House of Carnivores · Growing curiosity
Carnivorous Plant Care Guides
Written by House of Carnivores, a family carnivorous plant nursery in Arlington, Virginia. Updated .
Remarkable plants. Different needs.
Carnivorous plants come from very different habitats. A sunny outdoor bog, a bright indoor windowsill, and a well-drained tropical growing mix each suit different plants. Start with your plant’s identity, then match its light, water, growing medium, and seasonal care.
Find your plant’s guide
Our guide collection is growing. Explore the complete Venus flytrap, North American pitcher plant, tropical pitcher plant, and sundew guides. Our Mexican butterwort and terrestrial bladderwort guides are coming soon.
Venus Flytraps
Dionaea muscipula · Outdoor sunshine · Cool winter dormancy
Everyday care, a quick-reference table, live insects and rehydrated bloodworms, winter protection, spring repotting, pot sizes, and growing with Sarracenia.
Read the Venus Flytrap Care Guide →North American Pitcher Plants
Sarracenia
Sunny outdoor growing, seasonal dormancy, bog planters, and room for expanding rhizomes.
Read the North American Pitcher Plant Care Guide →Tropical Pitcher Plants
Nepenthes
Bright indoor growing, frost protection, an airy growing medium, and watering that drains freely.
Read the Tropical Pitcher Plant Care Guide →Sundews
Drosera
Care for Cape, spoon-leaf, and Alice sundews: strong light, sticky dew, feeding, flowers, winter care, and repotting.
Read the Sundew Care Guide →Mexican Butterworts
Pinguicula
Bright light, an open growing mix, small root systems, and seasonal changes in leaves and watering.
Terrestrial Bladderworts
Utricularia
A guide to light, water, growing media, feeding, flowering, and repotting for terrestrial bladderworts.
Understand the differences
Use this overview to plan your growing space. Exact requirements depend on the species or hybrid, its size, and your growing conditions.
Indoors or outdoors?
Venus flytraps and Sarracenia are temperate plants suited to sunny outdoor growing with winter protection as needed. Common Nepenthes, Cape sundews, and Mexican butterworts can suit bright indoor spaces. A windowsill’s light and temperature matter more than the label “houseplant.”
Winter dormancy
Flytraps and Sarracenia need a cool winter rest. Tropical Nepenthes and Cape sundews do not need that same cold dormancy. Many Mexican butterworts form smaller, succulent leaves and need less water during that phase. Identify your plant before changing its winter routine.
Lighting
Flytraps and Sarracenia thrive with at least six hours of direct sun. Common Nepenthes and Mexican butterworts can prefer gentler sun with bright light for the rest of the day. Indoor plants may need a suitable grow light. Adjust exposure gradually when moving plants.
Water and watering
Distilled, clean rain, or reverse-osmosis water is a useful starting point. The watering method varies: actively growing flytraps and Sarracenia suit a shallow tray, while Nepenthes should drain freely rather than stand in water. Mexican butterworts generally need more air around their roots and less constant saturation.
Growing medium
Choose an unfertilized mix suited to the plant. A moisture-retaining bog mix for flytraps and Sarracenia differs from an airy sphagnum-and-perlite mix for Nepenthes or a coarse, well-drained mix for Mexican butterworts. Ordinary enriched potting soil is unsuitable for these growing methods.
Pot size and repotting
Our sale Venus flytraps, Sarracenia and Nepenthes have recently been up-potted into 3-inch nursery pots. They need no immediate repotting and can grow comfortably in them until sometime next year. Sundews come in 2-inch pots; follow their separate repotting guidance.
When a single flytrap or small Sarracenia needs more room, the next step is a pot 4–5 inches wide and about 5 inches deep. Other plants need pots matched to their roots and drainage requirements; an oversized wet pot is not suitable for every species.
Companion plants
Choose companions with matching light, moisture, medium, and winter needs. Flytraps and Sarracenia can share an outdoor bog or sit in separate pots in a shared tray. Allow room for growth and prevent taller pitchers from shading flytraps. See mixed-planter sizes and spacing. Keep tropical plants separate when their seasonal needs differ.
Feeding methods
Feeding follows the trap type: snap traps, pitchers or sticky leaves. Outdoor plants often catch their own insects, and feeding cannot replace good light and water. Each complete guide above explains suitable food, portions and timing for that plant.
Further reading: Sarracenia Northwest’s growing references for Sarracenia, Nepenthes, tropical sundews, and Mexican butterworts.