Terrariums are a spectacular way to grow many carnivorous plants. They maintain high humidity, keep temperatures constant, allow in ample light to keep plants happy, and provide a porthole through which you can monitor your plant’s progress. They’re also an elegant way to put plants on display as beautiful indoor and outdoor decorations. Who wouldn’t want to ogle an exotic carnivorous plant through the looking glass?!
Carnivorous plants that do well in terrariums
Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) – Great candidates. They don’t require high humidity, but greatly appreciate it. Flytraps stay relatively small, so are good candidates for ornamental terrariums. Respect dormancy periods.
Tropical Pitcher Plants (Nepenthes) – Will require larger terrariums that maintain high humidity, with some ventilation. Nepenthes are hard to grow outdoors in many areas, so fish tank terrariums and greenhouses are the most common way to grow them.
Sundews (Drosera) – many can be displayed in smaller ornamental terrariums. For larger collections, or plants that need room to spread out (I’m looking at you Drosera binata dichotoma ‘Giant’), larger fish tank-type terrariums will be better.
Butterworts (Pinguicula) – Some species really need the higher humidity of a fish tank terrarium, while others simply enjoy it. Many can be grown in shallow, ornamental terrariums, but remember to respect dormancy periods.
Sun Pitcher Plants (Heliamphora) – Enjoy high humidity, and some get fairly large, so I’d recommend using a fish tank terrarium, here.
Australian Pitcher Plants (Cephalotus) – Enjoy the higher humidity and temperature controls, so use a fish tank terrarium for Cephalotus.
Types of terrariums and when to use them
Enclosed ornamental terrarium – make elegant displays, and bring an old school botany vibe. This makes your already exotic plants look even more curious – like they are specimens imported from a far away land. These terrariums are simple to setup – simply plant the carnivore directly in the terrarium base in the preferred soil mix, or keep your plants in individual pots and place them within the terrarium. You can decorate with ornamental long fibered sphagnum moss. Place them in windowsills for ample light. Be aware of heat that can build up in these containers when they’re exposed to direct sunlight – you don’t want to cook your plants!
Open terrarium – make great centerpieces and give you and your guests the best unobstructed view of your carnivorous plants. It also exposes your plants to the space they are in, which means they can assist in trapping natural house pests. This same exposure does have some disadvantages, though – primarily, temperature will be at ambient room temperature and humidity will be on-par with the room they are in. This isn’t ideal, but many carnivorous plants will adapt. Also keep lighting conditions in mind – you’ll need a sunny windowsill to keep your plants happy.
Fish Tank Terrarium – a more utilitarian option for enthusiastic growers. Fish tanks terrariums require more investment and initial setup, but are much more flexible with the types of carnivorous plants you can grow in them. Use them for larger plants like Nepenthes, or if you have many smaller plants that you’d like to grow. They’re ideal when high-humidity and temperature control is required, such as during seed germination and cutting propagation. They can also be used to quarantine and monitor plants with a pest infestation – to keep them away from other healthy plants during treatment. Tank terrariums are also good for “off season” growing. I’ve always grown my indoor carnivorous plants in fish tanks with florescent grow lights sitting on top. They come in two materials worth considering:
- Glass terrariums – glass is a decent thermal insulator, keeping temperatures inside relatively predictable. Glass tanks will retain heat, though, so cooler grow lights (like LEDs and fluorescents, discussed below) are required. If you’re going to put a glass terrarium outside, it should be out of direct sun – choose a shadier area under a tree or awning. Make sure to also pair your plants with this shadier environment. Glass is also fragile, and will chip and crack relatively easily.
- Acrylic Terrariums
– with better light transparency, lighter weight, and greater strength, acrylic terrariums are a great alternative to glass. They are less scratch resistant, so you will have to be careful with grittier soils and sand scraping surfaces.
Terrarium lighting
Fluorescent Grow Lights – florescent terrarium lighting is the best bang for the buck option. Florescents are inexpensive, have a decent lifespan, and are beaten only by LEDs in energy efficiency. Newer generation T5 bulbs will last about 20,000 hours. You have the option of tuning the light your plants receive using bulbs with a cooler or warmer light spectrum. Bulbs in the cooler light spectrum mimic winter months, and warmer bulbs will mimic summer months. It’s good to have both spectrums represented to more closely mimic natural light, but in a 4 bulb setup, you may want 3 of one type and 1 of the other.
