Avoid This Type of Pot for Your Carnivorous Plants!
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2020
- A controversial topic since some growers prefer this method of growing. However, it's easy to screw up. We've answered numerous questions from growers over the years (1-2 times every month) who have used this method and ended up with weak plants. While the undrained pot can work, just like terrariums, there are too many nuances involved that make it difficult for first-time growers. For this reason, we recommend only the tried-and-true, no-nonsense method of a water tray.
Visit our website: www.growcarnivorousplants.com
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense. Get the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate thousands of carnivorous plants every year, since 1995. - Jak na to + styl
Is there any solid science behind this? Plenty of highly successful Sarracenia bog gardens don't have drain holes in the bottom. (And in the wild peat bogs are full of bacteria!)
yeah but not anearobic bacteria, at least not where the plant roots are, the anaerobes are lower down, i think in a planter stagnation is a much more serious problem than in a swamp
I thought the same thing and I removed my pitcher plants that were in a large plastic pond with drain holes buried in a very wet area of the yard to a standing big planter I made. In two weeks I had algae growing in the planter. Apparently pots do not imitate nature. I’m taking there advice before I loose them along with the Venus fly traps and sundews
i`m so happy to see those new videos ! and hoping to have subtitles .
Thanks for the video, very clear and slow paced, lots of very good information.
Excellent, glad I watched this video before building my bog container… I have found the water filled tray also stops slugs and snail from getting to the plants
Just ordered from you guys. Excited about my bog garden I'll add to my pond.
that´s why you drill holes 5 cm below the rim so there is overflow of water if needed
Such good advice! I was always taught never to put plants in pots with no drain holes and I have followed this with my carnivorous plants so I am pleased to hear I did the right thing. I use square plastic pots in an oblong tray to reduce algae problems. Looking forward to exploring your channel more over the coming weeks!
You’re gorgeous!
@@AviSLeigh 🤣 Thank you
@@GlasshouseandGarden you’re welcome! I like your channel too!
@@AviSLeigh Enjoy!
@@GlasshouseandGarden my only request is more of you on camera! 🤗🥰
This is great knowledge to have for all Sarracenia enthusiasts. Thank you so much for making and sharing this video.
Glad it was helpful!
@@SarraceniaNorthwest sir could you be of assistance please?
I have a small terrarium setup and I see some people seal it off completely when they plant seedlings and I see others have it exposed. Are there any danger for my sundew seedlings if I seal off the top and have an enclosed terrarium? Thank you kindly.
I might be missing something but wouldn’t a bog garden, like the bathtub bog garden in the background, have the same problems mentioned in this video concerning the large planter?
Thanks for watching our videos. Those bathtubs have drain holes. Make sure to watch our videos about them.
czcams.com/video/Q0Hw5YgOfKQ/video.html
czcams.com/video/5YX--7XdToU/video.html
I can't wait to order from you guys!!
Thank you, I’m a newbie to carnivorous plants. Trying to learn as much as I can to avoid mistakes. I did not know glass or metal containers were bad for these plants. I also didn’t know that keeping them in planters without holes and just adding water was also not a good thing. Thanks for this info
I think the take-away I got from this is that the pot should have holes. I think the glass pot was just an example of a pot without holes.
However, in general, you would want to use an opaque pot anyway so that the roots are not exposed to sun and there won't be algae growing in the pot sides.
So how deep should the water level be on bog pots? I have a few bogs that I made and only 1 of them seems to have made it through the winter (most of the plants that made it are sarracenia, though some of them died as well). I should have protected them better, but didn't and was expecting some death. However, I wasn't expecting around 3/4 to have died with the anti-fungal that I used, pesticide, etc. (I made sure everything I used was carnivorous plant safe).
The only thing I can think of (given how the ones that died ended up being mushy) was that they were too wet. 2 things come to mind that would have caused them to rot. One being that I may not have had enough chunky material in the mix for better aeration and drainage. 2nd, and what I believe probably was the issue, is that I kept the water level about 3/4 the way up the bog pots (one big is around 2 feet deep, the others around a foot deep give or take a few inches). All of them I kept the water level fairly high thinking that the extra depth would require higher water levels. I also usually just filled the water trays and did very little top watering.
