FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello!

I am a new flytrap owner and am just beginning to start my collection. I currently have one fly trap and will probably get another one soon. I plan to keep them on my back patio by my yard (I own a home and don’t live in an apartment), I found nice outdoor plant shelving but want to make sure I have a cover in case is animals. I read that geeenhouses were not good and could overheat the flytraps. I have been trying to find an outdoor plant shelf that already has mesh wiring so that I don’t have to worry about setting it up correctly.

I found this on Amazon: does anyone know if this is sufficient for flytraps year-round and to not overheat them? If not, are there any links for affordable covered shelving for my flytraps?



Thank you!!

They're not great in that the cover acts as a sail in the wind, blowing them away or over. Speaking of over, due to their narrow-ness, they have a high center of gravity. Even with weight on the bottom, they easily tip.
You'd be better off with something like this... ~$25 on Amazon, maybe a little more at the big box store.
No sunlight obstruction, easy to move. If you're worried about critters, you can build a frame and drape tree netting over it.

If you have a couple of plants you can make small cages for them out of 1/4” or 1/2” hardware cloth (wire mesh). I prefer the 1/2” being as it’s easier for bugs to pass through the larger mesh. I’ve had very good results protecting my plants with them.

A round cage is the easiest to make and is self supporting. Figure out what diameter you want the round cage to be and calculate the circumference (online apps are very handy!). The circumference measurement will be the length of wire mesh that you need for the diameter you chose. Bend the wire mesh so the ends meet and stick it together with strong cord or wire. I prefer wire.

With 48” wide mesh you can split it down the middle and make cages that are 24” tall from the measured length. You could split 36” wide mesh in half for 18” tall cages but I’ve never tried it…so far I haven’t had anything climb over the 24” tall ones and they’re open-topped. 18”…I dunno.

Just a thought regarding the cages. Or, you could go DEFCON 1 and do something like @Panman and his “Squirrel Defense 5000”:

some-photos-from-the-squirrel-defense-5000-t54465.html

the-squirrel-defense-5000-t54578.html

Or maybe a smaller version using a smaller shelf unit…that’s what I’m considering maybe for this year.

I have that exact Greenhouse but with 5 shelves. I use mine indoors and as @Chefdean mentioned, it would not be suitable for outside use unless you have a way to tie it down, etc. I would not recommend doing that though as you might spend more time screwing around and trying to keep it stable and in one place. I also have the same shelf units that @Chefdean posted in 3 and 4 shelves. However, those are also indoors. If I were going that route I would spend the extra money and get the ones with casters so you could easily move them if needed. Either way you will need to tie them down and ITS's ideas might be worth looking in to. You will certainly need a way to keep the critters out and @Panman's idea is a great one, IMO. I used the below cage to start with and it kept the critters away. Whichever route you choose, be sure to take pics and and come back and let us know how it all works out. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1J ... =UTF8&th=1

ChefDean wrote:They're not great in that the cover acts as a sail in the wind, blowing them away or over. Speaking of over, due to their narrow-ness, they have a high center of gravity. Even with weight on the bottom, they easily tip.
You'd be better off with something like this...

IMG_6178.png (1.62 MiB) Viewed 813 times

~$25 on Amazon, maybe a little more at the big box store.
No sunlight obstruction, easy to move. If you're worried about critters, you can build a frame and drape tree netting over it.

Thank you for the information! Do you have a link for the shelf on Amazon? Would the attachment below work where I could zip tie this wiring to the shelf that you listed? The only thing I cannot think of is how I would have an opening to get to the plants for care/rewatering while also keeping animals out. I am in no way handy or good at building things, so I’m trying to find a method that I can utilize. I guess I should also mention that I have a concrete area in my back yard right next to my yard, I was planning on putting the shelf there for stabilization. Thank you!!

I don't have a link, Google short metal shelves and it should come up.

