FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey everyone

I recently bought these guys from Lowes. They look pretty pitiful compared to some of the ones I've seen on the forum, but I think their conditions are manageable. I've had a Dioneae and Sarrecenia before, but they both died (Another story).

I used this "open terrarium," it's really a gigantic see-through vase that I made into a terrarium, for the Dioneae and it thrived. So I want to use it again. And it has other pros, in my opinion. The only thing is the way its shaped at the bottom will only fit one in there. My plan is putting rocks in it to elevate it so both can fit in at the part where it gets wider.

I found some cool looking rocks at the beach and I was wondering....
First, if I could even use them
WOuld I have to wash them?
How and with what?
would it compromise the plants at all?
If not, anyone got any other ideas?

I appreciate the help a lot and I'll post pics of them in a bit.
Cherry

Welcome to Flytrapcare Cherry! Congrats on the new plants, can't wait to see pics
Good luck with your terrarium! Most people don't recommend terrariums for VFTs, Drosera, and Sarrs(which do better outside) because it often comes with alot of problems, but if you're really careful and since you've had experience with growing VFTs via terrariums before, I'm sure it's manageable
Yea, you should thoroughly wash & scrub those rocks with and water, and soap, rinse them well with only pure (distilled, reverse osmosis/rain water. They probably have lots of minerals (not good for your plants) since they washed up on the beach, so maybe not the best idea. But good luck!
You'll want to get some peat, perlite, and/or silica sand for your CP potting mix
Again, best of luck to you, I'm sure that set-up would look really pretty!

Sorry I should have clarified. I'm gonna leave them in their pots for now, they are tiny, 3"plastic pots. They don't look like they are in good enough shape to transplant, but mostly I'm scared. I'm gonna put the pots in the terrarium with the rocks there to elevate them higher in the terrarium so they would both fit. I figured the rocks had endless organisms and minerals in it. Would washing them with regular soap take the minerals out?

Thanks for clarifying
Drosera and Sarraenia don't need to be in terrariums, they'll be happier in full sun once acclimated (unless if it's shade-loving Drosera Adelae you have).
You can wash them with soap, but be sure to rinse well with pure water afterwards to remove the residue. Also, you can plunge the rocks into boiling water beforehand if you're worried about the microorganisms. Good luck!

Note: I don't think washing with soap or for that matter, any method that I know of, would get rid of the minerals or prevent them from leaching into the water. These are rocks afterall and rocks are made of minerals
They'd have a nice visual effect ofcourse, but it might be better to play it safe.

Yamy wrote:I found some cool looking rocks at the beach and I was wondering....
First, if I could even use them
WOuld I have to wash them?
How and with what?
would it compromise the plants at all?
If not, anyone got any other ideas?

Hi Cherry,

Welcome!

Would you mind posing some pictures of the rocks. Rocks are generally a no-no, as they can leech salt and other minerals into the water, even after scrubbed. Remember water is a solvent, and while a rock may not be fully water soluble, a lot of the minerals in the rock are. this could be bad for your plants.

Good luck!

Note on the pics: these are from my cell. My actual cameras MIA. Sorry for the poor quality...

The last thing I want is for my plants to die so if the rock thing's a no, then I'll have to try something else. I just thought it would be nice to keep both of them in the same vase for convenience. I just put the purpurea in the vase today, so hopefully it likes it as much as my VFT did. I plan to acclimate them first and then keep them in the backyard, but I have no area with good enough shade, so I'll probably be moving them a lot if I feel they are not getting enough or too much light. But I'll just get another vase for the other one... Unless anyone have any other ideas?

I've never had a drosera, which I've wanted for the longest time. I'm excited but nervous at the same time. Anyone know of any good general information sites specifically for the droseras. The box didn't say what kind it was. It really just said "Sundew, drosera"

Kitty, Tc thanks for the advice!

I forgot the rocks.....

Wow, pretty rocks and pretty vase ! That looks like a D. adelae to me. This species likes shade or partial sun Whereas that sarr will need full sunlight. Not sure if you can keep them together since they need different conditions...

Yamy wrote:I forgot the rocks.....

Hi Cherry, Those are nice looking rocks, the clear ones are probably safe as they look like quarts, but the rest look very porous, and would not be safe for your CPs.

Damn... Thanks for telling me about the Drosera's ideal conditions. I guess I need another vase.

I managed to find and buy some clear glass pebbles, which I am going to use to elevate the purpurea just 'cause the vase goes too deep. I'll just throw in the clear rocks that I found as well.

I'm also really happy to say that in the midst of my pebble mission I found some medium sized tillandsias (forgot which kind) to add to my special plant collection. hehe I feel like I'm on a plant binge right now, but its nice and my backyard needs some color. It's just sand, weeds, and my dog's presents out here...

I think I'm good with what I have now to make all of their homes. Thanks again for both of your help!