This is where many growing these plants inside their homes will go wrong, as they will be tempted to feed far more frequently than is actually required. 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. dormancy is important for Venus flytraps because they need it to grow. Cutting dormancy for two to three years in a row can kill a plant. If you need to skip dormancy, a plant can grow faster in some circumstances, such as when planting seeds. The death of a plant is the most serious side effect. When the appropriate climate is present, the seeds will most likely go dormant. However, by the time the child reaches the age of two or three, he or she can skip dormancy for the first year. Flytraps of Venus are known to live for up to 20 years. 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. Snapping the traps shut - I know I said above not to tease the plant, but it is an interesting experiment to touch the leaves once or twice and watch them snap shut. You could extend this by touching various parts of the traps and leaves. Do they snap shut when you touch just the hairs? How about the inside of the trap and not the hairs? What if you touch only one hair and not multiple? What if you disturb the non-trap leaves? Experiment by touching various parts of the plant in different ways.

Here is a guide to pot dimensions for a mature fly trap (seedlings can grow in much smaller containers) 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! When it comes to watering, less is more. The fly trap plant will usually require watering about once every two weeks. The peat moss mix will do a good job of keeping moisture around the roots. But overwatering can oversaturate the roots and can kill the plant in the process. This is exactly why fertilizing your plant’s soil or leaves is a big no-no. For starters, it will not provide any nutrition to the plant at all. Instead, it will usually create a soil mix that is too rich for the plant, causing its demise.Most Venus flytraps are relatively small, growing only four to eight inches tall with the exception of the long stalks the blossoms form on, which can be about 12 inches in height. The traps are typically three-quarters of an inch to one inch long. Solution:Keep a close eye on the water content of your soil. Make sure to not let it dry out, though the plants must also not be sitting in more water than the soil can readily absorb. In their natural environment, they catch their prey from the environment around them with the trapping structures at the ends of their leaves, which are triggered by tiny, sensitive hairs on their inner surfaces. 3 Volkov, A. G., Adesina, T., Markin, V. S., & Jovanov, E. (2008). Kinetics and Mechanism of Dionaea muscipula Trap Closing. Plant Physiology, 146(2), 323–324. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.107.108241 Ask yourself; are the materials you’re using devoid of any dust, dirt, or minerals? If you’re unsure, thoroughly clean your glassware, drainage material, and hardscape. Step 2 – Drainage & Substrate Layers We take growing seriously. That's why we've invested our time and resources to thoroughly test our seeds and attempt to grow them before approving each batch for sale. Because nothing is sadder than a seed that won't sprout, and we like you too much to let that happen.

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 If you want to get technical, the total dissolved solids (TDS) measurement within the water needs to be less than 50 ppm. King Henry': An excellent starter plant for newcomers to carnivorous plants, Dionaea muscipula 'King Henry' is large, fast-growing, and hardy in Zones 5–9 (with protection in colder areas). It has green leaves and large traps with red interiors. This flytrap grows up to 5 inches tall.Providing your Flytraps aren’t in dormancy, nor should they be, place your terrarium under artificial grow lights set to high intensity. Ensure your plant goes dormant every year: Dormancy is required for the survival of the plant plus it promotes growth during the growing season (spring/summer) One option is to create your own growing medium that consists of sphagnum peat moss and perlite in a ratio of 2:1. It’s easiest just to buy suitable peat-based mixes as these will give you the correct ratio. There are also a number of peat-less mixtures available, and many gardeners are moving to this. This has less of an environmental impact so is good for those looking to reduce their footprint. There are several different cultivars of the Venus fly trap, with some known to grow far larger than others. If you want your Venus fly trap to be as big as possible, these are the cultivars to look into: Large spikes on the edges of the laminae overlap to form a cage. Over the course of a few days to a week, the soft tissues of the organism are digested and the laminae reopen, using the remaining parts, such as exoskeletons, to lure more insects.

When it comes to feeding Venus fly traps, the most important thing of all to remember is that less is more. References Their habitat is fragile, and clearing weeds or brush, trimming trees, or draining water surrounding the plants can easily kill them. They require a dormancy period in the winter month if you would like to have them live for many years. Follow this link to learn more about the dormant period.. Follow this link to learn more about the dormant period. Venus flytraps are among a small group of plants that are carnivorous or meat-eating. Also in this group are the sundew, pitcher plant, and bladderwort. These plants typically grow in poor soil conditions, necessitating additional nutrients from an outside source (bugs and other small creatures). They still get all their energy from the sun and moisture from rainfall, but their fertilizer so to speak comes from ingesting prey. Venus flytraps should receive 12 hours of direct sunlight to grow it their full potential. But, they can live a healthy life with a minimum recommended amount is 6 hours of direct/indirect sunlight.The downside to growing the plant outdoors is that you may end up compromising on size. This is down to how inconsistent outdoor conditions can be.