Carnivorous Plant Tray

I use the tray watering system for my carnivorous plants, but had lots of trays and pots all over the place. It was tricky to get the amount of water in every tray right, and the rate of evaporation was different, so it required frequent monitoring. Also, larger trays gave better humidity around the plants than smaller trays.

I was at the lumber store and spotted some free wooden pallets, and hit on the idea of using a pallet to make a tray for my carnivorous plants. With some pond liner to seal it, I made a nice wide tray with a consistent depth, humidity, and easy maintenance, and it looks tidy too.

Materials:
A wood pallet, free from lumber store
Saw
Hammer
Pond liner from pet shop. See step 5 for size.
Extra boards (optional)
Extra nails (optional)

Step 1 Take the boards and nails from the pallet

We'll only be using half of the pallet in this tutorial, so start by taking off all the boards you don't need. Try to keep the slats intact, because we'll use them later on to make the bottom of the tray. Keep the nails you pull out as well, unless you have some that you plan to use.

I pulled off all the slats except for two, which will be the start of the tray.

Comments

[Mattonator]

Dude, I am so jealous of your nepenthes and other carnivorous plants, I wish Australia stocked as many as America seems to. I have only recently got into gardening for a year or two and have a new fad for collecting carnivourous plants. The first one I got was from Bunnings wearhouse and this plant is thriving. The next one I got is from a specialized nursery in Brisbane and it is a huge climbing carnivourous pitcher plant. Also I am getting a venus flytrap for my Birthday. If you could recommend me some local shops that would be great, if not, can you just tell me what type of plants you have got (any Sundews or rare sucker plants) Great idea with the miniature ponds by the way and great instructable

[nibbler125]

iv never gotton those kind of plants to live for more than a few weeks

[meshula]

Getting them happy is a complicated thing. I've been practising for a long time. It is easier if you live in a warm place, and you have to get to know the plant. Some prefer sun, some shade. For sure, all of them like water, I'm keeping the trays in the picture about an inch (2.5 cm) deep all the time. A good place to start if you're interested is with Peter D'Amato's book Savage Garden.

[Dr_Remag]

I have had the same problem with them in the past, but I did some research on them and at the moment my fly traps (1 larger plant and about 3 smaller circles of them,4 if the leaf pulling takes root) and my purple pitcher plant are doing good. The Traps are all sprouting new stems as if the purple pitcher which is starting to turn purple from fully green from the store.

[greenevegiebeast]

what is your sorce for plants, I live in the great state of texas, and would love to get a few carnivours plants. HERE CITTY< HERE CITTY.

[Dr_Remag]

In my state I have found them at Lowes and sometimes Wal-Mart, though I do live in a state that shares a border with one of the Carolinas.

[meshula]

I got a lot from www.californiacarnivores.com. Other than that, I keep an eye out at hardware stores, sidewalk florists, and at Safeway(!) for mislabeled, or drying out plants that can be rescued. These days, they are propagating by themselves, which brings up the other source - trades with carnivorous plant enthusiasts!

[AubreeMarie]

Oh noes! Nailing and sawing with bare feets!!!
I'm horribly guilty of shoveling that way :( I've so far avoided any serious injury or maiming

[meshula]

Good point! I felt kind of klutzy when I saw the pictures, how embarrassing. :|

[corksean14]

Very cool. I asked if they had Venus Flytraps at Home Depot, the guy started laughing at me. "A plant that eats flies. riiiiiiiiiight...." Turns out they did have them, and he was too much of a jerk to check.

[thenear1send]

very cool instructables! nice job on the container, also nice job keeping all your plants alive! Ive never been successful with carnivorous plants.

Check out my instructable, How to Grow Peppers! Propagating Peppers!

[Weissensteinburg]

I love carnivorous plants!

[LabRat]

This is great! It's like a Venus Flytrap condo. Nice job.

[Thornburg]

I always love Sundew Plants. They are really are fascinating. Great work any way. 5/5 stared.

[skincage]

I'm surprised no one has commented yet. I think this looks great! I had a tank full of carnivorous plants when I was a kid, and I've thought about getting back into them as a hobby. I changed climates though, moving from the temperate south to the desert in Arizona. I'm wondering if I could get away with a similar setup here. Worth a shot, thanks for sharing.