Venus Fly Trap

[Destiny]

Hello, I'm interested in growing Venus Fly Traps. I have lots of experience with gardening but I've never owned a carnivorous plant. I live in planting zone 7a, would it be best to keep them outside, inside or maybe both? I've done research online but I'm looking for advice from someone who had owned one. Any advice you'd like to share is greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[Perch]

Outside is possible with boggy soil and mulching over for winter. Indoor is generally easier but they will need a cool period to allow at least 10 weeks of dormancy a year. That is the approach I take.

 

[Destiny]

Are those your plants? They're beautiful!

Thanks! I was leaning towards indoors. Did you buy your plants online? I cant find any place local that sells them. If you did, can you recommend a retailer? Do they do well in a/c? Oklahoma can have pretty warm summers, maybe that would work for the cool dormancy period?

 

[IcyBC]

Yesterday, I noticed that my mom has venus fly trap plant by her kitchen sink. They are still very young looking, so I didn't bother to take a picture. Somehow, flies kept coming inside her house even though there are screen doors, and screen windows whenever the doors are open.

My nephew bought her this venus fly trap plant, and I will keep an eye on this to see the process. I will tell my mom's about @Perch 's advice with the dormant time though.

 

[Destiny]

Yesterday, I noticed that my mom has venus fly trap plant by her kitchen sink. They are still very young looking, so I didn't bother to take a picture. Somehow, flies kept coming inside her house even though there are screen doors, and screen windows whenever the doors are open.

My nephew bought her this venus fly trap plant, and I will keep an eye on this to see the process. I will tell my mom's about @Perch 's advice with the dormant time though.

Thanks! Anything helps! I really don't want to blow it my first try and I find a lot of conflicting information. I've found direct advice is best.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Did you buy your plants online? I cant find any place local that sells them. If you did, can you recommend a retailer?

Carnivorous Plant Nursery

Sarracenia Northwest

Predatory Plants

 

[Perch]

I have seen them recently in both Meijer and Walmart. I got mine from Meijer and I keep it in a glass jar terrarium.

 

[daisy]

I only learned what not to do with a venus fly trap, unfortunately.
I got mine at the garden centre at the grocery store. I probably should have moved it to a bigger pot, because the one it came in was quite small and I think it ended up getting too dry.
We kept it on the windowsill, since we live in a basement apartment and I thought it was too small to leave it outside.
The direct sunlight must have been too much combined with the small pot and it shriveled and died

 

[noodle]

I've only ever had them as indoor plants. They've been relatively easy to care for indoors. We don't get many flies inside but they don't really need that much sustenance. We just kept them out of direct sunlight (still in the warm though) and gave them occasional water (maybe every two days, or just when they looked thirsty).

 

[w_r_ranch]

Here are the 'cliff notes' on their care/requirements:

Water
Use only rainwater or distilled water. Venus Flytraps require very pure water. Your tap water is likely to be too high in dissolved solids (minerals & salts) that may kill a Venus Flytrap, possibly within weeks. Always keep your Venus Flytraps moist, but never soggy for long, & never dry. One way to accomplish this is to water thoroughly from the top or by allowing water to soak into the medium from the bottom through the drainage hole & then allow the planting medium to dry until it is just moist before watering again.

Soil
Venus Flytraps must have a particular kind of soil that is poor in nutrients & slightly acidic. They will very likely die in "potting soil" or soil from your garden or yard. Their soil must be like the soil in their natural habitat: acidic & with almost no nutrients, moisture retentive but well drained. It's best to use pure shagnum peat moss (no other kind of "moss") mixed with a more or less equal amount of silica sand (not beach or river or "play" sand) and/or perlite.

Sun
Venus Flytraps are sun lovers & in general, the more direct bright sunlight you give them, the healthier they will be. However, if the sides of a planter become very hot in full sun, try to cool the planter so that the roots don't overheat or burn. One way to do this without depriving the Venus Flytrap of the sun it wants and needs, is to place the planting container inside another larger container, with perlite filling the space between the two to insulate the inside container. Another way is to plant the Venus Flytrap in a styrofoam container (like a 16 or 20 ounce insulated beverage cup) or in a polyurethane foam planter.

Fertilizer
Don't do it!!! Fertilizer will burn the plants' roots and kill them. Venus Flytraps get all the nutrition they need from the sun (through photosynthesis like any plant) & from the insects they catch. If they are healthy & if you put them outside sometimes to 'hunt', they will catch insects on their own. You can also feed them captured flies or other insects (but not meat). It helps to place a captured fly in a glass bottle that is very cold for a few minutes to make the fly lethargic. Use tweezers to hold the drowsy fly by a wing, then place the fly in a trap & move it a little to stimulate the trigger hairs near the middle of the trap, which should cause a healthy trap to close. Don't close the traps over & over again, because it can only snap shut a few times (perhaps half a dozen) before it won't respond anymore.

Dormancy
Venus Flytraps must have a rest period of a few months every year. When the days become shorter & cooler in the fall, the plants begin to slow down, not grow as much & the traps begin to be sluggish. During dormancy Venus flytraps should be kept cool... it is better to keep them above freezing: 40°F to about 55°F degrees at night, although they can be warmer at times during the day, but should be cool to cold most of the time. An unheated porch or garage can work for most people. Venus fly traps should not be watered nearly as often because they don't need as much water during their dormancy. Carefully cut off any traps that turn black (this is natural). During dormancy a healthy Venus Flytrap can look almost dead on top, but assuming it has not dried out completely nor rotted from too much water, it is healthy & will begin to grow vigorously again in the spring.

 

[Destiny]

I have seen them recently in both Meijer and Walmart. I got mine from Meijer and I keep it in a glass jar terrarium.

Does it do well in the terrarium? I was thinking about getting that comes with a dome but I've read a lot of conflicting things in articles but I'd rather hear experiences from someone that has one.

 

[w_r_ranch]

I would not recommend that you even try that until you get a feel for their needs.

Terrariums (enclosed containers) introduce problems/challenges to growing Venus flytraps successfully. Terrariums are not recommended for beginners (even experienced growers often prefer to avoid using terrariums as growing environments). Problems include overheating (lack of air movement), water stagnation (lack of drainage) & the concentration of fungal/bacterial microbes that can cause infection & rot (terrariums by their nature tend to encourage fungal & sometimes bacterial growth).

 

[Destiny]

I would not recommend that you even try that until you get a feel for their needs.

Terrariums (enclosed containers) introduce problems/challenges to growing Venus flytraps successfully. Terrariums are not recommended for beginners (even experienced growers often prefer to avoid using terrariums as growing environments). Problems include overheating (lack of air movement), water stagnation (lack of drainage) & the concentration of fungal/bacterial microbes that can cause infection & rot (terrariums by their nature tend to encourage fungal & sometimes bacterial growth).

That's what pretty much everything I've read has said too. Thanks for the advice, I won't do that because just a week ago the only thing I knew about Venus Fly Traps was the name. I'm definitely not experienced enough with the plant for that.

 

[noodle]

I tried succulents in a terrarium once. It didn't end well! They looked lovely for about two weeks then things went downhill. All of what w_r_ranch said is so logical but it never occurred to me when the idea initially came to me.