So, what is the max recommended height up the bog pots that one should have the water level? I know a lot of places say like 2" or something but if the pot is 2ft tall, the top section of the soil is almost completely dry if left sitting in 2" of water.
Hey Jeff, I really love your videos.
I live in a really windy place during the summer, would a Sarracenia just not do well here? Won't the pitchers just break?
Just add in wind breaks or stake up your pitcher plants like any other plants that might be too spindly .
What about the self watering pots of Lechuza? They have a safety hole that prevents more water than it should to stay inside.
They worked perfectly for my wild strawberries until I moved them to a much larger pot after they outgrew them
Does anyone know if the terracotta pots are ok if they are nesting pots? I just bought one but I am worried that the clay might have too high of a mineral content for my Sarrasenia.
For your extreme green what two species of flava and oreophila did you use
I was at feed store in Linnton last summer and found a long garden planter like that with two sarracenia in it along with an enormous darlingtonia. I normally don't repot plants this time of year but I noticed an awful lot of bugs on the surface after a few days and caught a whiff of the soil...it was not pleasant. Thankfully the darlingtonia survived after I repotted them.
Thanks for watching the video. Yeah, bacteria build up is common and cause the soil to smell like rotten eggs (sulfur). Good save with the Darlingtonia!
What about concrete. I was thinking about getting concrete pots and saucers for my carnivorous plants for decorative reasons. Would this be ok?
Do terracotta pots leach minerals? I have mine in a terra cotta pot, but I keep it moist. But thinking maybe I should change it.
If I was to drill holes in a glazed ceramic Pot would the little bits of glaze that chip off leaving exposed ceramic have any effect on the plants ?
Is a self watering pot where the water is in a separate pot and the plant is in a cone pot good?
Using the big pot, what if you used an air pump with hose and an air stone on it to oxygenate the water? Would that work?
I've been growing all my plants in undrained 5 gallon paint buckets with long fiber sphagnum. I really hate using peat moss. Been doing this for at least 20 years. I repot when the buckets begin to break down since they aren't generally UV safe.
Might coat your bucket on the outside with a tube or two of silicon and a squeegee. Silicon is UV resistant as heck from what i recall reading.
What do you recommend for carnivorous plants kept outdoors in California, in particular in the San Bernardino County area. It gets extremely hot, so I find myself adding a lot of water regularly. What about drilling holes in the pots, 1-2 inches from the bottom?
Drilling overflow holes would work, that's what they basically do with their bathtub bogs but they use non-organics on the bottom where water would stay.
Great video! Thanks guys. I used to use terra cotta pots because of their evaporative properties (because I live in a very warm climate) to keep the Sarracenia roots cool, but I heard that it was a bad idea because terra cotta is subject to salt buildup. Do you know if that's true? I water the plants in terra cotta pots often enough so they don't dry out.
We used to recommend terracotta pots for growers in desert climates until one of our customers in Phoenix started growing his Sarracenia outdoors in plastic pots very successfully. He did that for years, but recently moved to the Pacific Northwest. We actually featured him in our ebook. As for salt buildup as a result of the terracotta pot, it's not an issue if you're watering frequently from the top. The only issue we've had was the terracotta breaking down. They don't last more than one or two seasons at our nursery.
Sarracenia Northwest Wow! I didn’t know terra cotta had that issue. I thought they would leach some mineral into the water.
thanks friend
thank you for the info, is there any plastic pots you would stay away from?
Thanks for watching! As long as they have drain holes, your'e good to go!
This video was very helpful, thank you guys. I live in a Zone 9 area where it’s really hot right now. I’m using shade cloth and I will make sure to keep doing the plastic tray method. Should I be concerned if the water gets warm?
Glad it was helpful! As for heat, it depends if you're growing cold-hardy plants or not. We grow our Sarracenia and Venus Flytraps outdoors at our nursery in Oregon. This weekend we will have temperatures over 100°F. The plants stay outside without shade.
