What we'd tell you if you were standing in the greenhouse

The basics that keep almost anything alive

1. 1 Rainwater, distilled or RO water. Tap only if it tests under 50 to 100 ppm, depending on the genus.
2. 2 More light than you think — a sunny window at least.
3. 3 New to carnivores? Skip the fertilizer and let them catch bugs. Short on flies indoors? Try freeze-dried bloodworms.
4. 4 Peat with perlite or sand, never regular potting soil. Plastic or glazed pots, not terracotta.
5. 5 Repot every year or two in fresh mix. Old peat breaks down and turns sour.
6. 6 Most like standing in a tray of water. Nepenthes, Heliamphora and Cephalotus want moist, never flooded.
7. 7 Flytraps and Sarracenia need a cold winter rest, and summers outside rather than in a terrarium.
8. 8 Just arrived? Give it a couple of weeks to settle in before judging it.