LED Grow Lights – the Rolls Royce of grow lights, LEDs are cutting edge lighting technology, cool-running, hyper-efficient, and can last up to ten years. They tend to be more expensive than equivalent fluorescents lights, but like with any newer technology, price is coming down with time. You will save money on electricity bills and replacement bulbs due to their long life and energy efficiency, but the payback period to justify the higher upfront costs may be a few years out. Another neat LED feature is that they often come in light spectrums that are tuned to provide plants with only the wavelengths of light needed to foster healthy growth. This makes them even more efficient than other bulbs that convert energy into wavelengths of light plant’s don’t readily use to build new cellular structures. However, this feature also gives LED grow lights their characteristic pink hue which may be odd mood lighting indoors, and won’t visibly highlight the beautiful colors that many carnivorous plants contain.
For equivalent light coverage as a 24 inch, 4-bulb florescent fixture, I would get two of these units, or one of these ones
.
High Pressure Sodium Grow Lights (HPS)
– a more traditional high-output grow light, high pressure sodium grow lights are good for large-scale growing conditions, but probably not for terrariums. They throw a tremendous amount of lumens, a measurement of the intensity of light, which allows them to penetrate thick canopies of leaves to reach lower branches. They are in the warmer spectrum and give off a yellow-orange light wavelength. Imagine the common orange glow of street lamps at night, and you know what high pressure sodium grow lights will look like. Lifespan is about 20,000 hours, and they are not energy efficient, relative to the lumens/wattage ratio of florescent and LED grow lights. There are also more costs to consider with High pressure sodium bulbs. For instance, most require an external ballast (use a digital one for energy efficiency, to prolong bulb lifespan, and to warm up bulbs faster on startup) to regulate power flow. The bulbs are oval, and suspended horizontally, so you’ll almost certainly want a reflector hood to direct light that would otherwise be directed upwards, to be reflected down towards your plant. There are all-in-one solutions that you should consider if HPS is something you’d like to experiment with. Considering their overall inefficiency at turning watts into lumens, they also produce lots of wasted energy in the form of heat – the bulbs get untouchably hot when they’re warmed up – and this will require venting and cooling in tighter growing areas. If you go with HPS bulbs, be prepared to run the air conditioning frequently, and do not rest the light on top of your terrarium.
Metal Halide Grow Lights – the sister bulb to high pressure sodium bulbs, metal halide grow lights have many of the same advantages and disadvantages as HPS lights. The real difference is that they throw a cooler spectrum of light that mimics natural winter lighting conditions more accurately. Metal halides can be used alongside HPS bulbs for a fuller spectrum, or at different times during the year as replacements to HPS bulbs to produce more natural “seasons” for carnivorous plants. Like high pressure sodium bulbs, metal halide bulbs will produce waste heat, require ballasts, hood reflectors, and are likely overkill for most terrarium setups. Here, again, there are all-in-one solutions, so don’t let me stop you from experimenting!
Monitoring temperature & humidity in a terrarium
Digital Thermometer and Humidity Gauge – Easily readable, digital thermometers and hygrometers are sensitive and accurate, but will require occasional battery replacements.
Analog Thermometer and Humidity Gauge – Analog terrarium hygrometer and thermometers are simple and don’t need batteries, but are a little less accurate and responsive than their digital counterparts. This probably won’t be an issue unless you’re concerned about rapid fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
Controlling temperature & humidity in a terrarium
A small, inexpensive terrarium fan will help with cooling a terrarium, and air circulation in a terrarium. Some air circulation is important for healthy plant growth and helps reduce mold and fungus problems. Place the fan at a top opening of your carnivorous plant terrarium, and angle the airflow down, into the terrarium. Try to avoid creating a windstorm for your plants by angling the fan against a pane of glass. It’s a good idea to put a fan on a cycle timer to have it turn on every fifteen minutes for one minute. This keeps fresh air and circulation good, and avoids vacating too much of the valuable humidity.
