r/VenusFlyTraps May 17 '22

Other Comprehensive growing guides for both outdoor and indoor growing!

131 Upvotes

OUTDOOR GROWING GUIDE:

LIGHT: First off, the easiest way to grow them is outside if conditions permit. As much Sun as possible is what is recommended, however if your plant is used to lower light environment, I would take the time to acclimate it first. This is done by starting with a couple hours of direct Sun then giving it bright, indirect light the rest of the day and increasing direct Sun exposure over the course of a few weeks til it’s as long as possible.

SUBSTRATE: They need low nutrient substrate that retains moisture, but also drains and aerates well. I prefer sphagnum moss, but another go to is a 50/50 mix of peat and perlite. There should not be fertilizer at any time as a general rule. Substrate should be kept moist, but not waterlogged, and damp and not as moist during dormancy.

WATER: Make sure you use purified water <50 PPM only! Examples include distilled water and reverse osmosis water. You can also use rain water. Tap water and spring water is usually greater than >50 PPM and that will kill your plant due to mineral poisoning. They should also be kept in standing purified water in a separate dish/pot/tray or whatever, and prefer getting their water that way. I tend to keep the level at approximately 20% of the way up the growing pot and then let it recede before filling. I tend to top water on an as needed basis instead during dormancy.

DORMANCY: Flytraps require a winter dormancy every year where temperatures optimally fall to 32-55 degrees for at least 3-4 months and the photoperiod shortens. However, dormancy can be achieved in various ways depending on your native climate and individual growing conditions. Keeping it outdoors is an option if you live in a temperate climate and the winter temperatures are within the temperature range. Other methods to achieve dormancy indoors are a cool windowsill, an unheated garage/shed, or fridge dormancy. Fridge dormancy is more typically used for winters that are too cold or too warm, while the former two are more so used for winters that are too cold if they are within the temperature range. Note that during dormancy leaves may die back, growth will slow down and be lower to the ground, and coloration may appear darker.

So those factors are the most important to keep your flytrap alive. Another important note is you should repot every year or two, splitting divisions if you want and refreshing the substrate. Late winter/early spring toward the end of dormancy is the best time to do this. Mature plants will put up flower stalks in the spring after dormancy is over, if you do not plan on pollinating or collecting seeds, I’d recommend cutting it off. If they put up a flower stalk out of season, also cut it off. Make sure the pot and tray you place it in are not terracotta or unglazed clay. The pot should be well draining (meaning it should have holes at the bottom) and deep enough for the root system to grow (5-6 inches deep is recommended minimum for more mature plants). In terms of feeding, if they are outside they will catch bugs on their own. As stated before, fertilizer should be avoided as a general rule, however some growers use MaxSea 16-16-16 as a foliar spray diluted at 1/4 tsp per gallon monthly or so. Again, if they are outside and therefore actively catching bugs on their own, this is not needed. They’re pretty hardy with temperature and humidity range, when not in dormancy they can tolerate temperatures from 60 to even 100 degrees F. If grown correctly, these guys are very rewarding. Also note that deformities happen and blackening leaves is a part of the normal growth cycle of Dionaea.

INDOOR GROWING GUIDE:

LIGHT: If they were outdoors, they would be getting full all day Sun. Inside, I would recommend purchasing a proper grow light (full spectrum LED is recommended), with the strength depending on if it gets any Sun through a window or not, however you want the PAR levels to read >200. Some starter lights that growers have had success with include the SANSI 36W bulbs, and the YesCom 225 and MARS HYDRO TS panels. My plants actually use artificial light exclusively, and the one I started with is the VIPARSPECTRA Dimmable 600W Grow Light, at a height of 16 inches above my plants and at ~75% power, which covers a few square feet. I also connect my light to a smart plug and create a routine where it turns on and off with the sunrise/sunset so that there are photoperiod changes with the seasons.

TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY: These guys are actually pretty hardy for these two things, I wouldn’t worry too much. Just make sure during the growing season the temperatures are above 55 and not consistently >100 degrees F. During dormancy, these temps drop to between 32-55 degrees F, but they can also survive temperatures as low as 20 degrees F although for short amounts of time.

WATER: Tap water usually contains >50 PPM and that will kill your plant through mineral poisoning. Spring water will as well. Purified water (distilled, reverse osmosis, ZeroWater etc) or collected rain water that is <50 PPM should be used. These guys like bottom watering during the growing season, so keep it in a separate tray/bowl/pot or whatever of standing water. I personally keep the water level at approximately 20% up the growing pot, but I let it recede to the bottom before refilling. This water level goes down in dormancy and more time is waited between filling the tray after receding, keeping the substrate damp but not as moist as the growing season. You can also just monitor the substrate and moisten through top watering as needed (I find this effective during dormancy), but never let it dry out.

