How to Handle Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants, such as the Venus Flytrap, are fun to grow and can add a sense of interest to just about any garden or home. Though they may seem tough, these tropical wonders are delicate in nature, so if you're planning to start raising carnivorous plants, it’s important that you understand how to handle them properly.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Give your plants the right home. Carnivorous plants are tropical, so they must stay in a warm, wet environment. There are special terrariums designed to house these types of plants; a terrarium can help keep your plants feeling comfortable so you won't need to fuss with them much.

2. Keep your hands off, most of the time. Carnivorous plants have specially designed leaves or substances that they use in catching prey. If you continually touch or manipulate your plant for no reason, you could alter its ability to feed and ultimately lead to its early demise.

3. Trim dead leaves off as necessary. If you notice that a leaf is wilting or dying, you can remove it if it bothers you. Be careful to remove only the dead plant tissue, and not cut into any of the green material. If you choose not to take off the dead leaf, it will eventually fall off on its own.

4. Take out the trash. While your carnivorous plant is good at catching and digesting its prey, you may find that there are still remnants of the bug a few days after the feast. When the plant opens its leaves, you can carefully remove any bug parts with tweezers while it's still fresh. If the bug is dried up, spray the leaves with some distilled water before attempting removal to avoid damaging the plant.

5. Know when to let go. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your carnivorous plant's days are numbered. If your plant comes down with a white mold that seems to be taking over the entire plant, you may just have to wait it out and see what happens. There's no treatment for such an ailment, so you may want to start shopping for a new plant at this point.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't water your Venus Flytrap or other carnivorous plants with regular tap water, as the chemicals in it can damage the plants. Instead, use distilled bottled water or rain water.
• Never feed your plant human food or hamburger. Such meat is much too high in protein for plants to digest.