Q: About water.

• Drosera rotundifolia,
  South Carolina
• Sarracenia site,
  Texas
• Pinguicula site,
  Oregon
• Utricularia site,
  Washington

A: Listen to me, O neophyte, and listen well. Carnivorous plants need much more water than most plants. They certainly need more water than house plants. This is because carnivorous plants are native to wetlands. They like it wet!

Carnivorous plants always need to be sitting in wet soil. How wet should the soil be? Wet wet wet. Like a wrung-out sponge. And if you squeeze a handful of soil really hard, expect water to run through your fingers and track down your arm. Wet wet wet.

Wet!

All this being said, I should mention that some carnivores like it a little drier, and some (like tuberous Drosera) even require a dry season. But compared to house plants, most carnivores want it wet. Wet wet wet. Keeping your pots sitting in a tray of water is a good idea for nearly all carnivorous plants except Nepenthes, many Pinguicula, and a few oddballs such as Drosophyllum that you probably are not growing yet.

Before you even dare to e-mail me with questions about water, make dang sure you read the next few FAQ entries about water purity!

Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2006a; personal observation.