Carnivorous plants have always held a particular fascination for kids and adults alike, we love that these meat-eating plants spark such imagination within children, giving them a life-long appreciation for plants.
This is exactly what happened to Matthew Soper, owner and founder of the multi RHS gold medal winning Hampshire Carnivorous Plants and Hants Fly Trap.
When Matthew was just 7 years old, having seen carnivorous plants on a natural history programme presented by David Bellamy, he got his first Venus Fly Trap, and from there he was hooked.
Matthew started his nursery back in 1987 from his Father’s small greenhouse, and from there his collection quickly grew. Matthew now grows an extensive range of plants at his Southampton nursery in unheated greenhouses and has a real passion for growing and hybridising Sarracenia (North American Pitcher Plants) in particular.
A beginners guide to
Carnivorous plants
We asked Matthew to share with us some of his insight and advice for getting started with carnivorous plants.
How carnivorous plants catch their prey
Pitfall trap
As seen on Nepenthes (Monkey cups) and Sarracenia (North American Pitcher Plants) where insects and flies are attracted inside a long neck with nectar, then slip inside and cannot get out.
Spring trap
Dionea (Venus Fly Trap) use trigger hairs to snap the plant closed, trapping the fly or insect inside that has touched the hairs.
Sticky trap
As on the Drosera (Sundews), where the foliage is edged with a glue-like substance trapping the prey.
Carnivorous plants for starting out
The best plants for beginners (examples below) would be Drosera capensis or Cape sundew with its striking sticky trap foliage, it is very easy to grow and a great white fly and fruit fly catcher.
An easy monkey cup for beginners would be Nepenthes x ventrata with it’s dramatic red pitchers, this can be kept in a room with high humidity like the bathroom.
Pinguicula (Butterworts) can also be grown year round in a bathroom, kitchen or a terrarium.
You can find a beginner’s collection of plants on the Hampshire Carnivorous Plants website
Soil, light and water requirements of carnivorous plants
Carnivorous plants can be found all over the world from almost arctic bog conditions to tropical rainforests, so many can be grown outside in the UK, however, the best environment for UK growing would be in an unheated greenhouse, or conservatory with lots of light and cold in winter.
Different types of carnivorous plants require different care depending on their natural environment:
Plants including Dionea (Venus flytraps) Sarracenia (Pitcher plants) and Drosera (Sundews) enjoy a free draining soil mix such as Com01, found on the Hampshire Carnivorous Plants website. These plants will do well in a sunny spot.
Nepenthes (monkey cup) and Pinguicula (Butterworts) like a more moisture retentive mix such as Com04 to mimic the boggy natural environment. These plants will require a shadier spot with high humidity, such as a bathroom.
All carnivorous plants like to be watered from below with rainwater, during the growing season (spring and summer) you can sit the pots in a tray of 1 inch or so deep rain water. Over winter they won’t need to sit in water, but the soil should be kept damp.
Carnivorous plants shouldn’t need extra feed, Matthew suggests that if you are worried the plants are not catching enough insects just put them outside for a few days, you will be surprised what they can catch by themselves!
Carnivorous plants are dormant over winter, towards the end of October or perhaps earlier, you will notice some of the leaves start to brown and die-off, this is completely normal. Just keep the soil moist and by the end of February the plants will start to come back to life!
For peat-free potting mixes for carnivorous plants, the RHS have some great suggestions here.
Hampshire Carnivorous Plants have several nursery open weekends which you can find out about here. They also have an Instagram account well worth following and you can purchase directly from their website www.hantsflytrap.com