How to Water Carnivorous Plants

While carnivorous plants have discovered unique ways to survive in the wild, these plants in your home or garden require special watering to stay healthy, happy and well fed. To keep your carnivorous plant from keeling over, water it properly and feed it regularly.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Use only distilled or rain water to water your plant. The chemicals used to treat tap water can prove deadly to carnivorous plants because these plants rely on specific chemical reactions to break down their food. Chlorine is especially hazardous to carnivorous plants.

2. Mist plants instead of watering them from a watering can. Misting carnivorous plants will hydrate them all over, allowing water to not simply sit in the roots but also in the pitchers.

3. Fill the pitchers. If you own a Sarracenia, make sure the pitcher of your plant remains half full of water at all times. You can use your mister to direct the water into the pitchers or a watering can to directly pour water into the pitchers. This prevents the pitchers from drying out and dying, which cuts off the food source for the plant.

4. Keep carnivorous plants in a tray of standing water to moisten soil. This keeps the plants from completely drying out between misting. Either collect rainwater in a tray large enough to hold your carnivorous plants or pour distilled water into the bottom of the drainage dish or tray.

5. Water them often. If you know that you live in a colder or drier climate, or if your house is particularly dry due to heating in the winter, water the carnivorous plants more often if they seem to be wilting or if the pitchers are drying out.