Carnivorous Plants/Expert Profile

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience in the area

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials

I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

What do you like about this subject?

I enjoy growing plants that capture their own fertilizer. Their adaptations are incredible to observe and often just as beautiful as any rose.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I hope to increase my knowledge and experience by expanding my collection of plants to those species that I have not grown yet.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

Several carnivorous plant types derived similar adaptations, yet are unrelated taxonomically, while some derived as surprisingly different plants in structure, yet are related. For instance, Venus Flytraps are distant relatives of sundews, but Nepenthes and Sarracenias, despite their pitchers, are seemingly unrelated.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Many carnivorous plants are becoming rare, even endangered, in their natural environments. If you find one growing naturally, it is against the law to take an endangered plant, it's leaves, or it's seeds from it's natural environment.