7 Great Tips for Growing Rainbow Plants (Byblis)
If you love planting exotic species of flowers you might want to try your hand at the carnivorous Rainbow Plant. Here are 7 great tips for growing Ranbow plants (Byblis) better.
What Is a Rainbow (Byblis) Flower
Have you ever heard of it? It is a small elegant, beautiful, and delicate carnivorous plant. It relies on catching small insects and bugs to feed. Moreover, the plant produces elegant flowers and bright leaves that gleam in the sunlight. The shimmering attracts small insects that the plant feeds on for survival.
The plant, which is native in western and northern Australia, is called the rainbow plants because there are seven documented species one of every color of the rainbow. The plant grows branching with a slender stem around where narrow leaves protrude.
If you don’t know the plant well, you might confuse it with sundews due to similarities in the flowers. However, the plant is more closely related to the butterworts plant in that they have similar digestive glands and the flower structure.
Rainbow Plant Growing Tips:
Growing the plant at home requires a lot of attention. This is because the plant is delicate and requires very specific requirements for it to germinate and grow.
So, if you want to have the plant in your garden, here are some growing tips you should follow:
Rainbow Plant Soil:
The soil is helpful for nutrient supply and germination. For the plant to grow well, it requires two parts of sand and one part of peat. You can also have the perlite, lava rocks, and pumice. Put the soil in a 6- 10 inches glazed ceramic container or a drained plastic pot. Once you have that, it’s time to germinate.
Rainbow Plant Germination:
Like previously said, the plant is unique and delicate. It does not grow like other plants. Instead, it uses fire or smoke exposure to prepare the seeds for germination chemically. That explains why the plants sprout mostly after wildfires clear an area.
You can also create a smoking condition at home. You do that by first placing the seed in the moist soil and then using a burning stick, grass, or paper fan the smoke towards where you have planted the seeds. After that, cover the seed to germinate. It usually sprouts within 2-3 weeks.
These Are The Etsy Sellers We Get Our Rainbow Plant Seeds From
The plant doesn’t require much in terms of the sunshine and warmth. It does well under full or partial sunlight. In the wild, the plant does well in tropical climates. If you are to planting outside, you should have an annual span of 7 to 8 months of warm weather for it to strive.
Rainbow Plant Watering:
To water the plant, you need to use the tray method. It is where you have a tray underneath the vessel with the plant to ensure the pot is wet all the time. The plate allows the soil to be damp but not permanently waterlogged.
It is important to note that you don’t use normal water to water the plant. The plant requires you to use collected rainwater, distilled or reversed osmosis water. The good thing is that you can find the water in your nearest grocery store or make a system to produce the water at home. You and the pets at home can drink this water too.
Fertilizing The Rainbow Plant:
The plant does not need many nutrients for growth and germination. That explains why it grows in soil with inadequate nutrients. If you want to accelerate the growth and make the plant healthy, you can apply the Maxsea fertilizer once a month.
Rainbow Plant Feeding:
Since you have the plant at home, you might think you need to feed the plant with insects and small bugs, right? You don’t have to worry about feeding. The plant naturally sustains its feeding through the glands it secrets to attract and digest the insects. Once the plant germinates, leave the rest to nature.
Moving A Rainbow Plant:
At times, for some reason, you might need to move the plant from one place to the other. It is advisable to give the plant time to germinate and grow before you move it. That is because the plant is sensitive, and moving can stress the plant, which can lead to death. If you have to, uproot the plant carefully avoiding any shaking and add in some Vitamin B1 before moving the plant to another vessel.
An Interesting Fact About the Rainbow Plant
The plant produces two distinctive glands that aid in luring and digesting the insect or bug to feed on it.
The first one is the shimmering sticky glue that glows to attract mosquitos, bugs, and small flies. Once the insect sets thinking it is nectar, it sticks. In the process of struggling, it suffocates and dies. The other gland, sessile, is scattered flat on the leaves and act to dissolve the dead insect’s soft tissues.
There is also an existing symbiotic relationship between the plant and other assassin bugs wherein the plant acts as a host and attracts insects for the bugs.
Once the plant’s sticky gland traps the insect, the bug goes ahead and digests the insect then defecates on the plant. The plant, in the end, feeds on the manure for nutrition. Sounds interesting, right?
What We Learned While Writing 7 Great Tips for Growing Rainbow Plants (Byblis)
If you love to have beautiful and exotic flowers in your home or garden, then the carnivorous rainbow plant is the one for you. The plant is gorgeous yet delicate with elegant white and lovely pink flowers. The bright leaves shimmer light making it attractive to insects and your eyes too. The plant is sensitive and delicate to grow and handle. It requires the unique condition of the soil, germination, and watering also.
The above tips on how to grow the rainbow (Byblis) plant give you the highlights of what to do and also what to avoid when growing the beautiful plant in your backyard.
