Worms okay for carns?

Hello, a newbie here. Recently got some VFTs and pitcher plants. I have them in an inclosed porch. Is it okay to feed them pieces of worms or grubs? Since they eat dirt, I didn't think it would be a good idea, but thought I'd ask.
Next year I'm wanting to start an out door bog with carnivorous plants, researching still on that one. But have an idea of what needs to be done. Just hope our Nebraska weather and humidity doesn't do me in. Thanks for any advice!

I'd be a little bit concerned that a worm would be too much for a VFT. Might kill your trap. Same deal with a big fat grub or a slug. I've never stuck any of those down the tube of a Sarracenia before but when I've dissected them, I generally find flying insects and a few daddy long legs.

Thanks Equilibrium, i didn't think that would be a good idea. Somewhere i did read that a cricket would be okay, i'd imagine you would have to cut it up, unless it's small.
In our d-mail visit, i mentioned that this process scares me for the work involved, still feel that way, but am going to go for it anyway. Wish i was home more to have the time! Don't have enough money to buy any time either!

Ahh, if only we had enough money to buy ourselves more time. I know exactly what you mean. If it makes you feel any better... I start a lot of projects where my husband claims I have more money than brains which he also claims isn't saying a whole lot considering how little money I've got. Glad you've decided to go for it.

If i'm understanding things that i've read, sounds like i need to have cps in pots to bring in for winter for stronger plants the following season. Don't really have a place to do that, could i just build a mini plastic greenhouse over the bog? We do have an unattached garage this is insulated, but unheated. It stays fairly warm in there, but when we get below zero, it does freeze. There are small windows, one each on the south and west. Guess i'm confused on what would be best. I really don't want to have to pull pots up, much rather plant and leave them there. I have too many other things i have to dig up and store in the basement closet.
Hey, i have an idea Equilibrium! It would be perfect for your traveling adventures, (nothing selfish here:-)), you could come help me! Cool, perfect idea, oh, wait a minute, i guess i'm having one of those one-sided conversations with myself again, dang it anyway.
I do need to make my list of the hardiest of these plants yet also. All for now thanks

This is what I used to do. I set them on shelves in front of windows. Only difference being that our garage is heated to avoid temps dropping below freezing but... I know a lot of people that overwinter in unheated garages with no supplemental heat and also in window wells quite successfully. All you have to do is check on the plants regularly to make sure they are slightly damp... not moist.

Now, if you have a decent bog many plants can make it with heavy layers of white pine mulch to break freeze/thaw cycling. A mini greenhouse over the top would help too. You'll have to experiment.

You'll be fine. Besides which, I was just out to Scott's Bluff when we flew out to visit southeastern South Dakota so it's going to be a while before we go back. Bummer, wish I had known you before we were out there.

I guess i'll wind up trying both and just see what happens. About pine needles; we have some pines, but not white. Do you prefer white because they are softer, or are they more acidic?

They are longer and cut up nicer. Generally they are more abundant than other species because of their distribution. Easy to identify because of the number of needles in the sheeth. A nice 5" layer of them tends to be able to be rolled up and lifted off nicely the next spring in a mat form sort of like sheering a sheep without disturbing the plants underneath. They also allegedly leach more acid into the medium underneath.

Okay, i'm sinking myself. Started digging a kidney bean shape that i will be able reach from all sides. Am telling myself "go two feet down, go two feet down". Are bogs suppose to be so wet that you can see evidence of water on the surface? So many questions keep coming to mind. I know i'm being a worry wort, just want it to be worth me efforts. thanks
Just saw your message, there aren't many white pines around here. Will look around though.

Work woman! Work. Build muscles!

Sounds like a nice game plan to be able to reach all areas of your bog.

I grow a plant called P. psittacina. I think you would like it. I tend to spot this near a depression/slope such as what you are describing above because psittacina seems to really like being low and wet when it is actively growing. You can also plant some really nice temperate droseras in depressions too. Something to play with in the future but no need to worry about it now.

Please think carefully before you slash any holes in the bottom of the liner. Once you do that, there is no going back. None of mine have holes in the bottom.

Well i got my hole dug. Two feet and better in some places, while digging, i found it to be a bit like cutting hair, just a little bit more to even it out... I just dumped one of those big honking bags of peat in it (minus the 4 1/2 foot long black snake that was in it, open bag you know). If i were to fill it with just that, i bet it would take at least 15 of those, what have i done!??
New question? Since it is so deep, can i get away with putting concrete sand in the bottom half. What i saw here, was mainly half the size of pea gravel, then on up. There is a sand pit near by that i have permission to get some clean sand, i would be loading the truck with a shovel though. That's why i was wondering about buying some of the concrete sand, and have them load it! Plus it has already been washed, so i wouldn't have to spend so much time cleaning it, hopefully just a couple of rinses.
There's a chance of rain tonight. So i took some old guttering that we had behind the shed, connected them to the house downspout so it would run into the "developing" bog.
Am so hoping the concrete sand would work... Thanks

Yes, they do seem to take quite a few bales of sphagnum don't they.

