Carnivorous plants (CPs. in short) have never failed to arouse interest in plant growers.  Even the most faithful orchid or tillansia grower would take a second look at the Venus Flytrap at least.  Over the past ten years, there is an increasing number fo carnivorous plants growers (a.k.a CPers) in Singapore.  So, let’s take a look at the carnivory of such plants and some cultivation basics.

CARNIVORY AND NATIVE SPECIES

Carnivorous plants are basically green plants.  That means they are able to photosynthesise.  They also produce flowers, fruits and seeds.  But most carnivorous plants gro in mineral-deficient soils and have been adapted to get extra nutrients from their prey.

Carnivorous plants can be classified into two types according to the type of traps they have :

1.   Passive Traps - Darlingtonia californica, Nepenthes, Sarracenia and Cephalotus follicularis, Genlisea, Pinguicula, Drosophyllum lusitanicum, Byblis, Triphyophyllum peltatum and Drosera.

2.   Active Traps - Dionaea muscipula, Aldrovandra, Utricularia and Polypompholyx.

A housefly caught by Drosera adelae.  This species has active tentacles that will wrap around its prey.

There are 13 species which are native to Singapore.  They belong to the genus of the Utricularia (Bladderwort) and Nepenthes (Tropical Pitcher Plants).  Out of these species, two are already extinct and many are vulnerable to dying out.  Carnivorous plants growing in nature reserves are protected and the Nepenthes species are listed under the CITES Appendix II.

A pitcher of N. ampullaria.  This species is native to Singapore and can be found in our nature reserves.

CULTIVATION BASICS

So what carnivorous plants do local CPers grow? Well, almost every genus except for the rare ones (eg. Triphyophyllum peltatum and Polypompholyx).  A number of carnivorous plants species are available for sale locally at the nurseries but the bulk comes from overseas.

Media

There are several common components you will find the media: peat, perlite, sand and sphagnum moss. Vermiculite, fern bark, pumice, cocochip and even charcoal and also be used for the growing of carnivorous plants.  As you would have noticed by now, the word ‘media’ is used the instead of soil.  Soil is rarely used in the carnivorous plants mix.  Most importantly, the media need to be low in minerals and nutrients.

Water

If you carry out a search on the Internet, you will find that to grow carnivorous plants well, pure water (distilled, reserve osmosis) is recommended.  In Singapore, we are fortunate to have clean, drinking water straight from our taps.  And because of that, watering carnivorous plants here is a breeze.  CPers here have so far found that tap water can be used with no harm caused to carnivorous plants.  For those growing them outdoors in the garden, the source of water is in the rain.

Pots

Plastic, drained ones are recommended for most carnivorous plants.  For species which grow in media that is permanently wet, a deeper tray (or a recycled plastic food container) can be used.

Growing Area and Light

Many of us, who like in HDB flats, and even those with garden, have an issue with light.  The windowsill is one regular are where CPers grow the carnivorous plants.  Other areas include the balcony, garden and even a brightly-lit washroom!  Bright shade to several hours of direct sunlight is necessary as most carnivorous plants are light-lovers.

If you unit is in the shadow of every building in you vicinity, do not fret.  Carnivorous plants actually do well under lights.  A simple set-up with two 4-ft 36W florescent lights or 55W PLL light will put you in good stead to grow a large variety of carnivorous plants.

Carnivorous plants growing under ligths.  The set-up is entirely D.I.Y. and is customized to fit into a 1.5′ x 3′ area.

Feeding

Some CPers catch insects to feed their plants while others take pity on struggling preys and relase them.  However, most growers simply let nature take its own course and leave their carnivorous plants to catch their own prey.

The use of fertilizers is an area of controversy especially in the recent years.  Fertilizers have been used on certain carnivorous plants, expecially the Nepenthes species which seem to do well on a regular fertilizing regime.  But do not expect carnivorous plants to accept the regular fertilizer used for household plants.  When in doubt, skip the fertilizer and leave the plants to do what they do best - catch their own prey!

Dionaea muscipula (Venus Flytrap).  This trap caught two wasps at one go!

