🌿 New to Carnivorous Plants? Here Are the Top 10 Questions Everyone Asks:
So you’ve bought your first carnivorous plant. 😎 Congratulations! You are now officially responsible for something that eats other living things. 🪰🌿
BUT now, once the excitement fades just a touch, the questions begin…
Am I watering it correctly? Does it need food? Can I use tap water? Why is that trap turning BLACK?! 😭
These are 10 of the questions I get asked most often by new Carnie Parents, so if you’re wondering about any of them, you’re definitely not alone.
Pick your panic below and jump straight to the answer. 👇
🌿 The Big 10 : What Do You Need Help With?
1. Can I use Tap water for carnivorous plants?
2. Do I need to feed carnivorous plants?
3. How often should I water carnivorous plants?
4. How much sunlight do carnivorous plants need?
5. Why is my Venus Fly Trap turning black or looking like it’s dying?
6. Should I cut off dead traps, pitchers and leaves?
7. What soil should I use for carnivorous plants?
8. Can carnivorous plants grow indoors?
9. Do carnivorous plants need winter dormancy?
10. What is the easiest carnivorous plant for a beginner?
❓ 1. Can I use Tap water for carnivorous plants?
The short answer: rainwater, distilled water or reverse-osmosis (RO) water is best. In most cases, Municipal water from taps is NOT suitable.
Carnivorous plants naturally grow in very nutrient-poor environments, which means their roots are particularly sensitive to dissolved minerals and salts. That’s why I always recommend PURE WATER. Preferably rainwater, distilled water or RO water.
Tap water isn’t automatically bad. It depends entirely on what’s dissolved in it. If you’d like to use your tap, borehole or filtered water, test it with a TDS meter (Total Dissolved Solids). I aim for a reading of 50 ppm or below for my Carnies.
And remember, ordinary water-filter jugs don’t necessarily remove enough dissolved minerals to make the water suitable.
Run out of pure water? DON’T PANIC! 😄
Using tap water for a short period in an emergency is far better than allowing your plant to completely dry out. Once you’ve got pure water again, simply flush the pot thoroughly from above a few times to help remove any mineral build-up.
👉 For everything you need to know about water, read my Holy Commandments of Carnivorous Plants.
❓ 2. Do I need to feed carnivorous plants insects?
Here’s the surprise… No they don’t NEED you to feed them.
Carnivorous plants still make their energy through photosynthesis, just like other green plants. The insects they catch supplement nutrients such as nitrogen that are scarce in the soils where they naturally grow.
If your plants are growing outside, they’re remarkably good at organising their own dinner without any help from Mr. Delivery !!!
And please… No hamburgers, pieces of KFC or bits of boerewors. 😂
Your Venus Fly Trap may be carnivorous, but it isn’t waiting for you to invite it to the braai.
YOUR PLANTS DO ALSO NOT LIKE FERTILISER, please do not give them any, it will kill them!
For more detailed information on Feeding, read my Blog on Feeding and Feasting.
❓ 3. How often should I water carnivorous plants?
Here’s where things get a little interesting… There isn’t one watering rule for every carnivorous plant.
Some Carnies LOVE having wet feet, while others will throw an absolute tantrum if you leave them sitting in water all day. 😄
As a general guide:
Venus Fly Traps, Sarracenia & many Sundews generally enjoy consistently moist to wet growing media and can usually be grown using the shallow tray method.
Nepenthes, Cephalotus & Heliamphora generally prefer moist, well-aerated growing media and shouldn’t simply be treated like bog plants sitting permanently in deep trays of water.
The important thing is to understand the needs of your particular plant rather than following the dangerous old advice that “all carnivorous plants need to sit in water.”
Roots need oxygen too, so keep the soil damp NOT WATERLOGGED! For more info, click the links below: It includes proper watering instructions in every individual plant care guide.
👉 Find the Care Guide for Your Plant
👉 Read the Holy Commandments for Water and Watering your Plants
❓ 4. How much sunlight do carnivorous plants need?
Now this is possibly the MOST important question you need to ask… Because not all Carnivorous plants want the same light!
Venus Fly Traps and Sarracenia are serious sun worshippers and perform best with plenty of direct sunlight. Other genera, including many Nepenthes, prefer bright but more filtered conditions.
As a rough starting point:
Venus Fly Traps & Sarracenia: FULL SUN ☀️ (So NO, they will not be happy on your kitchen counter despite how many flies you have inside 😂)
Drosera: Full to part sun
Nepenthes: Bright, filtered/dappled light
Cephalotus: Full to dappled sun – but keep those roots cool
Heliamphora: Bright light/full to dappled sun – again, watch the heat
And remember:
Bright light and direct sunlight are NOT the same thing.
A bright windowsill may look sunny to us while being nowhere near enough for a sun-loving Fly Trap.
❓ 5. Why are my Venus Fly Trap traps turning black?
First things first – DON’T PANIC! 😄 A black trap does not mean your Venus Fly Trap is dying.
Each individual trap has its own natural lifespan. A trap will open and close only a limited number of times, and eventually that leaf will simply get old, turn black and die. This is completely normal.
You’ll often notice the blackening starting at the edges of the trap before gradually moving down the leaf. At the same time, a healthy plant should continue producing fresh new growth from the centre.
