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How did you get int CP's?

Well... here is mine:

I was 4 years old, and I was at the library.. looking for some cool plant books... and I stumbled across a book with a VFT(I didn't know what i was then).. and I asked my dad what it was. He said it was a Venus fly trap.. a plant that eats bugs.

I was like "COOL!". So I checked it out and read it a million times until I memorized the small book! Later that week, I looked for another book on CP's.. and stumbled across a much bigger book that had all of the major carnivorous plant types. I found the Nepenthes chapter and fell in LOVE with them. I looked up 'nepenthes' when I got home on the web. I found so much info.... and looked for plant to buy. After a month, I gave up on trying to buy a nepenthes... but my parents decided to take me to the local nursery.. and I FOUND A NEPENTHES!!!

 

So that is how I got into CP's...

What's yours?

 

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I was 4 years old, and I was at the library.. looking for some cool plant books...

Did your parents know where you were ? :laugh1:

 

I was the ripe old age of 45 when i placed an advert on Freecycle asking for empty plant pots so i could liven my new flat up with some houseplants. Ian and Dianne Salter replied and told me they were changing over from round to square pots so they had hundreds available. When i went to pick up a few pots, i discovered several greenhouses bulging at the seams, and Ian gave me a guided tour which must have lasted 2 to 3 hours. I was gobsmacked. I expected to come away with about a dozen pots, but that figure was more like 200 (in a range of sizes), and two trays of free sarracenia, dionaea, and drosera. Ian also told me about the CPS and CPUK so they were googled when i returned home and that is how i am now here. It was CPUK that introduced me to photos of Nepenthes however, and i got hooked from that moment. Whilst Ian's plants were lining all my windowsills, Nepenthes started taking over my bathroom. 12 months later i moved home to live with my partner full time and luckily had the space for a 12x8 greenhouse which some of you may now be familiar with.

Despite only expanding my Nepenthes collection the past 2 years, I still have the original plants that Ian kindly gave me, and they are now living in a (still work in progress) bog garden, a little reminder of how i got into carnivorous  plants :smile:

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I only got into carnivorous plants about two years ago I was in an ASDA (Walmart for Lucas) and they had for sale some venus fly traps and some purpurea's, I bought them thinking they would be interesting house plants. 

I remember my dad having and killing a venus fly trap when I was younger. knowing this I google'd as much information about them as I could. then I found this forum and my collection got bigger quickly. eventually after the available windowsills where full I bought a small lean to greenhouse. just recently after that got full i've just got my 6x4 greenhouse. I still have Divisions of my original two plants. and i've found it to be fun and rewarding hobby. 

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I was 7 and in the school library when I came across the book Killer Plants. About a year later I got my first plant, a Sarracenia purpurea, from a local nursery. I brought it to school for show and tell and eventually found and purchased The Savage Garden at a bookstore. At that point I was hooked.

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My initial interest was sparked by a book about weird plants in the school library when I was around 7.  There were stinking plants, bomeliads and also the VFT.  So I got one and of course killed it.  Then as a teenager I got a book, the Wisley Guide 'Carnivorous Plants' by Paul Temple with whom I'm now friends with on Facebook.  I picked up a D. binata from Marston Exotics and it started properly from there.  I had a very small collection for about 10 years.  Then I got married and my wife hated them so I kept them at my parent's place. We then moved to Ireland and my parents failed to care for them at all so they died.  I rekindled my relationship with CPs again in 2009 and got a Sarracenia and a VFT from a DIY store.  This time I was so determined to have success and was armed with the power of the internet.  I studied the advice on (I think it was) Flytrapcare.com and thankfully everything worked out fine.  I didn't say I could grow a plant until I managed to successfully bring it into and out of dormancy, nearly a year.  That was my test that year and I'm happy I passed.  In 2010 I started getting my 'real' collection together from nurseries.  My wife started to eventually come around and realised she liked Nepenthes and Pinguiculas.  I now have a 20.5x12.5 foot greenhouse that is already struggling for space.  The last six feet of the greenhouse is partitioned and heated to frost-free in the winter to increase the amount of plants I'm able to grow in there (Drosera and Pings).  The greenhouse is mainly filled with Sarracenia and VFTs with a healthy helping of Drosera.  I'm really starting to get into Pings and Drosera lately so I can see there being a lot more of them.  I have a handful of Nepenthes in the kitchen windows.  My new house, that we moved into in December, was bought with the plants given priority!

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Went in stages...

 

Had a VFT or two as a kid, managed to kill them!

 

Later tried one of those nasty little "GROW YOUR OWN KILLER PLANT!!!" kits from B&Q a couple of times, and you'll be really surprised to hear that I failed every time! Like most people who buy them, I used tap water (I'm sure it's just as good) and didn't follow the instructions properly (hey, I've grown plants before, so I know what I'm doing).

 

A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law gave me a small D. capensis, which he pulled out of a pot that he got as part of Hant's starter collection. I loved it, but sadly it got hit by greenfly, and I chucked it out.

