Ultimate Guide to Growing Carnivorous Plants from Seed Part 1: Preparation

In this multi-part series, Damon will show you how to grow carnivorous plants from seed. He’s been growing carnivorous plants from seed for decades and will be sharing all of his tips and tricks with you. This first video is about preparing and timing for sowing temperate carnivorous plant seeds like; Venus flytraps, Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, temperate Drosera, and temperate Pinguicula. Be sure to subscribe to all the videos in this series, including guides to stratification, soil sterilization, Nepenthes seed sowing, and more.
www.californiacarnivores.com
#carnivorousplant #plants #gardening #planting #sarracenia #seeds #venusflytrap #plantcare

[@KittensXxLazzors]

I just had my drosera flowers finish with their blooming. Fingers crossed I get seeds!

[@Tommyr]

This should be an excellent series for the newcomers! Thanks Damon and crew!

[@sean2val]

outstanding info sir thank you cheers from Australia

[@EvergreenOffroad]

The knowledge you have on these is absolutely amazing. I’ve been watching all of your videos. Thank you for taking the time to spread the knowledge you have.

[@deandavis8165]

Awesome, Damon. Can't wait for part 2!

[@canadianhouse5420]

Ordered 3 of em, so excited as I know all about slow growth with my succulent collection. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom my friends. ❤️ Julie

[@California_Carnivores]

Thank you!

[@canadianhouse5420]

@@California_Carnivores no THANK YOU 🌱

[@embrustzwei]

I have some Sarracenia seeds coming tomorrow, so this series is just what I need! I'll be looking forward to and watching closely for the next video! Thank you for putting this information out.

[@duncanpage1556]

Loved it! Thanks Damon ..from Alberta

[@robertyoung8097]

Thanks Damon for sharing your knowledge it is greatly appreciated

[@Captainash29]

Really appreciate this video and all the information! thank you!

[@pinecone.jeff.carnivores]

Oooh! What a great topic for a series!

[@sshomelab]

Great video! Also learned a new word; 'persnickety'. I tried growing some temperate (indigenous) sundews from seed last year, but the yield was not great, and I think they fell prey to the cold this year. I will go along with this series and see if this year will be better! I'd love to get my hands on some pygmy sundew seeds or something in the Netherlands. By the way, what is the reason that you don't reuse soil?

[@California_Carnivores]

Hi! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! We don’t reuse soil because it can be full of minerals and salts built up from use which can be harmful to carnivorous plants, and it can also have more bacteria, spores, or other diseases.

[@Carniverous_Creations]

Your videos are great. Thanks for the fantastic tips and information. Wow what an amazing place to work. How do you feel about using pumice over perlite?

[@California_Carnivores]

Thank you 😊 you can substitute pumice but we prefer to substitute sand for perlite

[@Jesus-eg3yb]

Great video, thanks.

[@ThisWondrousWorld]

Hi CA Carnivores Team! May I ask what size pots are recommended for starting seeds? Are they 2” or 3”? Tysm!

[@California_Carnivores]

It depends on how many seeds you want to plant, for reference, we use 4” pots in this video and plant roughly 10 million seeds 😂 just kidding, but it is a lot in each pot! You can go with a 3” pot but put fewer seeds so they are easier to separate and their roots are able to get adequate water uptake

[@stormvent2572]

Thank you for the information. Have you tried flushed coir before?

[@California_Carnivores]

We have but we only really like it for seeds and haven’t liked it in other mixes.

[@stormvent2572]

@@California_Carnivores Thank you. What sort of issues did you encounter?

[@California_Carnivores]

@@stormvent2572 It can be very very high in minerals and salts so it has to be heavily flushed before use. And it does hold water quite the same way so it’s use in the mix is a bit different overall. You’ll also want to check the tds of the water to see how it’s breaking down.

[@stormvent2572]

@@California_Carnivores Thank you, happy growing!

[@markmakowski8604]

Where did you get the bid dome planter from?

[@California_Carnivores]

We get ours from Greenhouse Megastore

[@DJJumpdancer]

should i put holes in the ceran wrap ?

[@California_Carnivores]

No need to put holes!

[@Mr.Behemoth607]

Also how do you stratified sarracenia plant seeds do you just leave them outside in the cold?

[@California_Carnivores]

I’ll be posting a video all about cold stratification in the next day or two! 😄

[@Mr.Behemoth607]

That great news

[@daniellesweet2437]

So if we only have 25 seeds to plant, should we put just a cup on top of the tiny pot? Can you link to those pots? Lastly, should we place our seeds outside?

[@California_Carnivores]

Check out our latest video on stratification! I would put the pot inside a large resealable plastic bag.

[@California_Carnivores]

We get our pots from a wholesale nursery supplier, you may be able to find similar pots at your local nursery!

[@maxpainfu1]

What are the square green pots that you use?

[@California_Carnivores]

We use different sizes but like 4” pots for most seed sowing. We get ours in bulk from a pot wholesaler but they can be found on Greenhouse Megastore

[@roymoss9178]

sarracenia purpurea venosa red blooming in fall in tennessee is that normal.

[@California_Carnivores]

They do sometimes bloom at odd times of year

[@PleurothalliDan]

Would Long fiber Sphagnum + perlite work instead of peat moss?

[@California_Carnivores]

If you chopped the long filtered sphagnum moss up so that it was not stringy, it would work.

[@PleurothalliDan]

@@California_Carnivores Ok great! Looking forward to the next videos!

[@sethforeman6359]

I can’t seem to find your video on how you decontaminate your soil 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@California_Carnivores]

My apologies; we kept meaning to post a video on prepping New Zealand Sphagnum moss. We finely chop it, add water and cook it in an instapot or put it in a microwave safe bowl, cover with cling film and microwave - like steaming vegetables’

[@sethforeman6359]

@@California_Carnivores No worries 🤙🏼 thank you for all the knowledge thus far ❤️ Does this also apply to the peat moss/perlite?

[@California_Carnivores]

@@sethforeman6359 we don’t usually do this to the peat and perlite but if you want to use a very clean peat moss layer you can use the same methods to wet peat moss

[@ninobercilla1071]

Can I work from you I'm from philippines 😁

[@Mr.Behemoth607]

I use miracle growth soil on my carnivorous plants and they grow because it contains peat moss

[@California_Carnivores]

You may want to be careful with MiracleGro brand peat moss as it tends to contain a lot of fertilizers which can be harmful for carnivorous plants in the long run.

[@Mr.Behemoth607]

Ohh o forgot to mention ived been growing them like this for years now

[@Mr.Behemoth607]

It truly is a miracle

[@luoboeguy]

Of course the real trick is finding good seed in the first place. Damn near impossible for some, I think.

[@luoboeguy]

(I'm going to be ordering some nepenthes seed from CC once it's not freezing here in WI anymore.)

[@California_Carnivores]

It’s so hard to find reputable seed sources! You can also try the International Carnivorous Plant Society (as well as us, of course 😉)

[@juicejox3]

Spelled your name wrong the first time I commented Damon! Would love to facebook ya