Heat Mat & Digital Thermostat – Heat radiated by florescent grow lights will go far in warming your terrarium. In fact, I frequently have to put spacers between my florescent lights and the top glass of my terrarium to create an air gaps and keep the tank cooler. If you rest the light fixture on top of the tank, you’re not likely to have issues keeping the tank warm, but there are exceptions. If your terrarium will be in a cold corner, use a heating pad or seed germination mat under the base of a fish tank style terrarium to increase temperature by a few degrees. Pair it with a controller that will automatically, actively monitor temperature, and turn the heating element on and off to maintain a steady environment.
Feeding carnivorous plants in terrariums
Live Mealworms – These little critters can easily be purchased online or picked up at pet food stores, and are great for Nepenthes, Cephalotus, Heliamphora, and large Venus flytraps. Drop these directly into the plant’s trap. Keep them refrigerated between feedings to prolong their lives and viability as plant food.
Live Crickets – Good in tanks that don’t have water pooling at the bottom (otherwise they’ll drown and rot). Similar to meal worms, the are good for Nepenthes, Cephalotus, Heliamphora, and large Venus flytraps. Keep in mind that crickets do “chirp,” so don’t use live ones if the noise will bother you.
Wingless Fruit Flies – these come as kits that you can use to grow your own fruit flies, which make great food for Sundews, Butterworts, small Venus Flytraps, and even Nepenthes. Once grown, simply puncture a small hole in the top of the lid, turn the container over, and sprinkle your plants with food. Reseal the lid with tape to prevent fruit fly escape.
Dried Insects – for folks not into the idea of feeding live insects to their carnivorous plants, here’s a simple solution: dead insects! This option is a bit of a grab-bad of different critters that can be fed to plants for a well-rounded nutritional mix. Pick up a pair of forceps
, and you won’t even have to touch them!
I hope this clearly outlines all of your options and helps you decide which carnivorous plant terrarium setup is right for you. With all of these considerations, it may seem a little daunting, but follow the recommended links and you’ll be off to a good start. Leave comments and questions below and I’ll be happy to get back to you with answers! Cheers, and happy growing!
I want live plants but it would be thrilling to watch them grow. Could you tell me if it is safer to transplant them or start from the seed? Can I grow pitcher plants, sundew savages, and venus flytraps together? Where is the best place to purchase them? I think that would be absolutely beautiful gift for my son.
Howdy Tomika! Pitcher plants and Venus flytraps do great together. Many sundews (like Drosera capensis, D. binata, D. filiformis, etc) will thrive with them, as well. Other sundews (like tropical sundews) require different conditions and won’t do well in an environment acclimated for your other carnivores.
Transplanting is a perfectly safe option. In fact, if you’re a newer grower, I recommend it. You’ll have mature plants, faster (some pitcher plants take 5+ years to fully mature from seed) and the terrarium will look great from day 1. If you’re going to go this route, it’s best to transplant in late winter or early spring towards the end of their dormancies to avoid stressing and weakening the plants.
A couple of great places to purchase them are World’s Rare Plants, and California Carnivores.
Let us know how it goes when you pick up the plants!
Thank you! I have one more question. I have a 10 gallon tank, how many Viparspectra LED lights should I get?
Happy to help! This smaller Viparspectra unit
will be ample lighting for a 10 gallon tank. This light will easily cover a 2ft x 2ft growing area.
I love the glass container with the assortment of carnivores within it. The picture of it was next to your statement cheers and happy growing. By the way your article was great and very informative. I think now I’m going to give this a try. P.s. Was there a little bit of water in the bottom of the glass container. Thank you
Hey Robert, thanks for checking out Carnivorous Plant Resource and your kind words! I’m glad the article was useful for you. How much water depends on what type of plant you’re growing. If you’re growing Sarracenia/North American pitcher plants in an undrained container, just make sure not to overwater – you don’t want the roots soaking wet for extended periods of time.
