Updated at: 25-04-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Trying to figure out how to grow carnivorous plants in a little greenhouse is a common question. The good news is that carnivorous plants thrive in USDA Zones 5 to 10, which includes most of the United States.

A bog, the natural home of carnivorous plants, is ideal for creating a mini greenhouse for these bug-eating plants. Because the soil is deficient in nutrition, these plants have adapted to feed on insects.

Various carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap, pitcher plants, sundews, and the cobra lily, can be grown in a bog planter. Insects like houseflies and wasps will naturally prey on your bug-eating plants, so you won’t need to provide extra food for them.

The Venus flytrap, purple pitcher plant, common butterwort, California pitcher plant, waterwheel plant, roundleaf sundew, dewy pine, monkey cup, and cobra lily are some of the carnivorous plants you should grow in your greenhouse.

How to Create a Mini Greenhouse for Carnivorous Plants

Some things to consider if you wish to grow carnivorous plants in a tiny greenhouse:

Soil

Carnivorous plants thrive in nutrient-poor bogs, as we’ve already established. Make sure to read the labels if you’re making your own soil. A fertilizer or salt in the sand could harm your plants, so be careful. For carnivorous plants, readymade soil is preferable. You can find more information at your local garden center.

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Mix one part sand, one part perlite, and three parts peat moss to get the greatest results. Separately, combine the ingredients. Before adding the soil mixture, add horticultural charcoal to the bottom of the container. This prevents the water from becoming foul-smelling and also serves to absorb any contaminants.

Add your carnivorous plants

Before you take your plants out of their pots, plan out their placement. The roots of some carnivorous plants can be delicate, so be careful when handling them. Your plants’ roots should extend slightly over the pot’s rim. In this manner, even if the water level is high, the plants will not rot.

Keep in mind what your plants prefer. Sundews and Venus Fly Traps, for example, thrive in direct sunshine, so be sure to keep them there most of the day. To give your tiny greenhouse more depth, consider incorporating water plants like Alpine Water Fern and Fiber Optic Grass.

Watering

Carnivorous plants necessitate a unique approach to watering. Chlorine and other elements in municipal tap water can damage your plants over time. Rainwater is the best, although distilled water can be used if you’re short on time and need something quick. Water should completely fill the container. Wet soil, such that found in bogs, is ideal for your plants’ growth.

Sunlight

We can safely conclude that these insect-eating plants prefer shady, gloomy environments. Carnivorous plants, on the other hand, thrive in full sunshine. Keep it outside on your deck, patio, or in your yard. Take care to ensure it gets a good amount of sunlight You’ll have an insect-free garden in no time.

Feeding your plants

Your carnivorous plants will automatically attract insects if you install your little greenhouse outside. In the winter, if you keep them inside, you can feed them by hand to keep them alive.

Taking care of carnivorous plants during winter

These insect-loving plants, like many others, fall dormant in the winter. During the day, temperatures should not exceed 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but at night they can survive. Soil water shouldn’t be frozen for more than a week before it becomes toxic. Take your little greenhouse inside if this is the case.

Why Are Mini Greenhouses a Great Option for Gardeners?

The ambition of every gardener is to own a greenhouse because they’re so handy, practical, and cost-effective. However, they are unable to purchase one due to a lack of funds. As a general rule, people assume greenhouses are pricey. Some solutions are more expensive than others, but there are many more that can meet any budget.

People with a little garden or those who desire a more cost-effective solution can benefit from mini greenhouses. The following are some of the other reasons why you should buy a tiny greenhouse:

Perfect for small spaces

Mini-greenhouses can be placed on tables, decks, patios, and even balconies. Gardeners who want to plant and cultivate vegetables but lack the necessary space may consider this option.

Protect your plants from pests and critters

Your plants’ leaves and crops are a favorite food for rabbits, deer, mice, and other pests. Having them in a greenhouse keeps them safe from these troublesome pests.

Shield your plants from inclement weather

Plants can be damaged by heavy rain, hail, severe heat, and powerful winds. In the event of inclement weather, your plants will be safe and secure in a small greenhouse. Even if it’s raining outside, your plants will keep growing strong in the greenhouse.

How does a Venus flytrap catch and digest the prey?

When Venus flytraps are waiting for a meal, their huge lobes are wide open. Insects are drawn to the sweet nectar that accumulates on the lobes’ sides.

A little electrical current is created when hair triggers in the lobe’s core are activated by insects entering the lobe. When the Venus flytrap releases its digestive fluid, the process of digestion begins. Insect digestion can take up to a week, but this varies depending on the insect’s size.

What types and cultivars of Venus flytraps are there?

