# Carnivorous Pitcher Plants Indoors



## Brenmuk (8 Aug 2011)

Has anyone managed to grow pitcher plants indoors on a windowsill or hanging pot? My sons is fascinated with his Venus fly trap and liked the pitcher plants at the Cambridge botanical gardens and I would quite like to get one.
If you can recommend a species and growing conditions that would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Bren


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## ghostsword (8 Aug 2011)

I got a pitcher plant on the garden, now on summer time, but it grew fine on the window sill all winter. The issue is not to give tap water, they do not like ferts, or hard water. I give to mine rain water.


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## dw1305 (8 Aug 2011)

Hi all,
I've grown both _Sarracenia purpurea_ and_ Nepenthes alata_, neither of them are really suitable as a house plant, as it is difficult to keep the humidity high enough. You could grow a small _Nepenthes_ species in a terrarium, best bet would be _Nepenthes ampullaria_ and hybrids you find in Garden Centres - _N. x ventrata, N. x ventricosa_ and N. "Gentle" etc., they will eventually grow too big, but it will take a while. 

If you can keep Orchids like _Phalaenopsis_ long term in the house it might be worth a punt on a garden centre one, probably in a N window, watered with rain-water, on a tray of moist hydroleca and potted in bark. You need damp, but not continually wet and lots of light, but not much sunlight.

cheers Darrel


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## plantbrain (8 Aug 2011)

We keep them outdoors here, the humidity is quite low, but they seem to like full sun, others, no so much. they like the lower light and humid conditions. We have a few native species(Darlingtonia), which oddly are at the snow/tree line in the mountains, as well as a Utricularia vulgaris also in the alpine regions.

I've seen most species on th East Coast of the USA, peat bogs. We have lost a lot of those habitat over the last few hundred years, but there's still a fair amount left. Mosquito infested places they are.


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## plantbrain (8 Aug 2011)

BTW, if you come to SF, Ca, USA even.........there's a great CP plant store about 1 hour north of SF, well worth the trip.


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## dw1305 (9 Aug 2011)

Hi all,


> We have a few native species(_Darlingtonia_), which oddly are at the snow/tree line in the mountains, as well as a _Utricularia vulgaris_ also in the alpine regions.


 We have a very limited range of native insectivores in the UK, _Pinguicula_ (_P. vulgaris, lusitianica, grandiflora_ (only S. Ireland) and _P. alpina_ extinct). Three_ Drosera_ spp. _D. rotundifolia, D.anglica_ and _D. intermedia_ and a variable number of _Utricularia_ spp., but only 2 that are distinct _U. minor_ and _U. "vulgaris"_ agg.

All our native insectivores are rare in the S. UK, although _P. vulgaris_ and _D. rotundifolia_ are reasonably common further N & W. 

_Darlingtonia_ and _Sarracenia_ are better outside or grown very cool in the UK as well. _Sarracenia purpurea_ is actually naturalised quite widely in Ireland and in a couple of places in the UK. As a general rule the cooler growing species are all tricky in the house, but some of the tropical _Nepenthes_ are possible.

cheers Darrel


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## Ed Seeley (9 Aug 2011)

I've grown various sarracenia indoors over the years and got them flowering indoors on south facing windowsills.  I grow them in pots then sat in larger than needed watertight containers so they sit in water constantly (below the height of the soil - part way up the pot) and some water will evaporate increasing the local humdity.  I also give them periods outside in the summer when it warms up.

I've got a couple of hybrid ones I picked up from IKEA cheaply on my kitchen windowsill now.  One is a S.rubra hybrid and the other is a S.leucophylla hybrid.

I've also got loads of Phalaenopsis orchids in my house too.  I find them very easy to grow.  When you buy them flowering keep them in the clear pots until they stop flowering.  In summer I water them when I can't see any moisture though the sides of the pot.  To water in those pots simply soak the plant in a container of water for an hour then remove and allow to drain before placing them back where they go.  Or you can use an orchid spray to soak the top layers of bark/compost more regulary.  Once they've finished flowering I repot them into the short clear glass vases IKEA sell.  They will live happily in these for years.  To water in these it's even easier.  When they dry out I fill the vase with water, leave for an hour, then tip the water out again and replace the vase.  There should be no sitting water in the vase after watering but all the bark should be soaked.  Growing them like this I find they grow well on any windowsill, even south facing which they're not meant to like!  I have one sitting next to the pitcher plants on my south facing kitchen windowsill and it's sent up a new flower spike about 8 weeks after repotting.  What's even more amazing is this was one I rescued from my mum (a brilliant plant-killer) with only one leaf left when I repotted it!  I water with a mix of old tank water, rain water, RO water and even tap water at various times depending on what I have to hand.  They're a lot tougher than people think.  The only big issue I've had with them are scaly bugs.


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