Hello, I have a carnivorous plant terrarium with a Venus ...
Hello, I have a carnivorous plant terrarium with a Venus fly trap, a sundew, and a newly added sweet pitcher plant. I recently added the pitcher plant to the terrarium and it looks like the pitchers are drying up. I can’t figure out if it’s due to the humidity, the lighting, or the water.
Context:
The terrarium is fully closed, with ventilation at the top. I put a layer of pebbles on the bottom of the terrarium, followed by a layer of perlite and spaghnum moss. I have two grow lights attached to the top of the terrarium that are on around 8 hours a day on the dimmest setting. These grow lights don’t create any heat. I also have a grow light behind the terrarium that shines through the back glass. This one creates heat. I monitor the heat and have this grow light shut off when it reaches a temp of 85 F in the terrarium. I only use distilled water with these plants and mist them several times throughout the day. I also water them regularly at least twice a week. #carnivorous #carnivorousplants #terrarium #pitcherplant #sundew #venusflytrap #help
Context:
The terrarium is fully closed, with ventilation at the top. I put a layer of pebbles on the bottom of the terrarium, followed by a layer of perlite and spaghnum moss. I have two grow lights attached to the top of the terrarium that are on around 8 hours a day on the dimmest setting. These grow lights don’t create any heat. I also have a grow light behind the terrarium that shines through the back glass. This one creates heat. I monitor the heat and have this grow light shut off when it reaches a temp of 85 F in the terrarium. I only use distilled water with these plants and mist them several times throughout the day. I also water them regularly at least twice a week. #carnivorous #carnivorousplants #terrarium #pitcherplant #sundew #venusflytrap #help
6ft to light, direct
12” pot without drainage
Last watered 4 months ago
2
Hi! Sarracenia (and vfts) go through a winter dormancy period. This is required, they need their rest haha. So if it is exposed to a shorter photoperiod & colder temps, it might be going dormant. When they go dormant, their pitchers will turn brown. It'll honestly kinda look like theyre dying, but they arent. My whole garden looks dead right now because theyre all dormant. I will also add that Sarracenia arent great terrarium plants because they can get absolutely massive & easily outgrow the terrarium within a few years. It is also worth noting that if this is a Sarracenia rubra, or a sweet pitcher plant, it will put out its best pitchers only at the very end of the growing season (Late summer/fall). Its spring pitchers look, to me atleast (because it sends me into a panic every spring lol.. until I remember), like they have pest damage or something. The spring pitchers tend to be very sad looking lol.
Outside of these things I am not quite sure. My best guess would be that it isnt a fan of the lack of ventilation. They need good air flow, especially to avoid being cooked. They can take hot temps -- mine handle the FL heat of up to 99ish in summer -- but they need that air flow to cool them down. So my best guess is that the lack of air flow is causing it to 'cook' even though it is only 85°F. Sarracenia tend to do the best outdoors.
Poor ventilation combined with the moist soil they like can also lead to rhizome rot. A good way to check this is to feel the rhizome. If it is white & firm, it is healthy. If it is brown & mushy, theres a high chance that it is rhizome rot.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, I hope this helped some what 😁 (Also sarracenia pitchers can last a while, maybe a month and a half or longer, from experience!.. But how long pitchers last can depend on species & conditions as well (: )
Outside of these things I am not quite sure. My best guess would be that it isnt a fan of the lack of ventilation. They need good air flow, especially to avoid being cooked. They can take hot temps -- mine handle the FL heat of up to 99ish in summer -- but they need that air flow to cool them down. So my best guess is that the lack of air flow is causing it to 'cook' even though it is only 85°F. Sarracenia tend to do the best outdoors.
Poor ventilation combined with the moist soil they like can also lead to rhizome rot. A good way to check this is to feel the rhizome. If it is white & firm, it is healthy. If it is brown & mushy, theres a high chance that it is rhizome rot.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, I hope this helped some what 😁 (Also sarracenia pitchers can last a while, maybe a month and a half or longer, from experience!.. But how long pitchers last can depend on species & conditions as well (: )