I got a few questions for u in regards to using a fish tank. Can I put any small animals in with my venus flytraps, such as some fire belly toads just trying to spice up the tank a bit. the tank is more than big enough to set up a pool at one end where they will pretty much stay close to all the time, was just wondering.
Howdy, Gary. You can definitely intermingle plants and animals, but do keep in mind that if the toad is small enough to fit in a trap, it’s small enough to be a meal. It’s not unheard of for small frogs and lizards to get eaten by large flytraps.
ok got a different question what are the biggest types of flytraps ? Can you over feed your flytraps ? I’ve been catching flies and small crickets and grass hoppers for my plants and once in a while a worm which comes from moths. When and how many plants are open I will get enough for each trap is that to much at one time. Thanks for getting back to me and as quickly as you did ,have a great day.
Happy to help, Gary! Title of “largest Venus flytrap” is constantly changing as new varieties are hybridized or mutated in tissue culture all the time. The largest I’ve personally seen are B-52 flytraps and King Henry flytraps.
On the question of “can you overfeed a Venus flytrap?” – Well, yes and no. Each trap is good for 1-3 meals. Triggering traps and digesting food requires energy from the flytrap and the payoff from digestion can be delayed. Triggering too many traps with food within a short span of time will temporarily weaken the plant in the short-term, but be fine in the long-term. After overfeeding, you may have a plant produce a few smaller traps until it has a chance to recover. I just try to imagine how sleepy and lazy I feel after a big meal – it’s kind-of like that. It shouldn’t do any serious harm, though.
My outdoor plants in Southern California catch their own food and do great without my assistance. For indoor or terrarium plants, I’d suggest something along the lines of 1 meal for every 3 traps on the plant every week. By the end of the third week, either the first trap you fed will be reopened, or a new trap should be pretty well developed to replace it.
I have a question. What kind of plants do you suggest for a small fish tank, it’s only about 2 gal. And tall. I really would like to convert it to a terrarium. And what light that that as well please.
Howdy Calli – thanks for the question! It depends on how tall your tank is and your ability to care for the plants inside. If you’re new to growing carnivorous plants, you could go with a Sarracenia purpurea (a squatter North American pitcher plant). Or, perhaps some large Venus flytraps? If you’re looking for really low maintenance, try something like a Drosera capensis. Or, you could always try planting a few of these together to make a mini-bog garden!
If you’re a bit more advanced, you could try a Cephalotus/Australian pitcher plant, Heliamphora/Sun pitcher plant or some more exotic Sundews.
2 gallons will probably be too small for most Nepenthes or larger Sarracenia.
On lighting, since your tank will be a bit narrow for long florescent lights, you could try windowsill growing or a smaller LED light like this one.
Hope this helps, and let me know if you have more questions. Happy growing!
Hello
Great article!
Would drosera aliciae, drosera capensis and heliamphora do well together?
My glad jar with lid is around 20cm diameter and about 40cm tall…
Thanks, Jasdip! Drosera capensis is the most forgiving of the plants you’re asking about – no required dormancy, and so hardy and prolific, that it can become a weed in carnivorous plant collections. I grow mine outside in Southern California with no humidity, and frequent 90°F+ temperatures.
Like Drosera capensis, D. aliciae is also from South Africa, and has similar overall growing conditions. It’s similarly robust, and these sundews go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Heliamphora are going to require the most particular growing conditions out of this group. Sun pitcher plants generally like more well-drained soils compared to these sundews. High humidity and air circulation are important, so optimize your terrarium for Heliamphora conditions, and watch for progress of the sundews. If you can keep the Heliamphora and Drosera in separate, optimal soils, you will be fine as temperature and humidity shouldn’t be a problem for the sundews (and may actually benefit them).
Great article!
Looking to create a closed-top terrarium or even open…
Would drosera aliciae, drosera capensis and heliamphora do well together?
My glass jar with lid is around 20cm diameter and about 40cm tall…
Hi Jasdip – just seeing the comment on a glass jar – may be a little snug for all of these plants – Drosera aliciae is a small, rosetted sundew, so should be fine. Heliamphora, depending on the species, may outgrow that size fairly quickly. D. capensis can get larger than 20cm in diameter. Soil requirements are a little different, as well, but may not be a deal-breaker simply because D. capensis and D. aliciae are so hardy and tolerant of varied conditions.
