Feeding carnivorous plants mealworms is a great way to ensure that they have all the nutrients that they need. For the plants to flourish they need to have the correct insects to consume. Mealworms are found in nature and are readily available to purchase to feed your plants. A quick trip to your local pet store should provide everything you need.
Can you feed carnivorous plants mealworms? You can feed mealworms to carnivorous plants. Mealworms are a natural food source and provide a healthy diet for carnivorous plants.
The simple answer is that you can feed carnivorous plants mealworms. I was intrigued by how often this happens. I discovered several different things that need to be considered before feeding mealworms to your plants. Most of them are simple yet fascinating.
Freeze-Dried or Live?
There are quite a few thoughts to consider. Should you feed your plants live mealworms? That really depends on your comfort level. If you feed your plants live mealworms, you may have to cut them in order to avoid overfeeding.
If feeding live mealworms, it recommended that you remove the heads. This is done in order to avoid them chewing through your plant. This also keeps the mealworms from escaping from the plant. A common issue with using live mealworms is that they have been known to escape from plants and wander around.
Tips for Using Freeze-Dried Mealworms
Freeze-dried mealworms make feeding your plants much easier. You may find that feeding a Venus flytrap a dead mealworm is difficult. The following are some tips from the pros on how to do this correctly.
- Rehydrate freeze-dried mealworms with a drop or two of water
- A mealworm ⅓ the size of the trap is all that is needed.
- After placing the mealworm gently in the trap, use a toothpick to stimulate the hairs inside.
- Make sure that the trap can close and seal completely
- One trap per week is often enough to keep your plant healthy.
There is also a cooked option available. If you don’t want to cut live mealworms or rehydrate dried ones, then this might be for you. These mealworms come in water and are canned similarly to tuna. This is a well-known trend in California.
Feeding mealworms to your carnivorous plants is a great way to bolster your plant’s diet. Your plants need insects to thrive, but nobody wants to load their house up with bugs. Mealworms come in all shapes and sizes. Purchasing one container of mealworms will feed a single plant for life.
If you have a carnivorous plant, you can feed it mealworms. Even if mealworms are not found in your plant’s native habitat, mealworms will break down and digest like any other insect. There are no ill effects to your plant or the surrounding area.
What Size Plant Are Mealworms Ideal For?
Mealworms work wonderfully for smaller carnivorous plants such as Venus flytraps. It is important to understand how much your plant consumes naturally. You can adjust how many mealworms you are feeding it, and how often.
Plants that catch their food with tendrils can also be fed mealworms. For these types of plants, it really isn’t a size thing. This becomes more of an area issue. Typically, you will want to spread a few mealworms across the area of the plant to ensure coverage. This is not recommended for plants that have traps and pitchers.
Larger plants such as Pitcher plants can consume more. While you can feed them mealworms these plants can handle more substantial food such as crickets. It may take some trial and error to get the balance right for your plant. When you do you will be able to take great pride in being able to find a sustainable food source for your plant.
Winter Dormancy and Mealworms
When gardening there are good times to plant and not so good times to plant. These are usually determined by seasons. Carnivorous plants are no different. While they do not die off and return like typical garden plants, most of them do go through seasons. They consume less food and grow less.
Some carnivorous plants enter a dormant season. It is essential to research your plant so that you can watch for this. In most cases, this will happen during winter. This is when there is a natural lack of insects. There is no need to supplement your plant’s diet with mealworms during this time.
Some climates don’t have a dormant season. If you live in an area that does not have a “winter,” your plants may be adapting. Some species are known to grow and thrive year-round in conditions that support it. It is also worth mentioning that your plant may act as though it is winter despite the weather.
Knowledge Can Go a Long Way
Before feeding mealworms to your plant, you should understand its cycle. Some plants do not need to eat all the time. It will not hurt anything to try feeding them to your plant, but you don’t want to overfeed your plant.
When the temperature regularly drops to 50 degrees, Fahrenheit changes will happen. Your plant may retain its pitchers or traps. The leaves will turn brown and die off. This does not mean the plant has died. This is part of its natural cycle. If you are not sure, then try feeding your plant a mealworm a week for 3 weeks. Look for improvement.
If there has been no change in the temperature, then you should look at its food source. This may be a great time to try feeding mealworms to your plant. When your plant is in an area that does not have a lot of insects, mealworms are a clean and wholesome way to provide your plants with nutrients. Never feed your carnivorous plants standard plant food.
You do not need to fill each pitcher or trap with mealworms. Most plants will survive on a single mealworm being placed into a single trap or pitcher. If you see that your plant is not digesting the mealworms try making the pieces smaller.
It is always a good idea to research new ideas before incorporating them. People have been feeding mealworms to their carnivorous plants since they started growing them outside of the wild. The done in may seem new, but it happens all the time. For your plants mealworms are the best food source to keep them looking healthy
Mealworms are safe and hygienic. Feeding mealworms to your plants is ecofriendly. There is no waste or cleanup.
While you can indeed feed your carnivorous plants mealworms, it is highly suggested that you research and understand the natural diet of your plant before doing so. Make sure that you do not overfeed or damage your plants in the process. Having healthy plants can do more than just look great. Keep in mind that they are producing oxygen. Feeding them too much, even of a good thing can have unwanted consequences.
There may be some trial and error before you are able to succeed. This seems to be a common topic in the carnivorous plant community. Once you can master the process you will discover the value of this food source. It may sound farfetched, but you can indeed feed your carnivorous plants mealworms.
No two plants will be the same. Some will require more mealworms than others. If your plant is carnivorous then feeding it mealworms will not hurt, it. You may find that feeding your plant mealworms is a very inexpensive guaranteed healthy source of food.
Give your carnivorous plants some mealworms today! They are cost effective Your plants will look healthier. They will stand stronger and fuller. There is no way that you can go wrong by feeding mealworms to your plants.