Dormancy

Unfortunately, many of the carnivorous plants species are temperate.  One of which is the well-loved Venus Flytrap.  Dormancy is a time of rest for the plant and is necessary for the plant to do well the following year.  It can be carried out by cutting back on the amount of light and water the plant receives, and putting the plant in a cooler place, for example, the refrigerator.

Recommended Books

Carnivorous Plants by Tony Camilleri - Excellent photos, inspires you to grow your carnivorous plants well.

The Savage Garden by Peter D’ Amato - Comprehensive guide for cultivation, hundres of photos.

A Guide to the Carnivorous Plants of Singaproe by Hugh T.W. Tan - Native species, local growing.

Carnivorous Plants of the World by James and Patricia Pietropaolo - 25 years of growing by the authors themselves, good resource for CPs terminology.

- by Cindy Chiang

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We know this locally as “Pung Tai Hai” in hokkien which to me, literally mean “expand to fill a big sea”. The English name is “Fill-a-Bowl” and is a direct translation from its Malay name “Kembang se-mangkok“.

The plant is Scaphium macropodum. It is a large forest tree with the most unusual fruit. The fruit forms as a large green thin-walled pod. When ripe, it turns brown and splits on one side to form a boat-shaped membranous structure with a pearl-shaped seed sitting at the end (see picture).

This year was an exceptional fruiting year for our tree and heaps of fruits littered the ground around the tree.

“Pung Tai Hai” seed

When the seed is soaked in water, it will produce a brown jelly that will “fill-a-bowl”. Actually the jelly came from the thin outer wall of the seed. This jelly is actually an adaptation to help the seed with its germination as the jelly absorbs water when it rains and retains the moisture for a couple of days at least.

A seed is soaked in the bowl A seed have expand to fill a big sea

Traditionaly people drank this jelly to treat fever cough, asthma and dysentery. Today it is a popular addition to local deserts.

- by Wong Wei Har

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Check out this community garden located at Blk 337, Jurong East Ave 1! It went through a total transformation from a run-down farm-like plot to a colourful blooming garden. Neighbours from the Jurong Central Zone ‘G’ consituency did it themselves. Rows of Zinnia added colour and cheerfulness to this community garden, while herbs and vegetables weaved around the lush colourful flowers. The beautification was not only confined to the inside, as along the fences on the outside, were colourful shrubs such as Asters and drooping fruit trees. Mdm Kamisah Low, leader of the gardening group told me that she and her ‘buddies’ spent months of hard labour re-working their garden. Her husband, Mr Low even took leave from work to help out. Oh, by the way, Mdm Kamisah not only has green fingers, she also makes good chocholate chips! 

Above : Before - A rundown farm. 

Above : After - a blooming garden. 

- Azmi     

Sweet potato plants are worshippers of the sun and they demand a location with full sun to do well. Plants grown in a shady location will produce leaves that are smaller and the leaft-to-leaf (internode) distance will also lengthen. Ornamental varieties will produce less colourful leaves. Tuber yield will also be affected. Sweet potato used as a ground cover should be allowed to sprawl over an open, unshaded area. Otherwise, growth can get sluggish and the vines will not fill up the area fully.

Above : ‘Marguerite’ (left) and ‘Black Heart’ (right) being used as a groundcover.

Not exceptionally particular with soil type, sweet potato grows best in a location that has well-drained soil. Heavy clayey soils need to be lighted with organic materials like compost.

Refrain from feeding with fertilizers rich in nitrogen as it will promote excessive foliage growth and depress tuber yield for tuber producing varieties. Sweet potatotes are hungry vines and a balanced fertilizer should preferably be applied at the base of the bed before planting. Potassium is critical for proper tuber production and hence regular applications of a fertilizer with a higher potassium ratio every fortnight would be useful. Some people use crushed eggshells as well.

Vines have a tendency to root at the internodes wherever they touch the ground. Make it a point to lift the vines and throw them back into the plot to prevent rooting. By allowing the plant to root at multiple internodes will bring about the formation of many small tubers at the expense of larger tubers.

One should refrain from over-harvesting of leaves for food from tuber producing sweet potato vines as this would depress tuber yield.