Sarracenia Northwest, thanks for your reply. I’m also growing Sundew filiformis & Sarracenia Rubra Gulfensis outside under 40% shade cloth with about 7-8 hrs direct sunlight, since May. I’m afraid of my plants cooking, but I will try removing the shade and see how they do. They’re doing alright but I feel they could do better. Thank you again for your help; this channel has been a game changer.
Glad the channel has been helpful. You should read our ebook. We feature a grower in Phoenix. He grew flytraps and Sarracenia outdoors in the desert sun. No shade or shade cloth. Direct sunlight throughout the day. These plants are a lot tougher than most people give them credit.
I live in a zone 9 and keep my sarracenia in my terrace. The issue that I run into in the summer is that the tile gets too hot and my sarracenia start to wither, so what I do is simply move them to a part-shade spot from midsummer till end of summer. They get greener and the growth slows down a bit, but I prefer to play it safe than risk them dying in the heat. I've read that as long as you keep the water cool (and thus the soil) they should be fine under the scorching sun, but from experience they don't last long if they get hot. So if you're like me and tend to go on vacation in the summer for several weeks I'd recommend just playing it safe. My venus need to go into the shade quite earlier, typically late spring.
What about for those hot climates like in Southern California BUT with the added challenge that the sunset (3-4 hrs) is harsh and direct?I've scorched some plants because I thought they needed as much light as possible, but I think it was too direct during sunset.
I grow my Sarracenias and Nepenthes in glass beakers and they have been doing well so far. Just create a false bottom by layering some rocks/pebbles to drain the excess water and you will have no issues.
Thanks for watching the video! While we have no doubt this sort of technique works, our basis for the video is for first-time growers. Too many times we encounter growers who lost their plants with an undrained pot. We also guarantee the health of our plants for 30 days as long as growers follow our instructions. Once they transfer their plant to an undrained pot, the guarantee is void. So, this video is to help keep first-time growers on track as they venture into this new hobby.
Great advice! But how can I avoid the mosquitos and other insects laying eggs into the water ?
Thanks for watching! We have a video about that!
czcams.com/video/68WR-yVcb4c/video.html
Can you teach us how to grow sarracenia purpurea
How can you build a bog? There are no drainage. I am thinking abut building a big with pond liner but it will drain on one end because it’s slightly tilted.
You can build it by having holes part way up the side. I have two that work well. See my videos.
There are many ways to grow these plants! I use a beer mug filled half-way with peat moss and ground cover bark!
How do you stop mould from building up on the plant media. I use sphagnum moss, which initial works well, but has a tendency for mould that rots the plant roots and turns the sphagnum black. This is a particular problem when cultivating Venus fly traps.
We would be glad to help you out. Visit our website to submit your question. Make sure to supply all of the requested information.
www.growcarnivorousplants.com/Articles.asp?ID=332
How many drainage holes would you recommend to drill in ceramic pots. I notice plastic has ones have a lot more holes. Could I also put plastic pot inside the ceramic?
Thank you for watching our video! To answer your question, it really depends on the plant you're growing. I'm going to refer you to our web page where we answer growing questions. Make sure to supply the requested information.
www.growcarnivorousplants.com/ask-the-growers/
One of our growers will get back to you shortly.
I'm sorry if this was asked already, but even with no drain holes, what would the outcome be if you had a large co tsiner with no drainage holes but put an aquarium bubble bar in the bottom with or with out some kind of spacer and tray that would still allow the water to move about and not just sit in the planting medium?
We don't have any experience in pure hydroponic setups. The growing medium helps maintain proper acidity. We really don't know how to do that without using the recommended soil. But, you can give it a try and see what you come up with.
I have built some rocks up one side of an aquarium and was going to stand a plant in a pot on the shallow shelf I had made. It's coming autumn here now, so I may wait until the spring
Can you make a video about how to deal with sarracenia and fly traps in winter in a colder place. I want to start a bog next winter i live in zone 6a so it gets very cold during winter time
I would appreciate this info as well
@@MajorMatatheTurtleNerd just cover them really well with burlap and pine needles if the temps are below 20°F
For the taller container that drains, should the bottom tray be deeper to bring the water up closer to the roots?