Dionaea muscipula is the only species of Venus flytrap, but there are many subspecies. There are a variety of varieties to choose from. Dionaea Green Dragon and Red Dragon is one of them.

The Green Dragon has a green line around its ‘jaws,’ while the Red Dragon has red ones. ‘Justina Davies’ is a completely green typeface, both inside and out.

Venus flytraps that have been hybridized with other species have given rise to mutants. These include ‘Fused Tooth’, ‘Cupped Trap,’ and others.

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What soil does a Venus fly trap need?

The Venus flytrap, like other carnivorous plants, requires the same type of soil. It is ideal for a Venus fly trap to be planted in a mixture of peat moss and sand. Peat moss and perlite can also be combined in a ratio of 4:1. Pre-made soil for Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants is available.

What container should I use for my Venus fly trap?

Put your Venus fly trap in a container with drainage holes on the bottom, ideally plastic. In order to water your flytrap from the bottom, you’ll need to use a dish that is always half-full of water. A 10 cm container is ideal for one adult plant, while a 20 cm container is ideal for two.

Which water should I use to water my Venus fly trap?

Carnivorous plants need a lot of water, and you should know that from reading the primary article on how to care for these plants. The problem is that carnivorous plants thrive in water with a low dissolved mineral salt content. Using tap or bottled water to water your Venus fly trap will cause the minerals in the soil to build up, resulting in plant death.

In place of this, you should use distilled, demineralized, or filtered water to irrigate your Venus flytrap. Alternatively, you can collect rainwater to serve as irrigation for your Venus flytrap.

Don’t drink tap water, bottled mineral water, or water that has been filtered or purified. Water generated with a multiple stage reverse osmosis filter, such as this one, is another fantastic alternative for your carnivorous plants.

You and your carnivorous plants will benefit from using it because it removes contaminants from water. You can use this filter if you have a lot of plants to water or if you want to use it for your own watering needs as well.

TDS testers can be used to determine the amount of dissolved minerals in the water. The Venus flytrap prefers water that is less than 80 parts per million (p.p.m.) hard. There should be less. Using a mixture of rainwater and the other sort of water you’re testing may result in a higher reading.

How to water a Venus flytrap? And often to water Venus fly trap?

Because it is a carnivorous plant, the Venus fly trap also need consistently moist soil to thrive. As long as the soil isn’t flooded, you’re good to go! Make sure your Venus fly trap is in a container with holes and put it in a water dish that is constantly at least 0.5 inches above the surface.

Take into consideration how much water you need to keep your plant in a deep dish that is big enough for your container. At half an inch of water, you can maintain the soil gently moist without using fly traps in the winter. Venus fly traps, unlike most carnivorous plants, prefer well-drained soil.

Which climate and temperatures does a Venus fly trap need?

The ideal summer temperature for the Venus fly trap is between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. For Venus flytraps, mild and somewhat cool winters around 30–35°F are ideal. You can take your Venus outside in several parts of the United States and the Mediterranean. Venus flytraps can be kept in the freezer even if you live in a warm region.

How much sun does a Venus fly trap need?

Direct sunshine will be ideal for the Venus flytrap. If you want your flower to get as much sunlight as possible, position it near the window or on a windowsill.

Venus flytraps can survive in partial sunlight, but they will die if there is no sunlight at all. There are no high temperatures or a lot of rays of light required for a Venus flytrap in the winter.

In order to avoid stressing your Venus flytrap, don’t immediately expose it to direct sunlight after a long period of time in the shade.

Can you grow a Venus flytrap in a terrarium?

A Venus flytrap can be grown in a terrarium. Extra humidity can lead to fungus growth in closed terrariums. Aside from that, Venus flytraps thrive in humid environments, including closed terrariums.

Can you grow a Venus flytrap in a greenhouse?

That is absolutely possible. Summer is the greatest time to grow plants in unheated greenhouses. You should maintain your Venus flytrap inside your cool-warm residence during the winter. This is due to the fact that the plant has entered its resting phase.

How to feed a Venus fly trap?

Several of the insects that the Venus flytrap consumes in the wild can be fed to your pet. Houseflies, ants, pill bugs, grasshoppers, spiders, and even commercially available dried insects can be used in this way, depending on your needs. It is unnecessary to feed your plant if it is outside, since it will take care of itself.

If you want to keep your Venus flytrap indoors, you’ll need to provide it with insects. It is sufficient to perform this task once every seven days. Freeze-dried crickets, bloodworms, and mealworms are an alternative to ants and houseflies if you can’t track them down locally.

Even dead bugs can be fed to the Venus flytrap, but it should never be fed meat, poultry, or sugary treats. Before feeding your plant, take sure to wet the bugs.

