Octopus Plant

[philthy]

I'm sure there is a better name for these but I got this at a nursery last year to see if it would catch some tiny flies. It does catch flies, but very few. I'm sharing these photos because I finally got it to produce the droplets that will catch the little Kamikaze flies that are bombing my wine. I will post wounded soldiers as they get caught. If anyone has experience with these, I would love to hear about or see photos of them.

[Ladyofthelakes]

Are they Venus Fly Trap? I saw a program about them not to long ago and somewhere in South Carolina is supposed to be the only place in the U.S. they grow wild.

I found that when I throw sweet fruit outside in my compost pile or tomato peelings, that the flies stay outside. Course that is summer time up here.

A fun plant for sure.

[Daethen]

I don't think it is a venus fly trap. It is interesting though.

[exasperatus2002]

looks like a kind of sundew.

[kmarch]

I'm moving this thread to the "Other Plants" section. Please take care to start new threads in the appropriate sections of the forum.

[Andrew]

It's a Drosera capensis. Where and how are you growing it? Not wanting to be rude but, from the lack of dew on the leaves and the brown leaf tips, it does look to be suffering a little bit either from water stress or salt burn. The leaves also look a little stunted for a plant that size and I suspect you are not giving it enough light.

This species is probably the easiest carnivorous plant to grow and should become weedy even for the average grower but still needs typical "carnivorous plant conditions" to grow well. I grow my plants sitting in a tray of good quality water year round. The water should be very low in total dissolved salts (think Disa water quaility at least). Fertilizer isn't necessary and can do more damage than good so I'd recommend not fertilizing the plant at all and avoid spray drift from your other plants. They'll also hold their dew better if grown in a humid spot protected from strong drafts. I avoid any overhead misting as this seems to stop them producing as much dew. They prefer bright light (I find full sun to be too strong in my part of the world but some people get away with it). I grow mine under light shade, which roughly equates to "Cattleya light levels". They'll grow well with less light but I think that household Phal/Paph light is too low for them. I pot them in a mix of 2 parts peatmoss (sphagnum peatmoss not sedge peat or coirpeat) to 1 part coarse sand or equal size perlite repotting every 2-3 years.

[philthy]

Thanks Andrew, I figured someone would have experience with these. Thanks for the move kmarch, I'll be aware if I post any threads in the future about other plants.

[Andrew]

As you asked for photo's, here's one of mine. Sorry for the out of focus shot. It was a quick snapshot on my phone as I was heading out the door.

[philthy]

Wow, that's really cool Andrew... That thing looks so happy. Thanks for sharing! I'm going to repot mine in medium like you explained asap. I grow it in a 3 inch plastic pot sitting inside of a 6 inch glass tube to avoid draft and increase humidity. I use distilled water as recommended by the company that sells them. Should the pot be sitting in water or on top of the water like a humidity tray?

[Andrew]

I sit the plants in about 1/2" of water. They like wet feet. It sounds like you've got the water quality right. It might just need more light (although be careful not to get direct sunlight on the glass tube as it might overheat). Peat:sand mixes usually go sour after about 3 years in a pot so, if it's still in its original mix, it's probably worthwhile giving the plant some fresh mix. Make sure you read the label on the peat as some peats on the market contain added fertilizers. If you can't get hold of peat, they grow really well in sphagnum. Most people favour peat as it's cheaper and lasts longer (plants in sphagnum will need to be repotted every 1-2 years).

[tom499]

Good care will also reward you with lovely small flowers too!

[pikkumyy]

Originally Posted by Andrew

It's a Drosera capensis. Where and how are you growing it? Not wanting to be rude but, from the lack of dew on the leaves and the brown leaf tips, it does look to be suffering a little bit either from water stress or salt burn. The leaves also look a little stunted for a plant that size and I suspect you are not giving it enough light.

This species is probably the easiest carnivorous plant to grow and should become weedy even for the average grower but still needs typical "carnivorous plant conditions" to grow well. I grow my plants sitting in a tray of good quality water year round. The water should be very low in total dissolved salts (think Disa water quaility at least). Fertilizer isn't necessary and can do more damage than good so I'd recommend not fertilizing the plant at all and avoid spray drift from your other plants. They'll also hold their dew better if grown in a humid spot protected from strong drafts. I avoid any overhead misting as this seems to stop them producing as much dew. They prefer bright light (I find full sun to be too strong in my part of the world but some people get away with it). I grow mine under light shade, which roughly equates to "Cattleya light levels". They'll grow well with less light but I think that household Phal/Paph light is too low for them. I pot them in a mix of 2 parts peatmoss (sphagnum peatmoss not sedge peat or coirpeat) to 1 part coarse sand or equal size perlite repotting every 2-3 years.

oh you beat me to it

i was going to say some kind of sundew (drosera).

Andrew, how can you tell its a carpensis?

and seeing as how your saying that they are easy to grow, then good because i have one

mine has trouble keeping its droplets but thats only because of the windy weather we have been having, but apart from that mine is going insane.

and mine isn't in 1/2 an inch of water, mine is about 1mm away from the top of the pot,
now i wouldn't recomend this because from everywhere i have read up on these guys, they like a little bit of water, but not that much,

now to explain myself, it was sitting in a bowl kind of thing which was filled to the normal old 1/2 inch, then rain came in through the side of the shadehouse and filled the bowl up to the level i just said, and i didn't realize for a couple of days, then when i did, it seemed fine, if not better, so i have left it in the 'deep' water and it seems much more happy..... might be because then it can't dry out (i may have forgotten to keep the tray partly filled a couple of times ).

oh and mine is just in with my catts and other orchids, and seems to be fine.

and from every encounter i have had with andrew on the forum, he seems to be an expert on practically anything that he talks about

and andrew, and tips for me would be great

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by pikkumyy

Andrew, how can you tell its a carpensis?

It's a very common species and it's also fairly distinctive in appearance.

D. capensis is not a fussy species. So long as it gets enough water it will grow in any carnivorous plant potting mix and can easily invade other pots of carnivorous plants. There's not much more effort needed to grow this species beyond typical bog-carnivorous plant culture: bright light, wet mix, low TDS water, protect it from dry winds and avoid fertilising. Do that and you'll be asking how to get rid of it.

[1joyceh]

Andrew, your sundew is beautiful!! mine is still immature..but doing a good job...never feed mine, as you can see, he gets enough soil gnats! on the right are some spoon leaf I started from seed...small, but the 1st time I was able to germinate from seeds I collected from "Mom" when she flowered