Growing CPs on a Window Sill

Growing Carnivorous Plants

Growing on a Window

Growing plants on a windowsill will depend on where you live, what time of the year it is, and what plants you are growing. There are many good references speaking in general, but I am going to write specifically about central PA since that is where I live, and that is the primary region where I will be doing carnivorous plant demonstrations.

Weather

The 'alabamensis' variety of Red Pitcher Plants If you live in PA, than you understand that summers are very hot and humid and winters and very cold. You will need to keep track of the seasons if you are growing plants outside. The winters are far too cold for many plants, even for the dormancy requirements, so you will need to consider the space for wintering your plants if you choose to grow outside. You will want to grow plants that are very close to the environment you live in if you want the best growing success. I have tried to grow Nepenthes on my window, but the poor plant was getting way to hot during the day. To contrast that, my Venus Fly Traps and American Pitchers and growing very well and coloring nicely.

Places to Grow

If you have a lot of space outside such as a yard, you can have a large outdoor collection. In my case, I have a small apartment with 10 inch window \ ledges, so I grow plants on the ledge outside. If you can, it is always more effective to grow the plans outside. It is possible to grow them inside near the window, but it becomes harder to get enough light. Growing them outside also gives the advantage of temperature fluctuations and wind, both of which will make the plants stronger.

What to Grow

The 'red and white' variety of the White Trumpet Plant. The plants you select will depend on your climate. In my case, I can grow Venus Fly Traps, American Pitcher Plants, some Sundews, and some Butterworts. You might want to experiment a little bit to find the best plants to grow. That is how I found out that I can not grow Nepenthesis on my window!

Tips

When you are growing plants outside, you will need to be sure that they have lots of water. On hot days, you might need to water the plants often. It is best to keep the plants watered with the Tray Watering Method by watering the plant overhead until a catch bucket gets about an inch or two of water. I will often keep more water in these because it evaporates so fast. Next, you will want to choose a window that gets at least 4 hours of direct sun; the more the better! Rain will not bother the plants, in fact, it is really good for them since many carnivorous plants will grow well in slightly acidic water like rain water. Finally, growing plants outside might make them attractive for pests from rabbits and other nibbling critters to insect predators such as aphids, scale, etc. Although there are some pests that carnivorous plants get, they are not all that common. Treating pests is beyond the scope of this site, so if you are getting pests, visit the Links page and check out some of those sites.

All information on this site ^©2006 State College Carnivorous Plants. Site designed and maintained by Tom Murosky. Last update January 22, 2007. I allow free use of all written materials on this site. Easy download PDF files availible in the resource link of each plant type. Photographs may contain copyrights from other organizations, you must contact them regarding use of photographs. -- We have had visitors.