Dionaea Species, Venus Flytrap

I found some for $3.99 which they had inside a plastic dome. Took it out of the dome and pot, placed it in a 3-4" plastic pot with draina...Read Morege. Mixed 50/50 unfertilized peat moss and paver sand.

Bought a long tray used for window boxes. Filled that with water, placed the VFT pot in it and placed it in full sun (I live in middle TN). I initially used 120ppm tap water as I didn't have anything else. I then collected some rainwater and replaced the tap water now using distilled water. The tap water I used didn't hurt the plant any but then again it wast terribly hard water either and the plant was only in it for about a week. I suggest that if you are somewhat serious about growing this or any other carnivorous plant that you buy a TDS Meter to measure water hardness.

Anyhow, the plant perked up within a day or two, started growing new traps within a week. Problem with this plant is not so much the care as I don't do anything to it other than make sure the tray has water but rather all the misinformation that is out there. One site says no full sun, another says full sun, yet another says grow in terrarium and then there are the care instructions that come with the plant which are TOTALLY wrong and if followed will kill it in no time. By far, the best and most accurate info is on cobraplant.com

also native to parts of northeast SC. not the easiest plant for most people. i am growing this in the ground in a bog environment.

I find it necessary to water our venus flytrap every day without fail, or it will start to shrivel up (keeping it as a houseplant). I've ...Read Moreread that only distilled water should be used, not tap water. It's not necessary to feed insects to the plant.

I work at a local nursery and got two that were on the verge of dying. I got another, healthy one after those first two died...
I...Read Moret's still alive and fine - outside, next to the house in a pot with no drainage hole and in spagnum moss.
They are native to here, so that could help explain why it's doing fine when I have done nothing (literally) to it.
I am going to check out that site though. More information, the better!

The problem a lot of people have with this plant is that it is NOT a house plant and not tropical. It MUST have a cold dormant period. Gr...Read Moreowing it outside is the best option as it needs a humid atmosphere and insects to consume. Planted in peat/vermiculite with no fertilization, the plants is easy to grow in a bog setting. I grow mine with wet feet in my pond. Put them in a protective spot after they have gone dormant.

I just bought mine home.. thinking this would be easy to grow. Boy am I glad I came here and found the link that redjiii posted. Maybe ...Read Morenow we stand a chance. I recommend doing the research also. Funny how were told we can feed this hamburger! I too will be back to post my results later.

Native habitat WORLDWIDE is only within a 100 mile radius of Wilmington, NC... grew up within that area. Rquires full sun, keep pot in a ...Read Moretray full of distilled water or rain water- Chlorine will KILL it! DO NOT feed it pieces of hamburger, etc...the fat will kill the trap. requires a dormant period in the winter. The only problem I had in the past was feeding the plant hamburger (didn't know at the time), or drying out the plant- this will kill the plant quickly!! Otherwise, a unique attraction. It has just recently been named the Official Carnivorous Plant of NC.

North Carolina Native! They sell them all over the place which is sad since most folks don't know how to take care of them. Boggy condi...Read Moretions certainly!

This plant is very pretty and surprisingly easy to grow. I grow mine outside on a water tray outside in full sun and it as survived for 3 years

We've got four of these plants that we've had for about six weeks. They're still very small and initially we kept them indoors, until I s...Read Moreaw the part about them liking sun. Now we have them outdoors & keep them in trays of rainwater or boiled water, and they seem to be holding their own, but we'll have to hold thumbs and wait and see. The reason we got them was that a friend of ours has two, that he's had for about a year, and they are flourishing - they've reached about 10 inches across and about 6 inches high, with huge traps. We live in Cape Town, South Africa, which is a winter-rainfall area with summer temps between 15 and 36 degrees, and winter around 7 to 25. My friend keeps his plants on an east-facing bathroom windowsill, so they get morning sun through the frosted glass. He does admit to having poked at them when they were small, and force-fed them a bit, but whatever he's done, they've survived magnificently. I just hope ours take off like his did.

Venus Fly Traps are VERY difficult to take care of for the average amateur botanist...sure...they'll last a month or so, but ultimately, ...Read Moreunless you really know what you're doing, they WILL shrivel and die. I have had seven and watched each one slowly wither to nothing despite my best efforts to save them. If you attempt to successfully grow these plants, DO THE RESEARCH! I recommend visiting the site Sarracenia.com This site is run by an expert on the topic of growing carnivorous plants. My next attempts, after delving into such a resource, should prove to be more fruitful. I will post after further attempts.

Don't feed this plant with ants and roaches. They eat the trap, getting away and destroying it. And don't play with it using sticks or yo...Read Moreur finger just to see the traps closing, the plant expends a lot of energy doing it, and it will miss it in the future.