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Venus Flytrap Growing Guide |
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Venus Flytrap Growing Guide |
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"I had a Venus Flytrap, but it died"... Many people are introduced to Carnivorous Plants with a Venus Flytrap from a grocery or hardware store. It probably came with a plastic cup for a lid and may survive a little while, but the majority die. Most often, this is because people don't really understand what the plants need to survive. Then people assume they are impossible to grow - but flytraps are actually VERY easy to grow, once you learn a few basics. Truth is that the plant was half dead even before you got it, so it is no wonder you weren't able to keep it alive! Please read on and our experience will help you understand these fascination plants. Starting your collection with plants from DANGEROUS PLANTS ensures you have the best stock available.
General Do you think the Venus Flytrap is from a tropical country or steamy rainforest? Surprise - they are only native to NC & SC, in an area about 100 miles around Wilmington, NC! Have you seen the movie "Little Shop Of Horrors" and hope your plants may some day be large enough to capture small animals? Sorry, but a mature plant is usually six to eight inches in diameter, and that is the entire plant! The traps will usually be a maximum of 1 1/2 - 2 inches long. The leaves consist of leaf stems, or petioles, which are usually heart-shaped, and grow low to the ground during the winter. In the summer, they typically grow more elongated and upright. At the end of the petiole sits the "true leaf" or more commonly known, the "trap" The traps attract insects by secreting nectar along the margin of the traps. Inspect the inside of the trap and you should see 6 to 8 tiny trigger hairs. An insect needs to touch two hairs once, or one hair twice, in order to close the trap. This helps the plant conserve energy, by only closing when likely prey is in the trap. They will catch their own insects when growing outdoors, but you should feed them crickets if they are enclosed in a terrarium. DON'T feed your plants hamburger since this rots the traps and often leads to the death of the entire plant. Avoid the temptation of closing the traps for fun. Unlike muscular movement, this is a rapid growth process within the leaf. Each trap can only close a limited number of times. Once in a while isn't bad, but making a habit of it will actually weaken your plant, and may even kill it. In ideal conditions, the trap will close in less than a second. When an insect is caught, the trap will seal shut and begin secreting digestive juices. If nothing "edible" is in the trap, it will reopen in about a day. Prey is usually digested in 7-10 days and when the trap reopens, all that will remain is the shell of the insect. The typical habitat of the Venus flytraps is along the moist edges of bogs and sandy low areas. Growth begins in Spring when the plant sends out a rosette of small leaves and by April or May the plant is flowering. Cross pollinate the flowers and in six weeks, the flowers will begin to die, exposing the seeds. Let the flowers blacken before collecting the seeds. Unless you really want to see the flowers, we suggest you remove the flower spike, since it takes a lot of energy away from making traps. Summer arrives and the plant produces its largest leaves, typically on upright petioles. As autumn approaches, the plants again return to the compact, low rosette. During winter dormancy, the leaves typically die back to the ground level, and your plant will appear dead. In their native habitat, the Venus Flytraps enjoy a warm and humid summer, but still experiences cold winters, with occasional lows of 10 degrees F.
Growing Media / Pot Size Our flytraps grow best in plastic pots, in a 50/50 mixture of sphagnum peat moss (Canadian) and silica sand. Make sure not to use white or beach sand, since it is high in salts & calcium, which will kill your plants. Commercial plants grow in 2 and 3 inch pots, and the younger plants live in communal trays. Larger pots are used for the plants in our private collection - five or ten plants growing in a half gallon pot is an AWESOME sight! Cover the holes at the bottom of the pot with plastic mesh or some long-fibered sphagnum moss, to hold in the growing mix.
