How to Feed Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants can be a beautiful and unusual addition to your home or garden. These plants have adapted to environments with little nutrients by obtaining some of the needed nutrients from invertebrates and sometimes small mammals. However, many people wonder how to feed their carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap, pitcher plants and butterworts.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Feed appropriate food to a carnivorous plant. You want to stick as closely as possible to what the plant would eat in the wild. Insects like fruit flies often make a good choice, but avoid "human" food that can kill your plant.

2. Allow outdoor plants to catch their own food as they would in the wild. The plants have adapted various mechanisms to catch their food and this will work in your garden just as it would in its native environment.

3. Give indoor plants a small insect or two every week or two. Your plant only obtains some of its nutrients from the insects so you don't need to go overboard. You can also place indoor plants outside in a shady spot once a week or so during warm weather.

4. Drop the insect onto the "feeding" area of the plant, which will differ depending on the type of plant. Put the insects in the pitcher, onto the sticky surfaces or into the trap. If you're not sure where to put the insect, read up on the type of carnivorous plant you have.

5. Provide lots of sunlight and pure (distilled or collected rain) water during the growing season. You'll also need to use special acidic soils for your plant.

Tips & Warnings

• Your carnivorous plants will go dormant during the winter so you won't need to feed during this time. For indoor plants, you'll need to limit the amount of sunshine or light that the plant gets during this time.