldering iron for ventilation. I used that instead of the lid the aquarium came with so I could use more lights if I needed to. I mostly have sundews so I opted for a 2' t5 light set up which can get pretty toasty, but my sundews loved it and it got very humid inside. I use four of these lights for ~5000 lumen output. You would probably want to go with t8 lights as they operate at a lower temperature. Do not purchase lights branded as "growlights" as they are almost always more expensive than similar lights and will not last as long as something from Phillips or GE. Like UseUrLogic said, use lights with a color temperature of 6500 K or higher. I find that 6500 K is the easiest to find and work fine.

I do have two flytraps and they were not happy in the aquarium, but they were still growing. I imagine one of them would have died had I left them in such a humid environment for any longer. I then moved again and needed a new setup, since I didn't want to kill the traps. I'm now doing something like this but much more jerry-rigged. My plants seem to like it though. You might consider something like this as my flytraps love it too. I'm going to try taking them outside soon in an attempt to have them go through natural dormancy. I may just give in and try fridge dormancy though I have heard mixed results.

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I was bored so I looked up some information that may be useful to you when deciding what to do with your plants. Most of the is from The Savage Garden.

It behooves you to find out what your pings are, as different species can have radically different growth requirements. Consider posting images here or on the ICP forums if you can't ID them yourself. Here is what Peter says about pings in terrariums: "Forget temperate varieties here. some warm temperates do nicely, sich as P. lusitanica, P.caerulea, and P. primuliflora, but do best with cooler winters. Most of the Mexican species thrive under grow-lights, in a tank or not, at room temperature. Use the pot-and-saucer method to allow for drier winter conditions."

For the cephalotus he says "Excellent as a potted specimen year round in the unheated greenhouse-style terrarium. Colorful and vigorous under grow-lights." He also says it should be fine on a partly sunny windowsill in relatively high humidity and that you should mist it often.

The Nepenthes maxima (Highland Nep.) is apparently a good terrarium plant and easy to grow, though it likes good air circulation and misting at night. The truncata is a lowland variety and apparently will do well in a steamy terrarium. Both of these varieties will eventually outgrow all but very large terrariums.

The only plant you own that I have personal experience with, other than the flytraps, is D. Aliciae. Unfortunately I overfed mine shortly after getting it an it died back to the root. It's coming back now but it won't be as big as it was before for a least another two months. I've found that it's a pretty hardy little plant. It can handle temperatures of up to 95°F and down to ~40°F (though that's pushing it). I currently grow mine at ~85°F. It doesn't need much humidity at all (I was growing it in 50% and it's now doing quite well in about 35-40% rh) but growsundews.com recommends humidity over 60%.

Good luck with the plants!

TL;DR "UseUrLogic" is correct in that you will not be able to keep them all in the same terrarium. You may be able to start with all but the flytraps in but then I recommend migrating the pitchers to windowsills and misting often. Try to find out what the pings are. Maybe consider a setup similar to Bisnick's as it will accommodate your pitchers even when they are larger, though it will require a larger light setup.

EDIT: Units were incorrect.

I think that’s a good idea, Drosera are what initially sparked my interest in CPs and i have yet to kill one.
(almost killed my Capensis but not yet)
One of my favorite things about Drosera is that most species are self-pollinating. This means that when they produce flowers, the seeds are viable without any extra work from you. Just throw them in some sphagnum and you’ll have a bunch of baby sundews.

Typically you’ll be able to tell if your Drosera is happy before serious issues arise by checking to see if they’re producing the sticky “dew” on the ends of their tentacles. If they are, chances are the spot you have it in is perfect. I’ve had it take anywhere from 1 or 2 days to a week after arrival for them to start producing dew.
Also, many Drosera will start turning red when they’re getting a good amount of sunlight. This usually takes a while to start happening but if you notice your plant turning red you’ll know wherever you have it is getting good sunlight.

Yes, usually when ordering plants online I leave them in the pot they came in for a while as repotting can be stressful for them and they are always pretty weak after being shipped. I keep my pots in metal pie tins with about an inch of distilled water, probably less.
Never let it dry out.
You’ll probably know when you should repot something because the soil will start smelling rotten and slimy.
Also, when repotting, try not to use unglazed clay/terracota pots. It’s not a huge deal but they’ll leach minerals into the water and will hurt your plant in the long run.

I know many users here recommend Mosquito Dunks for keeping mosquito larvae out of the sitting water and applying Neem Oil directly to the plant for dealing with other small pests. But I wouldn’t really know, I only have a couple fly traps outside and bugs seem to leave them alone.
(Except slugs but I don’t know how to deal w them for the life of me)

I think the umbrella would definitely help.
Maybe start it off in the windowsill and move it outdoors for a couple hours every day and just increase the time it’s outdoors gradually.
Just remember that if you ordered your plant online, it hasn’t had any sun in some days and it will be used to higher humidity so a massive spike in sunlight won’t be good for it.