Doesn’t need to be deeper. Perlite acts like a wick and will wick the moisture up through the peat.
have u ever experimented with pots without holes or is it just a theoretical consideration? i experimented a bit with nepenthes and drosera and they seem to be fine (indoors though).
Yes, and it requires a bit more attention than the traditional method. We answer too many questions from growers who have used undrained pots and ended up with weak plants. We know it can work, just like terrariums. But, because of the numerous nuances involved, it's not something we recommend for first-time growers, especially if they get their plants from us.
How often do you recommend top watering our plants to allow all build to flush out?
Once a month
@5:03 what about clear, hard plastic? Im using clear plastic organiser trays. Summer's heating up, what's the appropriate temperature range for their water???
as I am not an expert in growing these plants I cannot be certain but I assume that clear plastic is just as bad as glass since it lets just as much light through and some plastics are thermal insulators but that is all I can say. as for the temperature range I am not certain but it depends on the plant, for example most variteys of darlingtonia are known to be more sensitive to heated roots than sarracenia but I am no expert so don't worry too much about what I say but id say a good rule of thumb would be that the closer it is to the soil temperature in the plant's natural habitat the better(also I am a kid so I don't have enough experience growing plants to help out a lot).
What are your thoughts on terrarium set ups for carnivores like Drosera and Utricularia?
Sorry if this has been asked, what about an African violet pot? Specifically I have a sundew Im trying to pot. Thanks
Thanks for watching our video! African violet pots don't keep soil wet enough for carnivorous plants. We tried it.
Is it okay that I’ve been using plastic self watering pots? It’s a little plastic basket sitting inside a bigger container and there is a wick string but I don’t rely on the string because I make sure the basket with the plant is sitting in the water and I top water. I use this so I don’t get mosquitoes and the water doesn’t evaporate fast because I just moved to the Pacific Northwest and it’s been so hot lately that I can’t always keep up with the watering even with the indoor sundew that I have in a tray!
If it's working for you and you like how your plant is growing, then you probably could continue using it. We've answered lots of questions from growers who weren't so lucky. The results are not consistent. This is why we don't recommend it. But, if you got it to work for you, then you should be fine.
I'm wondering if I can build a mini bog using a woven grow bag as my plant container and I would use the tray system to water as you're showing in this video. I don't know if it makes a difference but I'm in USDA zone 13A. Also, the links to go to your website for more information comes back with:
SORRY! OUR DOG ATE THE PAGE!
Sara, The Sarracenia Pup
Actually, we likely gave the page a new URL and forgot to add a 301 Redirect. Try entering relevant keywords into the search box below.
If I'm understanding your description correctly, a woven bag would probably soak up the water all along the sides of the bag. This can basically lead to excess evaporation with the water you're using since the surfaces of the entire bag are wet and evaporating.
I have a small bog of 30cmx30cm with no drainage but only upside down pots on the bottom to catch overflow water, will that be ok?
the plants now live 3 years like that
Thanks for watching. Use the link below to send us your question. That's where we answer growing questions.
www.growcarnivorousplants.com/ask-the-growers/
What about self-watering pots?
Sir, I wonder if I still have to water the plant if I have put a tray with water on it?
If the answer is yes, is the quantity of watering should be decreased due to the water tray compare to a plant with no water tray below?
No
The water tray method is to keep the plant watered, so you don't specifically have to water the plant . However, you may still want to water the plant now and then , away from the water tray container, to flush out excess minerals.
I was told that we could put some species like drosera etc in terrariums?
good day! I bought some VFTs and Nepenthes but I think the seller had given me a wrong name of cultivars because when I search on google the result is different from the one I have and one of the name he said doesn't exist.
Is it OK for you if I let you identify them? If yes where can I send the pictures? Thanks.
Thanks for watching our videos! Yes, we'll be glad to help you out. Visit our website to submit your question: www.growcarnivorousplants.com/Articles.asp?ID=332
I use long sphagnum moss only at the base of the pot as drainage for my venus fly trap. The reason is because it prevents the peat moss, silica sand, and perlite from draining out of the pot.
