Insectivorous plants - exotic in your home

Insectivorous plants are organisms that have adapted to catching and digesting (hydrolyzing) small animals (mainly insects). Most of them refer to perennial herbaceous terrestrial plants. These plants are found in different regions of our planet (Borneo, Siberia, Western Australia).

A carnivorous flower prefers poor soils. Nutrients are obtained by catching insects. The main weapon of insectivorous plants are mutated leaves, which are also called catcher organs. The main prey for these plants is insects (wasps, flies or microscopic daphnia). Sometimes insectivorous plants adapt to catching only ants and termites. In the network of some carnivorous plants come across frogs, as well as small mammals.

The insect-eating plant attracts insects with its sweet secretions, bright coloration and odor. On the surface of their leaves, glands secrete proteolytic enzymes (pepsin, trypsin), as well as carboxylic acids (benzoic, formic, etc.), which digest their prey by hydrolyzing animal proteins. In the process of such extracellular digestion, a significant number of amino acids are formed, which are absorbed and absorbed by the plant organism.

The fastest carnivorous plant is Venus the flytrap, which is able to slam the leaves for 1/10 of a second. For a long time, scientists have puzzled how a plant like a flytrap, can make lightning movements without nerve endings and muscles. A little later it was found that the plant accumulates energy.

In modern flower shops, you can find different insectivorous plants (the most popular of them are herbaceous sarracenia and tropical lianas non-pentes). These are simply amazing plant organisms that can be watched for a long time without losing interest.

Today, more than 300 carnivorous plants are known, but only six are suitable for indoor growth. These plants are listed in the wildlife in the Red Book, so in natural conditions to meet them will be quite difficult. Cultivation of these plants in room conditions has some features. Insectivorous include aldrovandu pemphigus, giant biblical, helirampora saccular, Venus flytrap, darlingshotonia Californian, common chickenpox, bubbly nepence, pemphigus bloated, sapwood, Lusitanian rosolite, sarracenia purple, cephalotus saciform.

Today, there is a threat of extinction of these plants, which is mainly due to drying of soils for agricultural needs, low soil fertility. The largest collection of insectivorous plants is harvested in the botanical garden of Atlanta.

In the life of predator plants there is no period of rest. At home, you can use pieces of ordinary boiled or even raw meat to feed them, but you do not need to overfeed the plants, as this leads to their death. Insectivorous plants at home appear as "sanitarians", as they perfectly destroy spiders, flies, mosquitoes, and also cockroaches.

Optimal conditions for growing these flowers are a moist environment, acidic soil, nitrogen-rich nutrients and minerals. The structure of the soil must necessarily include moss, peat or river sand. It is best for them to use plastic pots with holes for draining. Insectivorous plants are photophilous. As an artificial light, daylight lamps are often used. The temperature of the air should not exceed 30 C. Carnivorous flowers should not be placed near the battery or any other heating devices.