Ok thank you! Do you think I could put this around the metal shelves and secure it using zip ties? I’m not sure how I’d open it to water unless I just redo the zip ties after I need to open it. I really want to grow it outdoors but also protect it from animals, I am new to caring for flytraps and don’t have gardening experience, and it’s something I really want to take up with fly traps.

It strikes me that a small dog crate might be simpler, less trouble, and potentially more effective, with far less risk of an animal getting tangled in the netting. One of those simple metal wire ones. Granted, they aren't designed for outdoor use, but it should be a good long while before one falls apart.

Unless you knew that critters were going to harass the plants, or you really wanted it, I wouldn't worry about the netting.
If you do use it, just wrap it around with an overlap at one point, securing the edges under the feet of the shelves. Then you just open the flap to access the plants.
I used similar stuff when I used LFSM. But, when I switched to peat, the critters left it alone except for the occasional frog.

sswitzer7198 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 12:50 am Ok thank you! Do you think I could put this around the metal shelves and secure it using zip ties? I’m not sure how I’d open it to water unless I just redo the zip ties after I need to open it. I really want to grow it outdoors but also protect it from animals, I am new to caring for flytraps and don’t have gardening experience, and it’s something I really want to take up with fly traps.

The squirrels around here use that for dental floss.

If you don't want to go with hardware cloth check out some 1/2" poultry wire...get the vinyl-coated stuff. You would still need to figure out a door which could be a simple frame made from PVC pipe, some elbows, maybe some tees for a cross brace in the middle...and wrap it with the same stuff you wrap the shelf unit with...dental floss or whatever. Fasten it to one side with zip ties and a simple piece of wire to "lock" it with. Of course you may be shooting for something more aesthetically pleasing...paint the frame black. I don't think you're keen on my redneck cages but here's a couple of shots of the cylinder-type. I also made a quonset type cage, but it's not as easy to access. These pictures show a piece of screen on top but I've since ditched it (used the wire for something else) and they're both opened top. FWIW.

ChefDean wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 1:08 am Unless you knew that critters were going to harass the plants, or you really wanted it, I wouldn't worry about the netting.
If you do use it, just wrap it around with an overlap at one point, securing the edges under the feet of the shelves. Then you just open the flap to access the plants.
I used similar stuff when I used LFSM. But, when I switched to peat, the critters left it alone except for the occasional frog.

That's interesting, Chef...about the critters leaving the peat alone when you switched to it. Though I've had my outdoor plants under lock-and-key (well, behind hardware cloth, anyhow) except for a pot of live sphagnum moss...I'm finding the critters-that-be love to dig into it during hot weather...UNLESS I sit a bowl of water nearby and then they leave the moss alone. I think it's just a "Could you spare a fella a drink of water, Mister?" situation for me. Early on, when my granddaughter conned me into this hobby, a pot of flytraps got hit pretty hard so I started putting everything inside the cages. We have a pretty heavy squirrel population but we had middle-aged gray tabby tomcat (George) show up (ain't worth killin', stays gone most the time except when it gets hungry or needs to sleep). Anyhow, I've seen him hunting to some degree, but I've also seen him sit there and stare at "Fat Tammy" (possum) while it eats his cat food. Yeah, a real yard tiger/lion. But, come to think of it I haven't seen a lot of squirrels lately, but there again George hasn't brought in any trophies for us, either. The squirrels may have just retreated back to the woods behind the house for the cold weather for some reason (more food?). Oh well, the names...George and Fat Tammy....country singers.

Chicken wire also works. I used the 1-inch hole size to protect the raised bed bog garden at my previous house. The holes were too small for squirrels and birds to get through but plenty big enough to let the bugs through.

I used the plastic netting at one point. It works okay, but some animals can get tangled up in the netting. Specifically, I had that happen with birds, squirrels, and dragonflies.

I've never used the plastic stuff, but I've heard that snakes tend to get entangled pretty bad in it, too.