Yes, I echo other views: great advice!
Hello, an issue that I ran a lot into is getting my plants blown away while in plastic pots. Because of this I've just potted one of my plants (it's late winter here) into a plastic pot that goes into a bigger glazed terracotta cilinder, with enough margin in between to water easily; but this system is quite expensive and takes up a fair amount of room. Do you guys have any other recommendations? I'm also hoping that it will keep the plant cool for longer.
You could've put river rocks on top
@@monke1919 I'm not sure the weight would be enough, but I might try it. Thank you
I had the same issue - plants getting blown over. I now put 3-4 small plastic pots inside a deep plastic trough planter. The weight of the water in the trough, and the height of the sides keeps the plants upright even in windy weather.
@@danid6171 that's a good option! I imagine it'd look neat as well
@@tomasck2973 Yes, I think it looks better when the small nursery pots are hidden in the deep trough. Bonus - no repotting required after purchase.
behind you are ponds which are essentially just big pots right? how does a pond differ from a non draining pot?
The difference is night and day. The pond, or the kiddie pools where most of our Sarracenia are kept are akin to big water trays. The pots drain, rain is able to flow through, and the pots don't stagnate. The pond specifically is open moving water that is well oxygenated. Those pots as well have drain holes so water can move through them.
And I was thinking of putting them in the window, I live in a block, no garden, but seeing how much hard work it is to keep them ,I've decided against carnivorous plants. There too difficult
That’s exactly how I keep mines
But the humidity trays don't actually raise the humidity level indoors or for your plant. A lot of these carnivorous plants need a humidity level between 40 - 90 percent. So if you cut a hole in a glass bowl terrarium for drainage and combined that with a drainage tray, wouldn't that work better?
If my grammar is too bad to read I am not an adult so please keep that in mind.It is worth noting that if you happen to have a good cooling system and the tray is coated in a metal like platinum that is difficult to corrode it might be possible to use a metal tray if your plants don't get enough sun and you need to mirror some of it onto the plant but normally using a metal tray is a bad idea especially in hot climates,the reason I point this out is because I used some metal trays in the past for my nepenthes to compensate for the lack of light from the windows during the winter and it didn't turn out badly.
I've read that if you use a glazed pot that isn't 100% glazed you can have problems with mineral leach. I take it that has not been your experience?
No, we haven't experienced that. We've used many glazed pots over the years without any noticeable adverse effects. The glaze is cured, so it's non-reactive.
@@SarraceniaNorthwest Right, I think the stuff I had read was concerned about leach from the exposed clay portions of pots whose surface wasn't 100% glazed. However, knowing that it hasn't been an issue for you makes me think that the risk of harm is small enough to not worry much about. Thanks.
Some plant stores will drill holes in the pot for you when you buy it from them.
What if dirt or debris fall into the water tray? Will it kill the plants?
Thanks for watching. Debris is of no consequence. Watch our monthly videos to see how we grow these plants at the nursery.
www.growcarnivorousplants.com/monthly-carnivorous-plant-care/
How often do people change the water in the tray?
Thanks for watching the video. It depends on your environment. If it rains a lot, then you don't need to change the water at all. You only need to change the water if you notice excessive algae.
This advice suggests that one can not have CP in a terrarium. There are numerous examples of CP Terrariums. The key is a false bottom rather than placing holes in the bottom of the pot.
Thank you for watching. We don't advocate terrariums, and we even have a slogan - "No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense." And we've maintained that position since we started the nursery in 1995.
While there are examples of people being successful with terrariums, there are also countless examples of people failing at it. Of the many growing techniques, terrariums (and undrained pots) have the highest failure rate, and we hear from frustrated growers a lot! Here's one example of a question we often to deal with:
www.growcarnivorousplants.com/blog/qa-147-nepenthes-in-terrarium-not-producing-pitchers/
Here's another video we did in 2009.
czcams.com/video/IIXHF4vYJxQ/video.html
We regard terrariums as an advanced growing technique and not for beginners. Our premise is very simple. If you don't know how to grow carnivorous plants without a terrarium, you will have trouble growing carnivorous plants in one. We also guarantee the health of our plants for 30 days as long as customers follow our instructions. That's how much we stand by our plants and care guides.
oh man, I've just moved my sarracenia collection to a big container without any holes like the one you showed. I wanted to save distilled water since we're having a drought and I can't spend all my money on distilled water.
