transplanting sundews & pitcher plants

[llama mama]

my sundews, flytraps & pitcher plants are outgrowing the pots they came in. i'd like to transplant them into a terrarium so i can install a growlight & keep the humidity up. currently they're on my kitchen windowsill, which has good light for them but is right over the propane tank & water heater vent. that can't be good for them. what soil mix should i use for a terrarium? how deep should it be? once established in the terrarium should i arrange for a winter dormancy period? my round leaved sundew (drosera rotundifolia) is the only one that has ever gone dormant, apparently being more day length sensitive that the rest of my collection. it just broke dormancy about 3 weeks ago. is there a group for carniverous plant fans? lee

[Siberian Husky]

Check out the carnivorous plant FAQ in

how deep should it be? once

So far the "little terrarium" in my office only used about 0.75 or 1 inch thick of soil mix. They are doing fine, but I think I might need to use thicker mix. I am using the transparent plastic container (sold in pet stores for hamsters or mice) for my terrarium. I do not put the cover on -- the Sarracenia flava and S. leucophylla outgrew the cover.

I moved the terrarium from office (air-conditioned and dry; not much preferred by carnivorous plants) home in the front yard, from middle November to middle February as the dormancy period (I am in Seattle area). I grew flytrap (regular and red dragon), S. flava, S. leucophylla and S. purpurea in one terrarium.

From the books and web sites I have read, yes, they need a dormancy period. Not sure about the Sarracenias, but for flytraps, if you do not provide a dormancy period, they probably cannot survive more than two years, and they might not grow well.

[llama mama]

[e-mail] (Siberian Husky) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

lee