I've got some good news and some bad news for you. Sure, you can use the sand they use for mortar. The pre-washed sand I have bought is a joke though. Took me well over 10 rinses to get the water to run clear and I resorted to rinsing it in a wheel barrel so I could set elevate it and let the water run off the edge while I swished and swished and swished and swished and lost all the hair on my arms kneading it like dough. I just finished cleaning a half a load of sand and have it stashed in 5 gallon buckets every where. I was not a happy camper. Took me a whole weekend.

Right about now it sounds as if you have one helluvabighole. Before you lose the joy of this project, back off of the sand you were going to use and go with 50/50 rinsed sand/perlite mixed into your Canadian spagnum peat. Lots of people do this and their plants looks absolutely wonderful. Now perlite does have a tendency of floating up and out with heavy rains so you might want to set aside a reserve of rinsed sand/sphagnum for the top 3" or so. That will help with the white stuff taking off on you.

Connecting to the downspouts was an excellent move! Way to go! Now get a disperser (sp?) for the end of the downspout.

A disperser? I presume a method of spreading the water out. I wondered how i was going to water it once it's full, gave thought to putting black pvc pipe in 3 or 4 areas, (with holes in the pipe), but was wondering what would happen if i channeled the gutter there, and we had a heavy rain.
Another question: Do i need to make this very level? Wouldn't i need a low side for run off? (Well more than one more question) I'm planning on having it at least a couple inches above soil level, to keep run off from getting into it, sooo,
do i fill the bog all the to the top with the peat, sand and pines needles, so when it does rain, i won't have it flooded?
I like the perlite idea for the bottom part. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!! kathy

I call it a disperser but I really don't know what you call it. It's this thingie that fits on the end of the gutter that you can arrange on top of the bog like a snake with water splurting out of it along the way from little holes. For our gutter that we diverted toward a bog, we lined it with some sort of mesh and it does have perforations once it hits the bog although it's solid black tubing (not rigid) up to the bog. I think it's 4". It runs the entire length of the bog. Gosh, it's been a while since I saw that but I remember being concerned about it filling with debris and ceasing to be functional and figured I'd take hardware cloth and line the inside. My husband thought it was a ridiculous idea but said to try it. I can't remember if we went with the hardware cloth which was my idea or something else that was his idea now. Also too, I keep an eye on the bog that has the rain gutters diverted to it. We got over 10 inches of rain in a very short period of time after having already received quite a bit of rain so I simply detached the pvc from the downspout. There is an area where you can detach it before it was trenched under ground. I've done this at least twice that I can think of... in my bare feet and bathrobe sopping wet after shining a flashlight toward the bog and realizing it was either detach the pvc from the downspout or try to find the plugs in pitch dark. The plants would have survived it but I'm sort of anal about my bog.

Sadly, the disperser and the gutter extensions only work when you have rain. I collect rain from other gutters. I have several barrels. Because of this, I have white 4" pvc pipes that go down vertically into the bogs down into the pea gravel so that I can fill from them without disturbing the plants. I just hook a hose up to one of the spigots on a rain barrel and run it over to the hole. Not a professional means by which to water during droughts but it works.

Mine are elevated above grade by several inches. We used to have a lawn service and I was afraid of chemicals getting in them. It also made it easier to toss car tarps over them when the lawn service came because I'd just tuck the tarps under the edges. I canceled the lawn service. Something about my kids rolling around and playing leap frog in chemicals didn't sit well with me. I think if I had it all to do over again, I'd only elevate them around an inch or two above grade instead of 3 - 4.

A few inches of pea gravel for the bottom but a sand/perlite/peat mix for the middle layer I guess topped off with a few inches of sand/peat. That white perlite looks nasty when it rains real heavy and floats over and out of pots and it would do the same thing in a bog.

One of mine is filled to the top but I didn't plan it that way. It just sort of happened over the years of adding plants plus debris from the white pine needles. The others are a few inches from the top. They'll fill in over time. You might not want to fill it to the brim so to speak.

I have holes in my liners all the way around the sides about 6" to 8" from the rim. Again, it's been a while but I think I spaced the holes at around a 12" a piece around the perimieter of the bog. I have plugs for these holes. You can use old wine bottle corks which happen to be easier to see that store bought black plugs. If you have a liner, you can reinforce the area where you are going to make a hole by using an adhesive and some scrap liner. I usually pull out the corks the end of summer and stick them back in once the plants begin active growth again in spring. I can also pull a few corks if we get torrential rains. This way my plants can't flood out unless I want them to. If the water hits that level, it drains out into the surrounding soil. Carnivorous plants aren't aquatic. They are adaptable to seasonal flooding but they'd fizzle out in no time flat if your bog was under water all the time.

I don't think a bog needs to be level. Mine are but I don't see a need for that. If your bog isn't level, you'll have a lower area without having to make a depression for growing some species that like it wetter.