Carnivorous plants (carnivores) are scary for some plant lovers. Some people shy away from breeding for fear of not finding enough food for the plants. This concern is unfounded, because carnivorous plants do not have to and should not be fed.

Carnivorous plants do not need to be fed

Why do some plants eat insects?

Almost all carnivorous plants grow in locations where there are few nutrients in the soil. In order to provide them with sufficient food, they are equipped with different types of traps in which they catch and digest insects.

You do not need to feed carnivorous plants in the house

If you grow carnivorous plants indoors, they will provide themselves with insects. In every household there is a sufficient supply of prey animals.

In addition, the plant substrates of carnivores contain sufficient nutrients, usually far too many. They are quite enough to take care of the plants, even if there are almost no insects flying around in winter.

If you also feed your carnivorous plants with insects, there is an oversupply of nutrients that the plants do not get. In the worst case, they even die.

Feeding carnivores - the right way!

The breeding of carnivorous plants is not so fascinating for nothing. Just for illustrative purposes, one or the other plant lover would like to feed the carnivores at least every now and then.

There are many things you can do wrong when feeding. It is important that you never give too many insects at once. The size of the prey also plays a role.

How to feed properly

  • Feed only live insects
  • only one insect at a time
  • Don't choose too big a loot

Even if it is tempting to put dead flies, mosquitoes or ants in the traps - for the sake of your plant it is better not to do so. The catching devices only start to work properly when the insect is still moving in the trap. Only then will the digestive secretions be released.

The bigger the traps, the bigger the insects you feed can be. A large pitcher of pitcher plant will also deal with a wasp. Such prey is far too large for the snap traps of the Venus flytrap. Here the insect should not be larger than a third of the trap.

Animal foods such as meat, milk or cheese do not belong in the traps. They cannot be digested and cause the traps to rot. You should also avoid touching the safety catches with your fingers.

Venus flytraps only open seven times

You need to be extra careful when feeding Venus flytraps. The snap traps can open a maximum of seven times. Then they die. If you feed too often or too much at once, the traps will die even earlier.

tips

The trapping mechanisms of the various carnivores differ significantly. Venus flytraps capture insects with snap traps, while pitcher plants use deep pitcher-like traps. Sundews and butterworts catch insects with their leaves.

Category:

Vegetable garden