...Squeamish to Insects
- Thread starter Ryry
- Start date
Godolphin Greenhouses
Carnivore
I've used beta fish food pellets for some of my CP's (crushing the pellet first seems to help). You would just have to make sure to massage the trap after feeding to simulate a live insect being trapped. Alternatively, Maxsea fertilizer is an option, but I have no idea where to get it.
It's actually a bit of a hassle to use live insects. I don't.
I don't handle insects with my bare hands either.
spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I, too, suspect that my love for carnivorous plants may actually be borne of a hatred for bugs. So, most of the time I just let my little dudes fend for themselves. They mostly do okay. It almost seems like they know how to catch their own food. 
But I do sometimes wonder if this approach makes me a bad plant-parent...
But I do sometimes wonder if this approach makes me a bad plant-parent...
The plants dew better with regular feeding.
spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I see what you did there.
Ryry
Plant
Do you let them catch their own food in winter? I worry about them a lot!I, too, suspect that my love for carnivorous plants may actually be borne of a hatred for bugs. So, most of the time I just let my little dudes fend for themselves. They mostly do okay. It almost seems like they know how to catch their own food.
But I do sometimes wonder if this approach makes me a bad plant-parent...
Ryry
Plant
There seems to be an alternative from Brad's Greenhouse.
Maxsea Sea Grow Fertilizer for sale Canada
Maxsea Sea Grow Fertilizer for sale Canada Maxsea Fertilizer 16-16-16 is Great for Carnivorous Plants
bradsgreenhouse.com
Additionally, is this how you feed them? This seems so strong.
Ryry
Plant
Is there a specific brand you use? I worry about additives bothering the CPs.
spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I do.
Now, to be fair, my plants do seem kinda sad in the winter. I'd been assuming it was just a lack of light, but maybe they're hungry too.
I'll do better this year.
sad = seasonal affective disorder
Godolphin Greenhouses
Carnivore
I've switched to freeze dried bloodworms now. I still have 'Wardley' brand betta fish pellets. Fed my sundews every other week or so one pellet each. I probably underfeed a lot of my plants, working on figuring out how to keep them outside for the Spring-Fall seasons going forward to reduce the feeding requirements. Granted, gotta figure out how to keep them safe from squirrels and raccoons, since they seem to love raiding pitchers and flytraps for easy to eat bugs.
VictorFoxtrotTango
Sprout
Found this interesting
(To be clear, I am not recommending anything in that video; and myself use FDBW)
(To be clear, I am not recommending anything in that video; and myself use FDBW)
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spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
So, you all convinced me I need to start feeding my plants more regularly. As much as I'd love to feed my plants solely on a diet of boiled broccoli, I'm pretty sure my partner wouldn't appreciate a lingering broccoli smell in the house, heh. Plus, given that I myself don't eat meat, I can just *hear* the cries of plant abuse, how I shouldn't be foisting my unnatural lifestyle choices on innocent plants, etc.
So, I've acquired some food-options for my plants that I can more or less tolerate being in the same room with! I have:
* 180-day 16-10-10 osmocote pellets (a bit hard to find in Canada, but people seem to swear by the stuff. Apparently some people even recommend sticking some pellets right into the medium for Nepenthes. mind=blown.)
* Hikari brand "Betta Bio-Gold" fish food pellets. It seems to have the same basic ingredients in the same basic order as most of the other fish food options, but only 4% fat content, which.... now that I type it out, I don't know if carnivorous plants even mind a higher fat content in their food. It's 12% ash which seems to be where the "P" and "K" are located.
* Cricket powder, human grade. Ew. But I guess it is what the nepenthes crave? Maybe I can turn it into a nice hummus-like slurry for the plants.
* Nutritional yeast. Really, I already had that lying around, and I'm not sure how useful it'll be for this -- but the thing is, none of the foods made by, for, and of animals list their available nitrogen content. I guess it's not really relevant for animal foods. ...But I was able to find this: https://www.gardenmyths.com/yeast-super-fertilizer-for-plants/ Methodology complaints aside, it seems clear that nutritional yeast has a very high nitrogen content. It seems to also be an ingredient in basically all fish foods. It's possible that it might be even better to feed one's carnivorous plants *live* yeast, if in fact killing the yeast makes the nitrogen more readily bio-available.
Now to start on the science-ing!
So, I've acquired some food-options for my plants that I can more or less tolerate being in the same room with! I have:
* 180-day 16-10-10 osmocote pellets (a bit hard to find in Canada, but people seem to swear by the stuff. Apparently some people even recommend sticking some pellets right into the medium for Nepenthes. mind=blown.)
* Hikari brand "Betta Bio-Gold" fish food pellets. It seems to have the same basic ingredients in the same basic order as most of the other fish food options, but only 4% fat content, which.... now that I type it out, I don't know if carnivorous plants even mind a higher fat content in their food. It's 12% ash which seems to be where the "P" and "K" are located.
* Cricket powder, human grade. Ew. But I guess it is what the nepenthes crave? Maybe I can turn it into a nice hummus-like slurry for the plants.
* Nutritional yeast. Really, I already had that lying around, and I'm not sure how useful it'll be for this -- but the thing is, none of the foods made by, for, and of animals list their available nitrogen content. I guess it's not really relevant for animal foods. ...But I was able to find this: https://www.gardenmyths.com/yeast-super-fertilizer-for-plants/ Methodology complaints aside, it seems clear that nutritional yeast has a very high nitrogen content. It seems to also be an ingredient in basically all fish foods. It's possible that it might be even better to feed one's carnivorous plants *live* yeast, if in fact killing the yeast makes the nitrogen more readily bio-available.
Now to start on the science-ing!
VictorFoxtrotTango
Sprout
For what it's worth, my Tetra branded freeze-dried blood worms list out as:
- crude protein (min) 45% (this is where your nitrogen content is)
- crude fat (min) 2%
- crude fiber (max) 15%
- phosphorous (min) 0.9%
So your fish food pellets seem to be in the same ball park as FDBW from the "fat" perspective.
Thanks for the info on nutritional yeast
- crude protein (min) 45% (this is where your nitrogen content is)
- crude fat (min) 2%
- crude fiber (max) 15%
- phosphorous (min) 0.9%
So your fish food pellets seem to be in the same ball park as FDBW from the "fat" perspective.
Thanks for the info on nutritional yeast
spiffyzha
Carnivorous Plant Addict
I did not know this! Thanks!!
VictorFoxtrotTango
Sprout
No prob!
to be clear, 45% protein does not = 45% Nitrogen. But proteins are composed of amino acids, which are nitrogen containing. Our VFTs can secrete proteinase which will break down prey / yeast / even broccoli apparently into nitrogenous containing solution for absorption.
I have no idea what the actual amount of Nitrogen the plant can get from a food that lists "45% protein" would be. It won't be 45% though.
to be clear, 45% protein does not = 45% Nitrogen. But proteins are composed of amino acids, which are nitrogen containing. Our VFTs can secrete proteinase which will break down prey / yeast / even broccoli apparently into nitrogenous containing solution for absorption.
I have no idea what the actual amount of Nitrogen the plant can get from a food that lists "45% protein" would be. It won't be 45% though.