I have been wanting to create a carnivore terrarium but wasn’t sure about the care it needs so I put it off. (Also because they are pricey)
I finally managed to create one but I feel that something is missing. Any suggestions? Criticisms?
by CitronSouth2826
3 Comments
will those vft get enough light? does the vft get the water it needs without drowning the other plants?
My wife & I have been thinking about getting some carnivores for the stupid fungus gnats that killed all our lichens.
Unfortunately, your plants all have different needs. Venus flytraps require a winter dormancy to maintain their health longer than a year. This means they need to get cold enough to die back in the fall and winter, so that they can have their dormancy and spring back in the summer. Most carnivorous keepers do so outside. That makes them not the best for carnivore terrariums.
Venus Flytraps also do not like soil with any sort of nutrients in it. They also need to be watered with either RODI or distilled water ONLY. The nerve plants and asparagus ferns will want more fertilizer or decaying biological mass in their soil. You will either kill one or the other long term.
Similarly, as someone else mentioned, they need partial to full sun, which is about 8000 footcandles or higher. The Nerve plants prefer 2500 footcandles or lower. You can download the app “Lux” to your phone, then turn it on, click the “FC” Button, and hold it screen upright between the light and as close to the plant as you can manage. that will give you the FC level. Our eyes are not good at judging what the difference between “Full sun” and “Full shade” is. You may think that a ringlight or many “Growlights” you can get easily for instance puts out a good amount of light, but it may only be throwing out 800 or less FC within an inch, and less than 100 at 8 inches(Which is why most of those ring lights are not good for anything but terrariums, and even then, only the larger ones).
If you want to do a carnivorous plant terrarium, there are options that do good without needing dormancy, such as sundews, Utricularia, Pinguicula, and some smaller dwarf species of Nepenthes. All Flytraps and Sarracena are not good for terrariums as they require dormancy for long term health. People use them, but they tend to die after a year or two. One thing is for sure, that though this looks nice, you’re going to want to go back to the drawing board if you want a long term terrarium. Check out /r/SavageGarden, they’re the sub for carnivorous plants.