r/SavageGarden's Trade/Sale Thread (Spring 2026)

This particular bed is where I grow my sturdiest most storm-proof flava and moorei hybrids because it is front and center. The flava ('Lois' x 'Bontanique') is incredibly sturdy with roughly 2' tall pitchers. It takes a truly abusive storm to knock down even a few pitchers. It also tends to make a second round of tube growth later in the season, which I really like.

The goal is just to see which media supports the strongest growing seedlings and highest germination rates, in the case of growing with a smaller budget it would be good to know any effective substitutes for a more expensive media or the best option to invest in. This is just a first test run, eventually i’ll run a more thought out trial based on species and hybrid parentage by using media that emulates what they grow in in-situ and also the complete opposite. I also have not used any of these substrates besides LFS before with nepenthes seeds so this is a learning experience for me as well.

1. Long Fiber Sphagnum Moss- The safest most recommended option, no further comments. Seeds used: N. (Lowii x Boschiana) x TM

2. Coconut Chunks- Ive seen growers use this with success but i’m not sure of its effectiveness. When it comes to coconut products coco peat may be the safer option? I also added LFS to my mix for more moisture retention. Seeds used: N. (Eymae x Clipeata) x Veitchii Maliou

3. Tree fern fibers + Palm tree fibers and pumice- I decided to try this combination due to its effective moisture retention and as an alternative to peat, with added pumice for drainage. The fibers were collected from my own plants and sterilized, so I did not use the purchasable types which are generally more expensive than coco peat or sphagnum peat. Seeds used: N. (Eymae x Clipeata) x Veitchii Maliou

4. Pumice and Live Sphagnum moss- Meant to be a substitute or alternative for akadama and kanuma, but I realized early on that pumice does not hold moisture on the surface very well, so I added finely chopped live moss as a top layer, as well as a layer of LFS at the very bottom of the pot. Seeds used: N. (Eymae x Clipeata) x Veitchii Maliou

5. Live Sphagnum Moss- This is an attempt at mimicking where nepenthes seeds from species like N. Veitchii usually land and germinate in-situ. This one is definitely less cost effective and just fun to try. I specifically used a net pot to mimic the airflow the more epiphytic species get. The live moss is only a thin layer while the rest of the pot is filled with coco chunks and orchid bark, like moss pads on a tree branches, interested to see how the seeds will react to the fast growing moss. Seeds used: N. Veitchii Murud x Candy Striped x Candy & N. Veitchii Murud Striped x Candy Striped x Maliou

6. The Everything Bagel- This mix is just Lfs, peat moss, coco chunks, orchid bark, pumice, perlite, and lava rocks all thrown together. Making more with less. The results will speak for how effective it is with seeds, but it works will with my mature plants. Seeds used: N. (Lowii x Boschiana) x TM

Thank you for reading this far, I hope someone finds this post useful, and if you have any more interesting suggestions for a growing media let me know, I already do have a few in mind. Im aware of in-vitro but thats not exactly the goal here.

My VFTs showing off their summer "blush" 😂

When designing my vivarium for my frogs, I thought it'd be fun to add some carnivorous plants. I did not expect the plants to survive but I wanted to see how well they did. I had a Heliamphora, cape sundew, random pings, Cephalotus, and a random Utricularia I forget what type of.

Surprisingly the cape sundews all died the fastest. I thought they'd be the last to die or possibly even survive given how hardy they can be. I wondered if they simply got trampled or some other reason but I don't honestly know.

The Heliamphora was the next to die. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one since they have a reputation for being finicky but I hoped having it in a net cup with water from the water feature running through the roots would help. It did not.

The Utricularia is still alive but is struggling. I think if I put it in a different spot it might've had a better chance. This is the only one I might try again.

The Cephalotus did far better than I expected but I also had it on the background wall away from the ground. Regardless, it is currently in the process of rotting away which is what I expected to eventually happen in a high humidity environment meant for dart frogs.

The single survivor that seems to actually be doing "well" is the most surprising. The pings, both on the wall and around the water feature have survived seemingly unbothered. I thought they would be the first to go but for some reason they're the only ones that look at least relatively healthy. Not thriving, they have little to color but they are still actively growing and flowering.

A fun project I did in my garden a couple years ago. There's something about Sarracenia as rock garden plants that I find particularly appeals. Culturally they are bog plants, but aesthetically their architectural look pairs so beautifully with stone.