If you’re going to close the jar terrarium, you also have to consider height limitations including soil depth in the equation. Some Heliamphora will outgrow this space.
Hi David, coud you recommend a substrate for the terrarium to grow plants in? I want to grow plants that dont requrie a dormany period, so I was thinking a mix of heliamphora and drosera so could you recommend a mix that would suit both?
No worries if not, and thank you so much in advance either way. This website is incredibly useful.
Hi Dale, thanks for writing and the kind words! There are many combinations of carnivorous plants that meet the “no dormancy” criteria. If you’d like to stick to Heliamphora and Drosera, you’re going to want to optimize for the Heliamphora which like a well-drained soil. You can probably find a Drosera that will tolerate these conditions – capensis, aliciae, spatulata, etc. I’d try a substrate mix comprised of half sphagnum peat moss, and an equal mix of perlite, fine orchid bark, pumice, and lava rock. Optionally, you can also throw in a little long-fibered sphagnum moss to give the Drosera roots a little something to wrap around. Happy growing!
Hello. Nice site. A lot of good ideas, and I have a question.
I bought a Cape Sundew in Seattle, and when I returned to my home in the Central Valley, installed it in a terrarium with 1/2 sphagum/1/2 perilite mixture for the soil, then a mesh divider, with glass beads in place of the charcoal. It’s doing ok, but some of the newer leaves are a paler green than the rest. So I got a plant light, which is on for about 5 hours during the day, until the sun reaches around to that part of the house.
Then I read that you live in SoCa and that you grow your sundews outside! Doesn’t the dryness pose a problem? Is the plant in a pot, or a dish or what? How often is it watered? My front deck gets about 5-6 hours of sunlight, and while the aloe vera love it, I was afraid the heat would cook the D. Capesis.
Any advice?
Thanks
Hey, thanks for the kind words! Cape Sundews are one of the most robust carnivorous plants you can get and when I’ve seen them struggling, it tends to be because folks are over-thinking their care. They are literal weeds in my Southern California outdoor collection – spreading through thousands of tiny seed and surviving 115°F weather. More light is more better. The ones I do have potted up as specimens are in 3-4 inch plastic pots, and I use the water tray method (plants sitting in a couple inches of reverse-osmosis water at all times). As soon as the water dries up, I simply refill the tray. How often you have to fill up the tray will depend on the weather, the size of the tray you are using, and how many plants you have sitting in it. Hope this helps, and happy growing!
I have two species of pitcher plants don’t know which ones maybe you can help with that well I just figured out I can’t post a picture of them!! Anyway I have one in a very large jar with a lid on top and the other one looks like a cake or pie plate with hide sides holds the potting mixture in with a glass dome lid do I need to uncover them sometimes to get air? They get plenty of sun but not direct sun there is some moisture on the inside of the containers not a lot I have a couple of Venus flytraps in another glass jar with a lid they have been in there for quite a while and doing great I don’t take the lid off either the pitcher plants I just recently purchased thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!
Hi Sheri, thanks for the questions and for checking out Carnivorous Plant Resource! Humidity can be beneficial, but it’s most likely unnecessary for healthy growth. You can try leaving the containers completely uncovered – especially if they’re North American pitcher plants. Also, if the plants are sitting in the sun, you run the risk of heating up the glass that they’re in, and you can cook them. They do enjoy direct sun, but for aforementioned heat reasons, I wouldn’t put them in direct sun within a glass terrarium. I grow North American pitcher plants (also known as Sarracenia) and Venus flytraps (also known as Dionaea muscipula) outdoors in very low humidity, and they do great.
If you’re growing tropical pitcher plants (aka Nepenthes) humidity inside the glass will be beneficial, but even that isn’t necessary for common store-bought hybrids like Nepenthes ventrata.
Thanks for creating this helpful site! I’m planning to grow drosera caprnsis in a closed glass terrarium they receives a good amount of bright indirect light. Should I plan to use a grow light?