It probably seems like a lot to remember but once you get used to the basic routine it’ll seem a lot easier.
Drosera are probably easier to grow than a lot of regular plants too because you don’t really have to remember to water it. Just keep the dish full and let it do its thing.

I’m sure you’ll do fine.
You’ve already done more research than I did when I first started lol.

I recently upgraded to one of these.


It is more than I need, but that was the idea as I wanted to expand my collection. My VFT, drosera, and s.purpurea all love it and have colored up really nice. My B52 in particular has been throwing up huge traps with deep maroon centers and my d.multifida is ruby red. I'm in love.

Incidentally I have some regular ol' un-named houseplants, an odd orchid, etc. and they sit "near" the light. They enjoy the extra light as well even though they don't need it.

It is very bright and the light it gives is purple so you have to account for that, enclosing it or something.

Ha, the wonders of Reddit!

I haven't ever dealt with spider mites on my CPs but there's a palm in my office that's loaded with them.

Neem oil is generally CP safe even if you get it on the soil. In case it does get in the soil, though, I'd recommend mixing the solution using the same water you use to water your plants, just in case.

Monterey LG6140 should be acceptable for your purposes if you mix it according to the instructions on the bottle. You'll want to make sure you get it on the underside of the leaves, too, as the neem has to make contact with the buggers to do its thing. For this, I recommend getting a handheld pump sprayer as it'll put out a nice fine mist.

One thing to note is that neem isn't a one-and-done solution. You'll need to follow up with reapplications every week or two until you notice the problem subside.

More info on this site, which I've used as my bible for a lot of my CP-growing activities: http://www.growsundews.com/neem_oil.html

A few things:

• First, looks like it may be a little too wet. While it's true they like wet soil, yours seems a little waterlogged. If you're growing indoors, go and buy a tall tumbler cup like this at Walmart and drill a few holes in the bottom. Flytraps want deep pots so their roots can grow. They have a long root system. If you're growing outside, go and pick up some tall 32oz styrofoam cups and poke some holes in the bottom. They'll protect the plant from overheating, they're cheap and provide space for root growth. Depending on the pot, you usually want to stick to about keeping water about 1/5 the depth of the pot.
  
  
• Second, light. They need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. If you can't provide this, you'll need to find a grow light that is relatively bright (if going with florescent, stick to T5 HO bulbs.) I imagine this model would be sufficient (I have a 4' 4 bulb light of the same brand). It would need to be left on a timer and set to be on for about 16 hours a day.
  
  
• Third, make sure you're using reverse osmosis, distilled, or rain water only. No springwater, tap water, well water, etc. unless you've measured the PPM (parts per million) and they're under 50.
  
  I think these pointers should set you in the right direction.

Right now I have three of these, they're dirt cheap and it really shows in the construction quality (cheap plastic, fiberboard back, zero waterproofing, included hanging wires are useless) but they work extremely well and the cons are pretty easily overcome. I have mine mounted with small zip ties to the underside of the shelf above the growing area which keeps it safe from water and damage and removes the need for the crappy mounting wire. The oldest one has been on 14 hours a day for four months and is working as well as the day I got it. Here's my new seedling set up that is a slight improvement over the one that produced the plants shown right now I have Droseras finlaysoniana, venusta, tokianesis, Filiformis red, auriculata, hookeri, Nidiformis, Capensis, and burmannii either germinating or as small plants and will be sewing binata, Capensis wide leaf, and intermedia cuba next week, plus I have a tray of ~50 sensitive plants, 8 dancing plants, 15 drosyphylum, and a couple desert rose seeds all germinating in a greenhouse. The plan is to sell most of the drosera at the end of the summer if they're big enough and make back some of what I've spent collecting.

I paid ~90 for mine, but I only use about half the wattage with the plants getting a little bit of sun from my front window as well.

You could also try a Par 30 LED lamp but they are 35w and dont have the spread that the other fixture has. I think it would work great for a small grouping of plants with some window light.

https://www.amazon.com/Niello-5-Band-Spectrum-Indoor-5-Bands/dp/B071NWXK6R/ref=sr_1_6?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1502318489&sr=1-6&keywords=par+30+grow+lamp

What are you using now?

I got it from an Amazon seller with good reviews. Hirt's Gardens

Asian Pitcher Plant - Nepenthes - Carnivorous - Exotic - 6" Hanging Basket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N1AJ2A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vF73yb8MWTWFB

I was actually hoping somebody here could help me identify the actual species.

