Having a money plant and cactus in your house is so predictable. Now a day’s people in India-Mumbai are attracting towards more exciting Carnivorous plant gardening. Nurseries in the city are selling them by the dozen to enthusiastic gardeners. These fascinating plants are categorized as carnivorous as they trap insects, produce digestive juices, dissolve the prey and derive nutrients from this process. They work as a fulltime pest controller. These plants require little care, have to be watered from time to time and can catch their own prey for food. Many people are being drawn into gardening and they are attracted towards plants like the pitcher plant and Dutchman’s pipe that looks attractive and in a city like Mumbai having mosquito and housefly menace what could be better than a plant that you can see catching its prey like mosquitoes and flies. A well placed carnivorous plant may help from an occasional house fly problem.
Pitcher plant
The plant’s leaves have developed into a funnel, with a lid like structure growing over the opening to prevent rain water from entering and diluting the digestive juices. Insects are attracted by smell, color and a nectar-like secretion on the lip of the pitcher. The insects like mosquitoes and flies are attracted and falls inside where they die and are digested by enzymes.
Butterwort
They prefer a humid environment; hence an indoor with mild sunlight is ideal. These plants have attractive leaves. These leaves secrets sticky mucus which traps the insects. This plant works like a natural glue pad.
Venus Fly trap
Venus flytrap is the most well-known carnivorous plant. It feeds mainly on insects. Plant is small in size having 4-7 leaves. The inner surface of these lobes secretes mucilage.
These lobes show rapid plant movement by shutting the lobes immediately when special sensory hairs are stimulated. The lobe shuts in about 0.2 seconds. The edges of the lobes seal the trap by creating an enclosed “stomach” in which digestion and absorption can take place.