 

The latest craze started last March when we noticed a lot of fungus gnats and other small pests flying around the house. I decided that CPs were a much more interesting way of dealing with the problem, and bought three plants from Hants, a d. capensis, a d. aliciae and a d. binata. The capensis did well (still is), but the binata just never grew. Matt replaced it with a lovely specimen, that was going well until it started drying up recently. Still trying to revive it. The aliciae sadly didn't last long, still don't know why.

 

Anyway, spurred on with the capensis and replaced binata, I got interested in these plants. Bought a VFT from Hants in June, which is still looking great.

 

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was given some bare-rooted plants, which I think originally came from carnisana.pl. They aren;t anything like the same quality as Hant's plants, but I potted them up in his COM1 mix, and all seem to be doing fine. The current line-up is...

 

First three all came from Hants...

D. capensis - still my favourite, and doing well

D. spatulata - three tiny ones of these arrived as hitch-hikers on the replacement binata. I moved them into their own pot, and they are rivalling the capensis as my favourite.

D. binata - still holding on, but not doing as well as I would like. It has two stems, but the few drops are drying up on those. I noticed a new elaf appear over the weekend, so I'm hoping it will recover.

 

Rest came from a friend, probably originally from carnisana.pl. All OK, but not great quality, but will hopefully improve once they are settled in their pots. 

two Nepenthes Bloody Mary - Most of the pitchers are pale pink rather than red, and aren't in great condition.

Sarracenia chelsonii - pitchers green to pale red, some with holes or brown bits.

Three small VFTs of various types

 

I'm waiting to see what happens with these last few plants. I can't complain as they didn't cost me anything, but they aren't great examples. Hopefully, with the right TLC, they will grow and flourish.

 

I'm just contemplating my next purchase. Got my eyes on a lovely looking VFT, a Drosera binata multifida extrema and a Sarracenia psittacina that I saw for sale here, as well as some stuff from roraima.pl. Looking at another d. binata, a d. aliciae (to replace the one that died, 'cos it was a really nice little plant), a D. Madagascariensis, a Sarracenia Maroon and a Sarracenia purpurea ssp venosa. No idea where I am going to put all of these, but we'll work something out!

 

Bought a couple of books, and am trying to learn.

 

54 years old, acting like a kid!

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Well all started when I was 11 and went to the garden centre with my dad. I remember first laying eyes on the Venus fly traps and had to have one! So as we got home with the new vft my dad sat down on the computer with me and looked through the Internet for growing guides where we stumbled across mike kings website. I was in awe of how many different types and forms of carnivorous plant there were. After a few months my dad arranged a trip to mikes who thankfully is only an hour away. When we got there I was in heaven carnivorous plants everywhere!! After about 4 hours I came away with a car full of plants which I grew in my dad's 6x6 greenhouse. 13 years later my collection is a little bigger but still get the same feeling I had the day I saw my first vft in the garden centre!

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What books did you buy Yossu?

Started with Carnivorous Plants by Adrian Slack, which I got from www.abebooks.co.uk for the princely sum of £2.78 inc P+P! It was an ex-library copy, but in excellent condition.

 

I recently bought Insect Eaters by the same author, which cost me a bit more, but it also very good.

 

If you were to choose between the two, I would go for the first, as I think it's a bit better, but both are worth reading.

 

I'm thinking about buying the revised edition of The Savage Garden, which has rave reviews, but I need to save a bit first!

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Out of the two Slack books I actually prefer his second book (Insect Eaters) as I think it's a far easier read with easier to follow cultivation advice.  That's my opinion anyway and I'm well aware a lot of people prefer the first.  

 

Definitely get your hands on a copy of the revised Savage Garden.  It's my bible.  http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=10663022476&searchurl=sts%3Dt%26an%3Dpeter+d%27amato

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Out of the two Slack books I actually prefer his second book (Insect Eaters) as I think it's a far easier read with easier to follow cultivation advice.  That's my opinion anyway and I'm well aware a lot of people prefer the first.  

Fair comment. I can see advantages to both, and it could be if I had read this one first, I might have preferred it.

 

Definitely get your hands on a copy of the revised Savage Garden.  It's my bible.  http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=10663022476&searchurl=sts%3Dt%26an%3Dpeter+d%27amato

Ooh, thanks for that. Last time I looked, the cheapest was around £20.

 

Already ordered! Thanks again

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Definitely get your hands on a copy of the revised Savage Garden.  It's my bible.  http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=10663022476&searchurl=sts%3Dt%26an%3Dpeter+d%27amato

It arrived yesterday. Only started it last night, but it looks excellent! Thanks again for the link.

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  • 1 month later...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo

was a young un and this came on the telebox. I was sold. Couldn't just pop down the Garden Centre and pick on up then really, t'internet wasn't even dreamt of....

 

never had the time/space since with working and moving and all that. Now out in the wilderness and have the space so thought why not.

Was at Chelsea RHS 2012 and saw what can only be described as an amazing part of the main hall. (Hants) Stand covered with sarracenia that was me rekindled. got some on order and have been cutting, propagating, experimenting since......

 

It was a long time coming but got there.

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