When the food has been placed in the trap, make sure the trap is properly closed. Make sure the trap lobes are closed by pressing the hairs in the center of the trap lobes with your fingers.

When a bug enters the trap and begins to move, the hairs on the trap’s trigger are activated, and the trap automatically closes. This is especially critical if you’ve put any dead bugs in the trap and there’s no movement in the trap.

The Venus flytrap is in full operation here…

What about Venus fly trap winter dormancy?

Winter is a dormant season for the Venus fly trap. In the winter, it will require a temperature of 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. This time of year, the Venus fly trap will be dormant and even lose its leaves.

Watering your Venus flytrap will still be necessary, but only to the point of making the soil damp. During the winter, eliminate any artificial lighting or warm settings to allow the plant to go into dormancy. The plant may need to be removed from the terrarium.

Do not be alarmed if there are some dead leaves; this is perfectly natural and they will reappear in the spring.

Should I ever transplant my Venus fly trap?

Every year or so, you should replace the dirt and clean the container. As a result, your plant will benefit from improved growth and new media. So that the plant is not stressed when it starts growing again, do this in the middle or end of winter.

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How to prune a Venus fly trap?

Remove the dead and blackened leaves of a Venus flytrap by hand. Before you use scissors or your fingers to remove the leaves, wait until they’ve loosened naturally. Always remove dead leaves from the ground in the winter months.

Be careful not to injure the plant by pulling too forcefully. Venus flytrap also doesn’t need flower stalks, and trimming them off if you don’t want any seeds is a good idea. The plant has to use a lot of energy to grow them.

Should I fertilize my Venus fly trap?

As long as your Venus flytrap gets enough food each week, you don’t need to fertilize it. If it lives indoors, feed it a lot of bugs, and it will obtain all the nutrients it needs from them. If your Venus flytrap isn’t getting enough insects to eat, fertilizing it once every 2-5 weeks can be an option.

Make sure to drip the liquid on the leaves only when fertilizing. Otherwise, it will cause rotting in the soil. Never use on the ground. It’s possible to use a multipurpose plant food or an orchid fertilizer for fertilization.

Are there any pests or diseases that attack Venus flytraps?

Yes, your Venus flytrap can be attacked by a small number of pests. Aphids may be the source of any dead leaves or an overall sickly appearance on your plant. Anthracnoses (also known as aphids) are tiny insects that can be yellow, white, black, or green. If you don’t get rid of them with an insecticide, your plant will suffer significant harm and even die.

Venus flytraps can also be damaged by fungus gnat larvae, which are small, soil-hiding larvae that subsequently develop into flies. To get rid of gnat larvae, apply mosquito dunks like this for a while and also wash your plant under water to drown them out.

It’s also possible that spider mites will attack your Venus flytrap. They appear as tiny specks of red, white, or black hue because they are so little. Make sure you use a miticide instead of insecticide in order to get rid of them.

Fungicides can be used to eradicate any black spots caused by fungus that may emerge when the weather is humid.

And now, how to create a terrarium or greenhouse for my Venus flytrap?

Venus flytraps, as we have already learned, require a warm/hot summer and a cold winter to go into dormancy. You don’t need to bring your plant indoors or provide it with additional heat if your climate is like that. Then again, most of our readers reside somewhere where summers are hot and winters are frigid! If this is the case, continue reading.

If you live in a warm climate, you can keep the plant outside or place it on a sunny ledge indoors throughout the summer months. What if it’s too chilly or too hot? The answer lies in the usage of heated terrariums and greenhouses.

The Venus flytrap needs more heat if it is too cool in the summer. A small to medium-sized tank or aquarium can be transformed into a terrarium. Then, add a fluorescent light or fixture on top of the terrarium. Heating and lighting will be provided by this method. Winter is the time to remove plants from terrariums.

During the winter, keep the Venus flytrap indoors. Keeping the plant out of the sun will help prevent it from forcing growth in the winter.

The best spot to keep your Venus flytrap is in a shaded area, such as a garage or porch. If it’s too hot outside and you can’t locate a cool spot for your Venus flytrap, keep it in the refrigerator (up to -5C or 23 degrees F).

How to build and heat or cool an enclosed environment for carnivorous plants can be found in this page.

The majority of your inquiries have now been addressed, I hope! If you want to learn how to care for all carnivorous plants, check out this link.

The Bottom Line on How to Make a Mini Greenhouse for Carnivorous Plants

In order to enjoy the thrill of growing carnivorous plants, you must be aware of the proper care they require. As long as you keep them in a little greenhouse, they’ll be safe and sound no matter what happens outside.

Keeping a greenhouse for carnivorous plants is simply a simple matter of keeping it weed-free and watering it regularly. You’ll be able to enjoy your little greenhouse for a long time if you do it well.