Harvesting of tubers can commence roughly about four to six months after planting. Foliage and vines are first removed where the young leaves can be used as a vegetable. The tubers are then lifted carefully using a hoe (cangkul) from one side of the raised bed.

Above : Roots appearing at the internodes when they touch moist ground.

PROPAGATION

Sweet potato plants are most commonly propagated via stem cuttings. A tip cutting that is roughly 30 cm long can be used and one can request to take a couple of cuttings from any vegetable farm or community garden. Each cutting should be spaced roughly 30 cm apart in a raise bed. Keep the soil moist and it is normal to witness cuttings wilting under extremely hot weather. Once cuttings have rooted, sweet potato vines can be relatively drought-resistant.

To intrigue children at home, one can grow a sweet potato plant using a tuber bought from the local market, a glass jar and several wooden toothpicks. First, stick three toothpicks around the tuber near midway along the sweet potato so as to allow the suspension of the tuber over the jar. The sharper end of the tuber should face downward into the jar. Next, fill the jar almost to the top with water and put it on a bright windowsill. Within a week, the tuber will send roots down into the reservoir of water and new shoots will appear on the upper end of the tuber. It can then be transferred into a hanging pot to allow the vines with ivy-like foliage to grow and then drape over th esides. Alternatively, the entire plant with the tuber can be transferred to be grown in a raised bed.

PEST & DISEASES

Sweet potatoes are seldom bothered by pests and diseases. The most serious pests that one can encounter are weevils and beetle grubs that will bore into the tubers. These can be avoided by pratising crop rotation and avoiding consecutive plantings of sweet potatoes in a single location. For control of these pests, drenching of the soil with an insecticide is the only remedy. Beetles, caterpillars and stem borers may also cause some damage to aerial growth and these can be eradicated relatively easily by application of a suitable insecticide.

Occasionally, unsightly brownish fungal spots may appear on the sweet potato leaves. These can be prevented by having better air circulation around the leaves and treatment can be carried out with an application of a contact fungicide. Tuber rot can be prevented by growing in better draining soil and using rot-resistant varieties. Unfortunately, these special varieties are not easily availabe to the home gardener in Singapore.

- Wilson Wong

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Gardening ideas can sometimes crop up in the unlikeliest place.  For instance, this one arose from a cookery book.

That’s how wifey sprang it on me on Sunday - a slow, lazy day - when she was browsing through her latest nonya cookbook with all those mouth-watering pictures of Peranakan or Straits Chinese dishses, while I was quietly minding my own business, indulging in a nice chilled white.

She figured we should next plant a Belimbing tree, whose fruit is used in Peranakan cuisine (althought I’m not use she can find a spot for it in our crowded garden.)

After all, she added, the Belimbing’s sour fruit is unlikely to appeal to the scavenging squirrels that have been gnawing at our Heliconia flowers in their hunt for food.

For the full story, get a copy of A Gardener’s Log by Thien, available at all leading bookstores in Singapore.  All royalties will go to Spark, Society for the Promotion and AHDHD Research and Knowledge.

- by Thien

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My 7-year old and I were taking a walk one evening when he asked me “Why is there a stick next to that tree?” I explained that the young sapling needed to be staked to keep it upright while it grew. The next day, I came home to find some of my plants staked with straws!

 

At last, one of my three children shows some interest in plants. Afraid that he would be as indifferent as my two elder children (who enjoy receiving flowers, but that does not count), I started taking him to nurseries.   

 What he really enjoys is the water features on display, but he also helps me carry the plants I wish to purchase. At home, he helps me with watering if he feels like it, but he showed real progress when he shouted out “Cordyline!” when he spotted some at the Zoo. For this, I must thank his school where the plant’s red foliage must have caught his attention and he asked me for its name.  

 He still shows greater interest in trains and fans, video images of which he seeks out in the net. But there is hope. Meanwhile, I will bear with it when he prunes my plants bald, which he did one day. I tried to explain that he had overdone things. After a few weeks, new shoots appeared and he said, “See, the plants can grow new leaves. They are ok you know”.

He is right of course.

By Lawrence Leong