Think of it just like an ordinary plant losing an old leaf – Venus Fly Traps simply make the process look considerably more dramatic! 😂
Traps can also die a little sooner if they’ve been triggered repeatedly, caught and digested a particularly large meal, or if your plant is still settling in after being shipped or moved to a new environment.
🌿 What you really want to watch is the new growth. If older traps are dying but healthy new traps are continuing to emerge from the centre, your little savage is simply doing what Venus Fly Traps do. However, if multiple traps begin dying at the same time, there is little or no healthy new growth, or the centre / rhizome begins to look unhealthy, then it may be worth checking your water, light, growing medium and watering conditions.
And one important exception…
If it’s autumn or winter and the whole plant is starting to shrink back, your Fly Trap may simply be heading into its natural Winter Snooze. 😴🌿
Read my Blog below for all the details regarding Dormancy and what to expect from your plants.
❓ 6. Should I cut off dead traps, pitchers and leaves?
Yes. Once they’re completely dead, you can clip and tidy your plant right away.
Old leaves, traps and pitchers naturally die as the plant grows. Removing completely dead material keeps your plant looking tidy and can reduce decaying material around the crown.
But don’t get scissor-happy!
If part of a pitcher or leaf is still green and functioning, I generally leave that section alone and trim only the dead material. If it is Green, Its still producing energy for the plant, so let it be!
For more info on how to trim your babies, take a quick look at my Blog and Video on how to trim away the dead bits. ✂️🌿
❓ 7. What soil should I use for carnivorous plants?
NOT normal potting soil. And definitely not compost.
Carnivorous plants evolved in nutrient-poor environments, so ordinary enriched potting mixes and fertilised growing media can damage their sensitive roots. Specialist low-nutrient media such as appropriate combinations of peat, sphagnum, perlite and other inert components are commonly used.
Different Carnies also prefer different mixtures.
For example, your Sarracenia doesn’t necessarily want exactly the same growing conditions as your Nepenthes or Cephalotus.
🌿 Golden Rule: Never assume ordinary garden soil will do.
This is one of my Holy Commandments of Carnivorous Plants for a reason! Read the Specific Care Guides Below for Various Soil Types.
❓ 8. Can carnivorous plants grow indoors?
Some can. Some really shouldn’t. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about carnivorous plants.
Nepenthes, Sundews and many Pinguicula can make fantastic indoor plants provided you give them enough light and the correct conditions.
Venus Fly Traps and Sarracenia, however, are generally much happier with strong direct sunlight and a natural seasonal cycle. It is highly recommended that Venus Fly Traps and Sarracenia are grown outdoors, or under intense lighting, if grown indoors, because of their substantial lighting requirement.
So before deciding what plant you want, first know how much light you can provide.
There is no universal “carnivorous plant care” and is why I created in-depth care guide pages.
And that is exactly why I’ve created individual care guides for each group.
❓ 9. Do carnivorous plants need winter dormancy?
Some absolutely do. Others are quite happy growing all year round without any sleep.
Venus Fly Traps and Sarracenia are temperate carnivorous plants and require a seasonal winter rest as part of their natural growth cycle.
Nepenthes are tropical and do not undergo the same winter dormancy.
Then you get interesting little oddballs such as some Butterworts and Cephalotus, which can change their growth behaviour considerably as the seasons change.
The important lesson? Don’t treat every Carnie the same.
And PLEASE don’t throw away a perfectly healthy dormant plant because it suddenly looks like death warmed up. 😭 For more detailed information on Winter Dormancy, read my Blog Below.
❓ 10. What is the easiest carnivorous plant for a beginner?
Now THIS is a question I love.
Because your first Carnie should be something that builds your confidence rather than making you question every life decision you’ve ever made. 😂
Some of the most beginner-friendly options include Cape Sundews (Drosera capensis), hardy Sarracenia, Venus Fly Traps and some Mexican Butterworts, depending on the conditions you can provide. Cape Sundews in particular are widely recommended as forgiving starter plants.
But I’d actually choose your first plant based on where you’re going to grow it.
Got a blazing sunny outdoor spot?
👉 Venus Fly Trap or Sarracenia.
Got bright filtered light?
👉 Consider a Nepenthes or a Sticky Butterwort
Want something wonderfully sticky and forgiving?
There is a Hungry Little Savage for almost everyone. 🌿🪰 I’ve also compiled a Beginner Friendly Plant Page to make it just that much easier for you to choose your very first insect eating plant baby.
🌿 The Most Important Carnivorous Plant Advice of All
If you’ve made it this far, here’s what I really want you to remember:
Carnivorous plants aren’t nearly as difficult as people make them out to be.
Give the right plant the right water, right soil, right amount of light and the correct seasonal care, and you’re already most of the way there.
You’re going to lose the occasional trap. A pitcher will turn brown. A plant may sulk after being shipped. Your beautiful Sarracenia will eventually go to sleep and look absolutely dreadful.
That’s gardening.
Every experienced grower, myself included, started exactly where you are now.
So enjoy them. Experiment. Learn. And most importantly, don’t be scared of your plants.
And if one of your babies does something that sends you into full Carnie Parent panic mode, send me a photo, tell me what’s happening, and I’ll happily help wherever I can.
Until then…
Happy growing, keep those trays topped up with the GOOD water, and may your Little Savages never go Hungry. 🌿🪰
Warmest Planty Wishes,
Lee
