So You Bought a Carnivorous Plant… Now What?

First of all—congrats, you bold, bug-hating legend.
You didn’t just buy a plant.
You adopted a living, breathing, snack-hunting, drama queen of the botanical world.
And we LOVE that for you.

Whether you picked up a Venus flytrap, a sundew, a pitcher plant, or some other leafy assassin, this post will help you keep it happy, healthy, and hungry for more. (Insects, that is.)

🧪 The Basics: Carnivorous Plants 101

Contrary to what cartoons told us, your new plant isn’t going to eat your cat. But it will happily slurp down fungus gnats, flies, mosquitoes, and the occasional confused ant. These plants evolved to thrive in poor, acidic soils by digesting bugs for nutrients.

They don’t want fertilizer (not a lot anyway). They don’t want tap water.
They want drama.

Let’s break it down by plant type:

🌱 Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

The one with the snapping jaws and serious attitude.

Light: Full sun! 6+ hours daily or under strong grow lights.
Water: ONLY distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis. No tap. No exceptions.
Soil: 50/50 sphagnum peat moss + perlite. No fertilizer. No Miracle-Gro.
Dormancy: Yep, it naps in winter. Leaves may die back. Let it chill in a cool place and reduce watering.
Feeding: Outdoors? It’ll catch its own food. Indoors? You can feed it small live insects every 1–2 weeks. Do not overfeed.

🔥 Pro tip: Don’t trigger the traps for fun. It stresses them out and wastes their energy.

✨ Sundews (Drosera)

The glittery ones that trap bugs with sticky tentacle goo.

Light: Bright, direct light. They’ll get dewy and red with enough sun.
Water: Keep the soil consistently wet with distilled/rain/RO water.
Soil: Same as above—peat + perlite.
Feeding: These will catch plenty of bugs on their own, but you can supplement with tiny insects or even freeze-dried bloodworms rehydrated in water. Yep, they're that extra.

🌟 Look out for: Leaf curl = successful bug digestion. It’s like a victory dance.

🌱Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia, Nepenthes, etc.)

The elegant killers that lure bugs into doom-cups of digestive juice.

Sarracenia (North American pitcher plants):

Light: All the sun it can get. These are outdoor warriors.
Water: Always distilled/rain/RO water. Keep wet.
Dormancy: Needs a winter rest—cool temps, reduced light and water.
Feeding: Bugs fall in. The plant does the rest.

Nepenthes (Tropical pitcher plants):

Light: Bright indirect light—avoid intense sun.
Humidity: Loves 50–80%. Not a desert dweller.
Water: Distilled only. Keep evenly moist.
Feeding: You can drop bugs into pitchers if it’s not catching any. Think: crickets, mealworms, or your least favorite gnat.

🍷 Bonus fun fact: The pitchers actually digest prey with a sweet-smelling liquid inside. Science is wild.

❄️ Important PSA: NO FERTILIZER.

Carnivorous plants evolved to not need it—and it’ll burn their roots faster than a cactus in a kiddie pool. Their “plant food” is literal bugs. Let them do their thing.

If you can't resist giving them fertilizer - be sure to use only fertilizer that is specifically designed for carnivorous plants.

📦 Just Unboxed? Do This First:

Give it time to adjust. Don’t feed it right away—let it settle into your space.
Place it in a bright spot with proper water and humidity.
Check your care guide. Every plant comes with one (and if it didn’t, email us!).

🎁 Don’t Forget Your Discount!

You’ve got a 10% off code in your shipping box from your first order.
Use it to grab: