carnivorous plants: Plants have become essential for the house. They are the perfect allies to give light, purity and joy both inside and outside. In addition, plants and flowers help us stay in touch with nature and without leaving home. Among the species that most arouse passions, are the carnivores. However, there is still much unknown about them. We tell you everything you need to know about these species!
Carnivorous plants are all the ragebut there are still many people who do not know if they can really be planted at home, if they are dangerous and what their care is.
The first thing we must be clear about is that carnivorous plants require almost the same care as conventional plants. In addition, these plants are not dangerous for humans, but they are for insects, since they live thanks to them.
where to put them at home
When you have carnivorous plants you should place them in the kitchen, near the windows. It is also helpful on the terrace or balcony and in the living room; however, you must keep it away from other flowering plants or your orchids, lilies, roses and other flowers or they could eat the insects they pollinate. They by themselves grow in lonely places, so you have to keep it that way.
A carnivorous plant is not dangerous for people or pets, even if you put a finger and it catches it, you will notice that it does not cause damage, but do not do it because that only causes them to try to eat and find nothing, this could end with the carnivorous plant life by not having true insects and food.
What insects eat carnivorous plants?
As usual, carnivorous plants They eat any insect that crosses their space, but this species prefers mosquitoes, flies, not so large cockroaches, crickets, small worms, etc. But, if some pollinating insect such as certain types of mosquitoes, bees and even hummingbirds, get close to it, it can be counterproductive, because since it does not have flowers, it will eat them and affect the rest of them.
What care do carnivorous plants need?
Carnivorous plants are resistant, undemanding and long-lived. But all is not gold that glitters. Many of the species of this large family require a specific amount of light, some a specific temperature and others a specific pot.
All care will depend largely on the species or the climate in which it is planted. The most important is listed below.
Acclimatization
all carnivorous plants need an acclimatization period when grown at home. These species must be introduced indoors carefully and in the best possible way.
The best is that initially put on a terrarium (with high humidity). At the same time, it should be taken out from time to time for a few minutes to air it. After several weeks, it can be permanently removed and treated as normal.
The light
For proper development carnivores require ample sunlight. In fact, there are species that need direct sunlight for at least 5 hours. Other varieties such as sundew they do not want direct sun, as their traps can burn.
these plants they do not grow well in shady places.
In addition, it is important that you know that carnivores prefer natural light to artificial light, although the latter is usually installed in terrariums and greenhouses.
Temperature
The temperature will vary depending on the species whatever, that is, whether it is a carnivore of tropical origin or, on the contrary, is native to non-tropical areas.
For example, the dionea and the sarracenia They need to hibernate for a few months, so the ideal temperature should be less than 5 ⁰C. The sundewhowever, is a tropical plant that cannot stand the cold.
You must make sure what species your plant is and, consequently, take care of it in one way or another.
The flowerpots
The type of container in which they are planted is also a factor to be taken into account. these plants prefer plastic potsbecause they are resistant, durable and come in all sizes.
But you can also use porcelain or glass containers.
Avoid the mud onesas they usually contain minerals that dissolve in the water and that would end up harming the plant.
Humidity
All these plants need a high ambient humidity and this can be achieved in several ways:
- Putting the plant in a bowl or pot with a couple of centimeters Water.
- spraying the leaves with distilled water (DO NOT spray sundew, Pinguiculae neither Dionaea).
- Installing a humidifier in the room.
- Plant them in a terrarium (Remember to renew the air, as an excess of humidity can cause the appearance of fungi).
the substrate
As we have said before, carnivorous plants are not demanding in terms of the type of substrate in which they are planted. They can survive in almost any terrain.
In their natural habitat, these species grow in very poor soilsTherefore, it is best to place them in pots with nutrient-poor soil. Do not plant the plants in a substrate rich in mineral salts, they can die.
Types of carnivorous plants
There are more than 600 species of carnivorous plants around the world. However, many of these plants are not readily available in nurseries. We show you some of the most common and easy to find:
Dionaea muscipula or venus flytrap
This plant is also known as the Venus Flytrap, since it mainly feeds on these insects. This carnivorous plant is one of the easiest to find, even at IKEA it has become one of the best-selling plants. Of course, if we decide to grow these plants indoors, we must make sure that they have enough light.
sundew
It is another of the most popular and well-known carnivorous plants. Commonly called ‘Sun Dew’, this plant is characterized by small reddish hairs where it stores water. It is precisely in this area of the plant where the ‘Drosera’ catches the small insects. To take care of this carnivorous plant we will need a very well lit space. In terms of temperature, these plants adapt very well to more extreme climates, since they can live perfectly between 10 and 30 degrees.
Pinguicula grandiflora
The Pinguicula, also known as ‘grease with large flowers’, is a carnivorous plant that grows widely in countries such as France, Switzerland and Spain. This plant has a very flirtatious appearance, since it is made up of rosettes of green leaves and violet flowers. However, despite their delicate appearance, these carnivorous plants are great allies to kill insects outdoors. As for their care, these plants adapt very well to warm climates, but also to colder areas, since they withstand minimum temperatures of 0 degrees well.