Post by steelyphil on May 26, 2024 15:38:23 GMT -5
My wife and I set up a small wildlife pond very soon after we moved into our current home (fall of '22). Being the CP nut that I am, I immediately thought about how to incorporate some carnivorous plants. I mainly focus on Sarracenia and flytraps, so I started thinking about adding some Sarrs to the pond. I stuck a few extras into the margins around the sides of the pond, but they have been crowded out by other plants I put in. To be honest, I'm not that mad about it as the plants we have in these spots look nice. But I still want to see if I could add some into the water where there's less light competition. I looked up videos from different grows (Sarracenia Northwest and Green Jaws in particular stand out) on how to make a pond planter and which plants do best in them. After evaluating my collection, I settled on the most water tolerant varieties, namely a variety of psittacina and two different varieties of x courtii. After picking out the plants, my next challenge was to figure out how to construct the planters. Initially, I thought about using net baskets filled with soil, supported by pool noodles. That proved too cumbersome to build and maintenance didn't seem worth the hassle. At some point, I stumbled upon the idea of using foam mat material (for children or yoga studios) as the main planter material. All I did was use a box cutter to cut the foam mat to a size appropriate for the plant (bigger/wider diameter is more stable). I then cut a hole out of the main piece of foam I was using for the plant to go into. Third, I stuck the two courtii through the cut hole. The decumbent pitchers act as props, so the leaves and rhizome are out of the water.The roots dangle freely, bareroot, in the water below. Lastly, I gently frisbee tossed the plants into the pond. For a smaller/slower growing psittacina, I put the plant into a small nursery pot, pulling the root tips through the bottom of the pot. I put the pot into the hole in the foam mat. I did this to ensure the smaller plant doesn't get dislodged from the planter hole and sink. At this stage in it's growth, I don't think the pot is necessary anymore. The psittacina is in its second season in the pond, and the two courtii are in their first. The pond surface has frozen but no harm has come to the plants. All three seem very happy thus far. Everyone flowered this year and I anticipated some setting seed. Additionally, our resident the tadpoles, dragonflies, and other aquatic critters that interact with these plants also enjoy having these plants around. (I suppose any bugs that slip into the traps will be less than pleased). If you have Sarracenia that can tolerate being submerged, psittacina and their hybrids, and other low lying varieties, and a body of water that can use a little intrigue, I recommend giving carnivorous pond planters a shot.
Untitled by Steely Phil, on Flickr
Untitled by Steely Phil, on Flickr