Caught this pic right after the jail doors closed.

Straight from California Carnivores and quite a lot actually compared to some etsy sellers selling a 1inch “plug” of it for over $30. Bought this for $15. I have so many plans for this

Just bought these today and the vft I’ve had for a few weeks now and has already put out a couple babies. Have 3 more coming Monday.

I have been wanting a Sun Pitcher for quite some time and decided to go a bit crazy and buy 4 (one seller gave me a bonus for free, so 5). I love in 9b Central Florida and plan to house them indoors. I see a lot of pics where people don’t have them in a terrarium, but rather just on the shelf. I am reading mixed information about the % of humidity they require, indoors even the care sheet I got with them from one seller doesn’t specify to put in a terrarium and just says should be 60 - 85% humidity. Any suggestions?

I accidentally snapped off a developing pitcher off the plant by accident in the last photo, I also decided to move the 3rd largest vine closer to the main cluster. Its truly incredible how large these plants can get, course I have wild nepenthes growing near my grandma's place in the Philippines but seeing it in action in CANADA of all places and IN MY 3RD FLOOR Balcony is a whole new level. The size of the plant is getting a bit overwhelming however..

3 week old seedlings!

Any advice on both shipped CPs (and general cape sundew care) would be greatly appreciated

I usually try and make it up here once or twice a year.

Happy Growing
Jeremiahsplants.com

Wanted to share how my first Nepenthes has grown over the years! I’ve had it for about three years now, and it’s finally flowering! The cross is Nepenthes spathulata × tentaculata.

I’m still fairly new to growing Nepenthes. Do I need to wait for the flowers to open before I can determine the plant’s sex?

Would you use this for sarracenia? HP PRO MIX with Mycorrhizae. I have some struggling n this is the fastest availability for me.

First house fly kill from these little sprouts in the moss bank!

he is sitting in a plastic pot in a tray of distilled water

he is under a glowrium light that’s on a 12 hr timer :3

I bought this from an aquarium store and its sold as a "carnivorous variety" so it doesn't really give much info on the specific names. Using Google lens said it is Drosera Filiformis, and it definitely looks like one, the plant I have trouble with. The tips are browning slowly.

I watched a handful of YouTube videos about caring for them, and I think it comes down to the water or the soil. I am using distilled water though. I have tried giving it 1/2" to 1" of water in the container under the plastic pot. I have tried simpl keeping it moist from above. And I have done both at the same time.

The soil is how I bought it, I changed nothing. An wonder if it's just bad soil with minerals? Since it is 1 of about 5 variety in that pot, I am not sure if they are all visible.

The plant gets lots of sunlight, but its not burning hot sunlight by any means. I have tried a large window as well as a smaller window, both with good but not blinding sunlight.

Also, there are obviously new things growing, so its not like the whole thing is simply dying. I can see lots of new baby growth. I just worry about why the larger grown leaves are browning.

Anyone have any recommendations? I did cut off some of the browning leaves in hopes it might fix the issue, but it didn't. Should I cut off the buds that are growing? I heard they take resources. Also, the last pic looks like tiny seeds fell off from when I did cut off some buds but I am not sure

Hey everyone!
I’m leaving for a short trip this week—departing Sunday at 3:00 PM and returning Wednesday at 8:00 PM.

I have two Nepenthes x ventrate kept in my garden. They are placed under a lilac tree, so they get bright, indirect light practically all day.

Since ventrate is usually pretty forgiving, do you think they'll be totally fine if I just give them a thorough watering right before I leave? Or should I set up a tray with a tiny bit of water / bring them indoors for those few days?

I got the two biggest sarracenia and one flytrap from a local nursery, and the rest came from California Carnivores, including the mystery sundew that was growing next to one of the flytraps I purchased. I sometimes will catch flies off my screened in porch and feed them to the flytraps. They are in a 20 gallon plastic pot, the first 1/3 of the pot is lava rock, then a aluminum screen as a barrier, followed by a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite with a sphagnum moss top. (Both dried and alive) The wood(pine) and other mosses came from my backyard woods and the needles and pinecones are from a white pine. They get rainwater and well water when its really dry and hasn't rained in awhile. I'm going to be setting up a rain barrel collection this autumn to switch it to all rainwater because now I want to build a even bigger bog! I'm in zone 7 and live in NC so based on my research they should be able to over winter here.