Cultivating Carnivorous Plants (2015)

The basics of growing carnivorous plants are the basics of growing any plant. Like all plants, they require

water, light, humidity, a good potting mix, pots, fertilizer, and a bit of care. Dedicated chapters on growing

carnivorous plants outside, growing carnivorous plants inside, and common pests and diseases follow, but

first it’s important to know what to do when you get your first plant.

If you’re like many of us, you bought your first carnivore at a local garden store. If you’re somewhere

without local garden stores or somewhere with local garden stores that don’t stock the occasional carnivorous

plant, then you probably ordered your plant online. In all likelihood your plant, if it came potted, was potted

in a mixture of one part sphagnum peat moss and one part sand or perlite. This is what is known as the

“basic carnivorous plant mixture.” It’s acidic, retains a lot of water, and is very close to the natural soils of

many carnivorous plant habitats.