Tips In Making A Good Herb Garden: Growing Carnivorous Plants
Posted on 01 February 2010
In making your herb garden, if you want to have a unique gardening experience, carnivorous plants are bound to get attention. From the common Venus Flytrap to the Cobra plant, these exotics serve a few purposes. In regions that have large numbers of pests, it lowers the amount of flies or other insects that annoy you. While the benefit is limited to the size and type of carnivorous plants that you own, these plants can grant a small level of relief while providing entertainment to adults and children alike.
There are 5 unique classifications of carnivorous plants. The most common type, the same family that the Venus Flytrap contains, is the snap trap family. Snap traps rely on a mouth that snaps around its prey, where the plant will eat whatever it snares.
Next are pitfall traps. These traps rely on victim falling down into the plant and being unable to escape. Unique in their triggers for survival, they need to undergo evolution on a frequent basis, as liquid can gather in the pitchers of the plant in addition to the bugs that the plant eats. These plants range from colorful to bland, and do not have hinged parts like their snap trap relatives.
Flypaper traps are among some of the most unique carnivorous plants. These plants spew forth a glue which ensnares and eats up insects for food. These carnivorous plants should be approached with caution in the house, as the secretions can give agitation to the skin.
Bladder traps are quite fascinating. These plants function through the osmosis of water to create a suction within the body of the plant. Once an insect or aquatic species has been trapped within, escape is difficult. Unlike many carnivorous plants, these are more commonly found underwater than above ground. Some species of bladder traps, such as the Bladderwort, lack roots, which make them a creative addition to any collection.
Last but not least, the lobster pot traps are among one of the most exotic looking carnivorous plants that you can purchase. These kind of plants function by providing insects a simple way to gain entry, but slim chance of escape. In the case of the corkscrew plant, the insides of the plant have downward pointing obstructions and a y-shaped leaf structure that halts the escape of its prey. The unusual shapes of lobster pot traps are directly related to their evolution to halt the escape of bugs.
For those desiring something even more unusual in their herb gardening pots, there are several types of plants that do not meet all of the requirements of carnivorous plants, but have sharing characteristics. Such plants include the Brocchinia Roridula and the Martyniaceae species. These types of plants lack one of the three required aspects, which is to attract, kill and digest prey, to be classed as a true carnivorous plant.
In making your herb garden, carnivorous plants should be grown where young children and babies cannot touch them. While quite a few of them are mostly not harmful to humans, eating one of these plants should be avoided, due to the digestive enzymes that the plant have to consume their victim.
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