I use this. It works great and cheap. Easy to set up. 0 TDS coming out of it.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00204CQF6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cool! I was looking at the 2' version of those, any recommendations for electrical timers? (Does the brand usually matter?) I was also looking at a smaller bulb that was 24 watt, more like a basking light for a reptile as I have some extra like this one

I've used this one
http://www.amazon.com/Vicks-Warm-Mist-Humidifier-Shut-Off/dp/B001FWXKTA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1453472997&sr=8-3&keywords=vaporizer

and this one
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HWM705B-Filter-Moisture-Humidifier/dp/B00JP6HQBG/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1453472997&sr=8-14&keywords=vaporizer

Any of that type will work, I just grab what ever is cheapest when I'm buying them. Pretty sure they all come out of the same factory somewhere. ;p

Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Reverse-Osmosis-100-Gallon/dp/B00DOG64FM

I'm happy enough with it I bought a second one after I left my first one out on a night that froze.

these work really good also when you need to move water with less effort.

I bought sundew seeds from this seller and now I have over hundred tiny sundews :)

https://www.amazon.de/TROPICA-Sonnentau-capensis-inklusive-Kultursubstrat/dp/B00200OG9E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅZÕÑ&qid=1550312642&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=tropica+sonnentau&dpPl=1&dpID=51uheOVD0IL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/Large-Composting-Tumbler-Rotating-Composter/dp/B07XDF2PGV/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=58678071320&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoKzsBRC5ARIsAITcwXFwJLhp_rSnQDwI72oFoOdI1dr7t87y8UVmC15eBDDrRZq1NCiY0ZcaAvpoEALw_wcB&hvadid=274811034632&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9013118&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1834228954907132894&hvtargid=kwd-301078584894&hydadcr=14887_10218909&keywords=composters+tumblers&qid=1569419753&s=home-garden&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE4NUdITUVENjlUQzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4NzM5MDk0TkxJV01MMDFDMFEmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDk3NDY5NzIxR1RLN1EyMFZFWVcmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
Something like this?

Appreciate the advice. I found this on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KINGBO-Spectrum-Gooseneck-2-Switch-Replaceable/dp/B07LG39B3M/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=plant+light&qid=1556394641&s=gateway&sr=8-6

Someone in a review has their Heliamphoras and Sundews under it and said they were thriving. Not sure if this would work.

This was my first one and if you put it high enough you could cover that many, depending on pot sizes. It's very strong even from several feet away according to my light meter, but I have mine maybe 2feet above 2 plants.

I use larger more expensive ones to cover more space.

TaoTronics Led Grow light Bulb , Grow Plant Light for Hydropoics Greenhouse Organic ( E26 12w 3 Bands) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GNWK2XO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gIqgzbPVHH54V

You can try refilling the jugs at the water dispenser usually in front of the grocery store. I purchased a small TDS meter for about $10 to test the water and used it for years.

Ultimately, I had too many plants and bought this: https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Reverse-Osmosis-100-Gallon/dp/B00DOG64FM

I have been using it for two years and it is going strong, but probably needs a cartridge replacement soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Niello-5-Band-Spectrum-Indoor-5-Bands/dp/B071NWXK6R/ref=sr_1_6?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1502318489&sr=1-6&keywords=par+30+grow+lamp

I use this one and it works incredibly well but i do NOT have H. minor so buyer beware. it is an LED and never gets hot

I use these for my planted aquariums.

Cheap and easy, and very reliable. The only time they've ever messed up is when my cat walked across it and pushed some of the pegs down.

Also they're analog so if the power ever goes out I know for how long it was out for by how far off the timers are.

Aha, I did see that one. I was looking at this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PH1MQV8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2L94QV6P0R9ON&psc=1

would this work? https://www.amazon.com/Erligpowht-Hanging-Light-Indoor-Plant/dp/B00S2DPYQM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1466444770&sr=8-6&keywords=grow+light

I see, my apartment is similar in that regard however I have my big planter hanging on the outside of a window with something like this. I also grabbed one of these that I use to set everything else on my small porch.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07LG39B3M/ref=psdcmw_14252941_t1_B07T1YG8BX
Here's one that's identical to the one I purchased but from a different vendor.

I usually keep the humidity high enough that they tiniest pitchers even have fluid, and feed the the pellets whole, as I think that they will drop to the bottom of the trap. If I crushed them they might stick to the sides and mold. I usually use a single led diode on a battery to see though the pitcher walls, and if there is any fluid. It wouldn't be a bad idea to add a few drops of water to a Sarracenia seeding's pitchers, a lot of people use these things to add water/feed fertilizer to many pitcher-type carnivores: https://www.amazon.com/Ezy-Care-Dental-Irrigating-Syringe/dp/B000FQ5N1A/ref=pd_lpo_194_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=17D2K13N49DH57PD4M38