Grow Your Own Venus Fly Trap

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The first known recorded history comes from a letter written in 1763 by Arthur Dobbs, then governor of North Carolina, who reported that the plant was a great wonder. At that time, they were much more commonly found in the wild. A Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that is native to the United States. The plant gets its name from its unique trap, which is triggered by insects or other small animals that touch it. The trap snaps shut, trapping the victim. The plant then secretes digestive enzymes that break down the prey, providing the plant with nutrients. While the Venus flytrap is generally a hardy plant, it does require some care to keep it healthy. One important task is to force the plant into dormancy in the winter. This ensures that the plant does not die from the cold weather. There are a few different ways that you can force a Venus flytrap into dormancy. One method is to simply stop watering the plant and allow it to dry out. Another method is to place the plant in a cool, dark place for several weeks. Once the plant has entered dormancy, it is important to not disturb it. This means no watering, no moving it, and no fertilizing. The plant will remain in this state until spring, when it will begin to grow again.

Grow Your Own Venus Fly Trap: Learn Care and Feeding of a Grow Your Own Venus Fly Trap: Learn Care and Feeding of a

This is a great choice because it also includes a drip tray that can be used to water your plants from the bottom. You’ll also want to be absolutely sure that the plant has good ventilation, as inhibited airflow can lead to disaster. Fungicides may be applied, but because the Venus flytrap is rather delicate, this should be avoided if possible. Root Rot Use a shallow planting flat or individual two- to four-inch pots with drainage holes, and fill them to the brim with the potting mixture. Moisten the potting mix with distilled water, and press it down into the container to drain off any excess.

How To Put Your Venus Fly Trap Into Dormancy

The two major signs of too little light are droopy leaves and inside of the plant loosing its characteristic red color. If you notice these problems try giving your plant more light. When growing indoors, the plant requires typical “sunny room” house plant treatment. For optimum growth, place near a sunny window that receives at least four to six hours of direct light, and ten to twelve hours of indirect light. It can survive in lower light, but the foliage may not be as robust and bright. See: Growing Houseplants Soil & Water – How To Grow A Venus Fly Trap Indoors Trim away any dead or dying leaves and traps, and use a sharp pair of clean scissors to remove any affected parts of the rhizome or roots. You can dust the rhizome with a sulfur-based fungicide or neem extract if you’re concerned about infection. A Venus flytrap needs lots of bright sunlight for proper growth. This usually means giving them the sunniest window in your home or an equally bright spot outside. One word of caution, if temperatures are above 90°F outside the sunlight may be a bit too intense for the plant and potentially fry the leaves. In these high temperatures look to give the plant lots of indirect light. Remove the seeds and utilize them as soon as possible. You don’t need to stratify or store your venus flytrap seeds for a later date for best results. In fact, using them immediately means they are at their most viable and most likely to germinate!

Venus Flytrap Seeds: Grow Your Own Carnivorous Plant! - AZ Venus Flytrap Seeds: Grow Your Own Carnivorous Plant! - AZ

Plan to feed one insect per plant every four to six weeks as over-feeding can cause damage, leading to die-off. It’s also important to only choose insects that are small enough to fit completely inside the trap.Venus flytraps undergo dormancy when they are exposed to temperatures below 45 F for several weeks. Venus fly trap require carnivorous plant soil, distilled water, and pots that do not leach minerals to the ground Be sure to position the lights so they are close enough to provide light, but not so close that they scorch the plants. Growing Tips

Dionaea muscipula|Venus flytrap/RHS Gardening Dionaea muscipula|Venus flytrap/RHS Gardening

One important note when watering is to use distilled or rainwater. You don’t usually want to use water directly from the tap as the build up of minerals from this water can kill your plant. It’s okay on occasion, but don’t make it a habit and look to repot each year to prevent mineral buildup. Feeding Your Venus Flytrap Growing the fly trap plant indoors as a houseplant is not difficult. Although its name may make one think it comes from outer space, the plant is actually native to the coastal Carolinas. The name Venus was given to it in honor of its beautiful foliage and tiny white blooms. Bloom which were thought to resemble the planet Venus in the sky at night. If you have a heat mat, you can place the pots or flat directly on it and keep the temperature at a consistent 80 to 85°F. Warmth is extremely important in helping the seeds to germinate. Self-pollinate when your flytrap is blooming; move pollen from anthers to center stigma for pollination If your plant lives outdoors, then it’ll take care of feeding itself. However, if your Venus fly trap is a houseplant, then you’ll need to give it a bug to eat every 1-2 weeks.Not only will the distinct foliage of this insect trapping plant add a touch of interest to your interior space, the fact it can trap and consume flies and mosquitoes will have visitors begging for a demonstration every time they visit! There are very few insects that will bother your Venus flytrap, and most that will are common among houseplants and garden plants alike. Nectar is secreted inside the lobes. When an insect is lured by the nectar, it lands on the trap and begins to feed. In animals, there is a lot of hibernation and discontinuation. They require rest and energy to function properly as the growing season approaches. As a result, if they did not go dormant, they would die. In the case of your Venus flytrap, you can skip it if you are comfortable that it will die within three to five years. If you’ve tried these options and you’re still seeing gnats, you may need to completely repot the plant in fresh soil and a disinfected pot.