I have one of these and need some help with info. I have read several things on this plant which are saying diff. things. Fertilize don't fertilize, sit in water don't sit in water. I also need to know how to let it go dormant. I can't put it outside it will get to cold. I don't know where to put it in the house because I don't think it will be cool enough. Does it have to go dormant or can I just let it keep growing? Can they get to many insects?
Venus Fly Trap
Equilibrium
Aug 06, 2006
When trying to research information on cultural requirements for your plant, search under Dionea muscipula. That will be a big help.
Here's a site for you to sink your teeth into-
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html
I am of the school that you shouldn't fertilize your fly traps and I'll stick to that for my growing conditions however I've had the chance to experiment a little bit and lost quite a few in the process. There are those who do fertilize and they are successful in doing so therefore I truly believe everyone needs to find their own way. Maybe you could try fertilizing a few and leaving a few to trap their own nutrients and see what you think and share with us.
If your plants are in pots, you are correct in that your area is too cold to leave them outside. I have a few that are in the ground year round with heavy mulch and polar fleece and that seems to break the freeze/thaw cycles that kill them. And, yes... my VFTs that remain outside all year round do freeze but best not for your to push the limits just yet. For you, I'd recommend a nice deep window well to your home or I'd suggest you place your plant in your unheated garage by a window. You'll want to keep it damp throughout the winter months not moist. Moist will kill it off based on my personal experiences.
If your plant is really young, I suppose you could let it skip one year of dormancy providing you brought it in and stuck it under lights or placed it in a nice bright window that receives lots of natural sunlight. If you have a screen on the window, remove it. I still don't recommend this with a temperate species. It's just not as nature intended and I think you are asking for your plant to stress and succumb to some sort of a pathogen which would result in your plant going to VFT heaven.
Equil,
Thank you so much for the information. I got her at the Wally World and it is the only one I have. My sister had one and so did someone she knew and they lost all of them. Mine is the only one left. She has caught three flies in the last week. She sits in a window in a cup on top of rocks and seems to do okay. I trust that the little cups that turn black as supposed to do so. It seems every time ones does a new comes on.
Equilibrium
Aug 07, 2006
I'd pinch off those black traps.
It took me a while but I found something I wrote earlier this year for somebody else in another forum here by us when the subject of Dionaea being temperate came up and how to grow them in zone 5 as well as a few other miscellaneous questions. Perhaps this might help you too-
Quoting:
Yes, they get large enough to eat Japanese Beetles and I've even had a few trap tree frogs.
Yes, they bloom. Dainty white flowers that are quite understated yet attractive. Best to nip the flowers off the first few years until they establish.
I wouldn't necessarily refer to Dionaea as a hardy perennial as it won't make it in zone 4 or cooler even with protection. I would definitely say it can withstand our brutal weather conditions provisional upon some accommodations for our vicious freeze thaw cycles. Two ways to do this, a nice thick layer of white pine needles or polar fleece. I've used both, both appear to work equally well and can be peeled off mid March. I also forgot to protect them one year and they still came back.
Their size depends on many factors. Some cultivars are larger than others. Straight species and hybrids tend to perform better in zone 5 which lends credibility to the "hybrid vigor" adage. They're best planted in full sun. They must never be allowed to dry out. These are a wetland species for all practical purposes. I address their high moisture requirements by planting mine in bogs or rain gardens. Bogs are nothing more than fancy flower beds in which you have a mix of rinsed sand and Canadian sphagnum peat. You can sink anything in your ground to create a bog from an old bathtub, to a kiddie pool, to an epdm liner, to a stock tank, or even an animal feed trough which is what I used in the photo below. I divert gutters as well as the discharge from sump pumps to some areas where I have bogs.
I grow these plants not so much for myself but to pass out to kids. No better way to get kids hooked on the sciences than by giving them a plant that intrigues them that could in theory be planted near the base of one of their rain gutters outside year round. I enjoy these plants for a few reasons but mostly for their low maintenance. Truly, once you dig out an area for your bog/rain garden and fill it with the appropriate medium... you're done other than keeping them watered. Rain water is best. They don't need fertilizer. They co-evolved in nutrient deficient environments. These plants satiate their nutrient requirements by "digesting" insects, mites, and arachnids. Simply stated, their roots are very shallow and are basically there to ground them and uptake water. If you fertilize them, they will die.
If you two want to try a few, you might want to consider purchasing them from here- [HYPERLINK@www.flytrapfarm.com]
Choose the straight species and call it a day. I found this place quite by accident. I was asked to speak and provide a demonstration for a "small" group of parents with differently abled kids this spring. I always provide medium, a pot, and a plant to each kid to pot up and take home. The group started out at a manageable size of around 12 which is what I normally deal with. Word spread and they ended up with over 50 families signing up. Talk about horror struck. That wiped me out of VFTs to the extent that I had to go buy more plants to be able to donate a plant to each kid for the hands on workshop next month as well as for the next two groups I am speaking to."
Thank you so much.
Equilibrium
Aug 08, 2006
You are welcome but....
don't thank me quite yet because I just looked above and I probably sent you on a wild goose chase. Really sorry about that.
Quoting:
When trying to research information on cultural requirements for your plant, search under Dionea muscipula. That will be a big help.
It's spelled Dionaea muscipula. Truly sorry about that. I was going to go and edit that post to correct it but figured it best to correct it in a new post so my mistake wouldn't be overlooked.