Howdy Jared! For something like Drosera capensis, you probably don’t even need a terrarium! That said, it’s still a good candidate. Artificial light is likely going to be needed. Too much direct sun, and the terrarium will get too hot and cook your plants. Artificial light is a great way to provide sufficient light without lots of heat.
Thank you for this wonderful article! Can you share where you got the wonderful glass container at the end of your article? Thank you!
It’s not a photo of one of my personal carnivorous plant terrariums, so unfortunately, couldn’t tell you where it’s from. That said, I have similar glass-like terrarium containers from CB2 and WestElm.
Great article! Do you know if Drosera Admirabilis and Dionaea muscipula do well together?
I’ve been looking at a 2 gallon terrarium that I wanna buy to start off, or maybe a 5 gallon. However, I am a beginner, and don’t know if they would like each others company.
Hi Mr Fefferman, I am a total beginner at growing carnivorous plants, except for one venus fly trap which promptly expired many decades ago. I would like to start with a fish tank terrarium with grow lights. My house has northern exposure in the room the plants would live in on a large kitchen island (6′ x 6′). I have not purchased any of these supplies yet. Could you recommend specific size and easy grow but varied plants selection? I would love to have venus flytraps, sundews, and pitcher plants… I would prefer that the plant system did t require too much intervention as I commute from Oregon to California on a weekly basis so the plants would be alone with my husband and his ‘black thumb’ every other week. Also, what size fish tank? Lights? Should the lights be on a timer? Thank you for any assistance you can offer!
Howdy Sheila! If you’re in Oregon, you could grow all of the plants you mentioned open-air or even outside! If you’re set on designing an indoor terrarium, you’re going to want to make sure the plants are getting ample light – even if they’re in a window. This probably means a supplemental grow light is in your future. If you get a light, you’ll probably want it on a timer. Tank size is completely up to you, but I find it best to start small, nail the basics, and then upgrade to something bigger. A small 10 gallon tank would even work fine.
I’d also recommend lower-growing varieties of plants so that you don’t have leaves smashing against the ceiling of your terrarium. Any kind of flytrap will do – find an inexpensive variety in our Marketplace, and experiment (here’s a good one from one of our best vendors: https://carnivorousplantresource.com/product/dionaea-muscipula-giant/).
Stick with low-growing pitcher plants, like a Sarracenia purpurea (this one’s a little more pricey, but it’s an exceptional example): https://carnivorousplantresource.com/product/sarracenia-purpurea-ssp-venosa-var-montana-transylvania-co-nc/
And here’s a hearty sundew, Drosera capensis: https://carnivorousplantresource.com/product/drosera-capensis-cape-sundew-for-sale/
Thank you for such an informative article! I, like Sheila above, am a beginner that would like to start a terrarium. I am wondering if your advice/suggestions would also work for me? I live in Central Indiana- warm sunny, semi humid summers/cold winters that hover at freezing most of the time (Nov-March). I would love to have a terrarium that I can have outside during the spring/summer and bring it in during the winter. My back deck is full sun capable all day. The old botany glass greenhouse type terrariums really appeal to me and I’d love to be creative with it. I do love and have the time to spend plant tending. I would love to do this “right” and have a long lasting, happy world in there! I could not be any more thankful for your thoughts and advice.
Hello! I love plants and recently started getting an extreme interest in carnivorous plants. I have 2 Venus flytraps, a pitcher plant and was hoping to get a sundew before making a terrarium for all 4 of them. And I have a few questions, im a young kid and naturally don’t have a lot of money, so I can’t afford any growing light unless it’s a small $20 one off Amazon. Would they be okay with a small, crappy one or even without one at all? Or is a proper growing light needed for them to survive. And I was going for a circular glass terrarium, what size do you assume would be best for the 4 plants? Also, would adding moss do any help to the humidity or moisture? Your page has helped me out alot, and sorry about all the questions, thank you!
Hoping you are still active with this forum. I, first want to thank you for this website, I call the Bible. It was so hard to find information. I want to have a 36x26x24 terrarium. For the main basic plants like sundews, pitchers, Venus’s- do I need a full enclosed (sealed off) tank or open? Bog soil? High temp? High humidity?
Thank you so much