Temperature / Light GENERAL - VFT's grow well in temperatures ranging from 80 to 95 F. during the growing season. If your plants aren't getting enough light, they will have weak growth and the traps may fail to form correctly. Insect pests like aphids and spider mites attack these plants, so check deformed leaves closely, before assuming the problem is just insufficient light. Apply or Orthene or Isotox according to the directions If you have certain forms of the VFT that are supposed to be all red, you may wish to grow them outside. They frequently remain greenish inside, but will become completely red in sunlight, especially with the onset of cool evenings in the fall. OUTSIDE - VFT's can take full sun and the traps will frequently develop a lovely red hue. When first putting them outside in the spring, make sure to acclimate them (in the shade) for a week or more. If you live in an area where digging creatures are problematic, make sure to protect your plants, or they may become a squirrel's lunch! If you live in an exceptionally arid area, it may be easier to keep them inside, under lights. TERRARIUMS - A shop light can be placed over two 10 gallon tanks, placed long side to side, for spectacular results. You can also build a custom lid to fit on one tank. If you don't want to get complicated at all, flytraps do well in a south facing window during the growing season, but make sure you give them an adequate dormancy period. Forcing these plants to grow by keeping the photoperiod high will weaken, and possibly cause them to die. Just trust us on this, yes we have tried it! Artificial light is much less intense than sunlight, so that is why we suggest longer photoperiods than they get outside naturally. Attempt to mimic the seasons by gradually increasing the photoperiod to 14-16 hours for "summer" and back down to 8-10 hours for "winter". An appliance timer is especially helpful for this.
Watering / Humidity General - Try and keep the humidity at least 50%. Allowing tap water to sit out only removes chlorine, leaving the harmful salts and minerals behind, so you will have to find a way to get pure water for your plants. If your collection is just starting, you can collect plenty of water off your roof, in a five gallon bucket. Save a few empty milk jugs and once filled, store them away from direct light. Another good source of pure water is your dehumidifier. If your collection is quite large, you might wish to purchase a Reverse Osmosis unit, for a more reliable supply of water. These plants like a moist, but not waterlogged soil. They will tolerate a flood condition for a short time with no ill effect, but they may die if submerged for extended periods of time. They can also tolerate dry conditions, but it best to keep the soil evenly moist. Outside - During the growing season, most of our plants sit in trays filled with an inch of water. Periodically allow the trays to go dry, to kill mosquito and other bug larvae. It is almost impossible to over water them when they are actively growing. If you are going away, fill the trays as much as possible so they don't dry out in your absence. Terrariums - The trays commonly used under window box planters make excellent decorative trays for the windowsill grower. Spring to Fall your plants can be kept quite moist, but you don't need to keep them standing in water. While dormant, make sure to keep the media moist and not soaking wet. Previously plastic wrap was used to cover the tanks but we have switched to plate glass. The plastic can be a pain - rips, crinkling up, etc - but it does work just as well. An aquarium pump runs into each tank, to provide a little air flow.
Dormancy General - Venus Fly Traps need a dormancy period. The plants may continue to grow, but at a much reduced rate. During this time, the plants set the flower buds for the following year. More importantly, they just need a "break" and appreciate the rest. Outside - If you live in areas which don't get hard freezes, you can keep your plants outside. In more severe climates, you should heavily mulch your bog gardens, or keep potted plants in a cold frame. Rapid freezing and thawing can kill many CP, and mulching helps regulate the temps and reduces the wind at ground level. They don't need any light during dormancy and can be completely buried under 6 inches of leaves without any harm. With the onset of spring, remove the mulch, so they can resume growth. Terrariums - Reduce the photoperiod and move to a cooler part of the house. Single plants can be moved directly next to an east or west facing window. A cellar, garage or unheated porch works fine, as long as you keep them around 40 - 55 F. Decrease watering and keep barely moist.
Maintenance The traps have a limited life span and generally die after the second capture. Even if the traps haven't captured prey, they will die off naturally and the plant will continue to grow new leaves. The dead leaves should be removed and if fungus develops, apply Benomyl according to the directions. Repot at least every other year in the Spring.
Propagation
Seed Germination Seed is sown on the surface of 50/50 peat and sand mix. The seed requires a cold period, called "stratification" and this can be imitated by placing the pot in a sealed bag in your refrigerator. The seeds sprout in 4-6 weeks and even the the first young leaves have tiny traps! They sit 4-6 inches from standard shop lights, or outside in full sun, standing in 1/2 inches of water. From seed, it may take a flytrap 4 to 5 years to reach maturity and they can live several decades. |