Buy a "ZERO WATER" filter and pitcher. I did that because I didn't want to be trucking home gallons of distilled water either. Its been working great for years.
Just drill some holes at the bottom
It's okay if it's a bog
This just doesn't make sense tbh when them VFT are in water all the time..and seen many people do this too..so we're is the so called drainage when it's sitting in water contantly. ..
Can I use a self watering pot?
No just use the tray method
How do I avoid a mosquito bonanza every summer with trays?
cover the water
Aquatic Utricularias
I’ve been trying to decide on which planter to use for my carnivorous plants but all the ones I like are apparently a no go 😭 I don’t want them just in plastic pots sitting in a tray of water as it’s so ugly. Don’t know what I’m going to do!
Thank you for watching our video. You can always use a decorative tray or saucer. A larger glazed ceramic bowl to hold the pot will also work as long as you follow the underlying principle of watering.
Long trough planters can be more aesthetically pleasing. If your CP are in small pots, you can put several inside one trough planter. (which becomes your watering "tray") The small plastic pots themselves are barely visible due to the depth of the trough.
Can i plant my venus flytrap in a cement pot or floral foam?
That's funny because I have all my carnivorous plants in glass pots and all 8 of them, except 1, are doing very well.
Problem with trays is that if one plant gets a root disease, they all do because fungal spores travel via water.
I saw your awesome video. Are you interested in plant growth lamps used in planting? We would like to sponsor you to free use. Please let me know what do you think.
The biggest reason why terracotta is bad is because of mineral content.
There's bits of minerals in those pots that seep into the soil of your pot when wet, and over time those minerals will poison your plant. Eventually your plant roots will come up and touch the terracotta for the same effect.
Well, Damit, that’s what I just did! Time for repotting 😢
Yeah, I made similar mistakes during my first time growing these plants. Make sure to also watch our monthly care videos. We show you what to do each month throughout the year.
www.growcarnivorousplants.com/monthly-carnivorous-plant-care/
Just plastic, was told clay or terrcotta can leach minerals
where is Jacob, the mexican gardner guy? I hope you didnt fired him
LOL
I disagree cause many people so have long-standing setups in containers snd my friend in Germany makes beautiful indoor mini pond In aquariums.
you guys are 10 subs off 10K!
Bogs don't need drainage holes at the bottom
I wanted to see the issues with this method, and a solución if you want to keep your plants on a pot with no hole you can use a false bottom, with a layer of rocks (that don't leach minerals) at the bottom separated from the substrate
I'm really sorry but this video is really confusing and I'll go a step further and say it's wrong regarding all species of carnivorous plants, growing in peat bogs or peat bog like conditions.
1. one of the characteristics of a healthy peat bog IS a lack of oxygen caused by a very high watertable. This leads to a very slow lvl of decomposition of organic material and very low lvl of nutrients.
Why am I explaining this, because a pot for carnivorous plants should simulate the natural conditions as well as possible.
U can find thousands of scientific paper where this is perfect explained in details.
2. A pot for carnivorous plants without holes is bad or could be harmful for carnivorous plants??? That's really the first time ever I've heard this. Sorry sir, but that's just wrong.
A pot without drain holes is for most species of carnivorous plants just like growing naturally in a peat bog, therefore, the best way to grow them.
Sounds like the same myth where u should not watering C. follicularis from above 🤦♂️.
I'm growing my carnivorous plants in such pots since around 30 years now, as explained, as natural as possible like in a peat bog and they're growing wonderful.
Cheers
You say not to do stuff and yet you're doing it yourself that's kind of weird
Thanks for watching our video! Could you clarify your comment? I'm not certain what you're referring to, so I'm not sure how respond.