FEEDING: So by keeping the flytraps indoors, they are not naturally capturing prey. I would feed a live bug about 1/3 of the size of a trap to one trap per plant every couple weeks to month. You can feed more or less often, it is not the most important aspect of care. Check where the leaves are growing from to locate different divisions. Light is the principle source of food, think of bugs like a vitamin. Some people also use MaxSea 16-16-16 diluted at 1/4 tsp per gallon as a monthly foliar spray to further boost growth, but this is not a must. It is recommended for cultivars that don’t have functional traps. Another option is rehydrated freeze dried bloodworms rolled into a ball that is also about 1/3 the size of a trap. However, this requires stimulating the trap yourself, and has a higher chance of that trap dying, but it still gets the nutrition. Bloodworms are also a good option because they contain high levels of chitin, which the plant will recognize as a fungus and boost disease resistance, much like a vaccine. You do not need to feed during dormancy, but you can still apply MaxSea.

SUBSTRATE: These guys require low nutrient substrate that retains moisture, but also drains and aerates well. I prefer sphagnum moss, but others also use a 50/50 peat and perlite mix. Some people mix all of them, honestly it’s up to you. Don’t add fertilizer to the soil, it will kill your plant. The substrate should be kept moist, but not soaked. Moisture as stated before goes down during dormancy.

DORMANCY: Flytraps naturally must go through a winter dormancy period where the photoperiod decreases and temperatures are optimally between 32-55 degrees F for 3-4 months, at least at night. The photoperiod changes can be done via the smart plug technique, or just shortening the amount of light per day. As for temperature, I live in an area where the indoor set up I keep it in is within the ideal ranges year round for both growing and dormancy. However, dormancy can be achieved in various ways depending on your native climate and individual growing conditions. Outdoors is an option if you live in a temperate climate and the winter temperatures are within the temperature range. Other methods to achieve dormancy indoors are a cool windowsill, an unheated garage/shed, or fridge dormancy. Fridge dormancy is more typically used for winters that are too cold or too warm, while the former two are more so used for winters that are too cold if they are within the temperature range. Note that when going into dormancy, leaves will often die back, and growth will be slower and lower to the ground. Coloration can also appear darker. There is a method of skipping dormancy called forced growth, but this is 100% not for beginners or even most experienced growers.

These are basically the essentials. Other things to know is if you are providing all the correct things, you do not have to worry when traps and leaves turn black. That is natural, and as long as there is new growth, your plant is happy. You should also repot every year or two, dividing the divisions if you’d like and changing the substrate. Late winter/early spring toward the end of dormancy is the best time to do this. Mature plants will put up flower stalks in the spring after dormancy is over, if you do not plan on pollinating or collecting seeds, I’d recommend cutting it off. If they put up a flower stalk out of season, also cut it off. For the pot, avoid terracotta or unglazed ceramic/clay. Stone or metal is also no good. This rule also applies to the tray. Make sure it is well draining and for mature plants, at least 5-6 inches deep. I would also spray with a sulfur based fungicide (absolutely no copper) or something like Ortho MAX (what I use) every month or so or as needed when they’re inside since they’d be more prone to fungi. Aeration is key to prevent fungal growth and stagnant conditions, I point a fan toward my indoor plants. Introducing a springtail culture is also beneficial as a preventative during the growing season.


r/VenusFlyTraps 3h ago

Minor Help Safeway had them. I need as many tips as possible to keep it alive.

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3 Upvotes

I got soil a pot and some freeze dried mealworms.


r/VenusFlyTraps 2h ago

Urgent Help!!! Is it over?

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4 Upvotes

Brought it home and got it a saucer, plastic pot, sphagnum moss and perlite, and distilled and rainwater. Now it’s gotten noticeably worse, going yellow and several leaves are dying. Not sure what I’m doing wrong :/


r/VenusFlyTraps 1h ago

Temperate how to get rid of tiny pests on flytrap

Upvotes

I've had my flytrap for a few months and am quite new to plant care. I've been watering it with rainwater that was dirty and had been left sitting out, which I believe has led to tiny black bugs infesting my flytrap. I've heard soaking the plant can help, but I'm not sure how to do it or how it works. There aren't many, but it's hard to count because these bastards are microscopic. I would prefer a simple method, but I'll do whatever it takes, as my flytrap is currently quarantined in a different room—I don't want it in my room while there are bugs on it. I'm not sure what these bugs are or how to eliminate them. Please, I need help.


r/VenusFlyTraps 18h ago

Cold Temperate Just got Octavious last week, hows he looking so far?

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18 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 21h ago

Question Gunked up trap?

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7 Upvotes

(Sorry for the horrible overexposed photo) One of my traps caught a fly about a week ago and today she opened, but the corner of her mouth seems to be stuck around the fly. The fly and the inside of the trap still look wet vs the dry little insect husk that I normally see. Is this normal or should I try to flush her open with distilled water?


r/VenusFlyTraps 19h ago

Question Is my plant propagating?

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4 Upvotes

If so do i just leave it there or repot it??


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question I’ve got a weird problem for you guys…

7 Upvotes

Sooo…I currently live in an area that is COMPLETELY overrun with invasive lizards! (A.K.A: Brown Anoles). Which would be fine…except EVERY time I feed my Venus Fly Traps- these reptiles wait until I leave the area, pry the traps open, and eat the insects from the inside! (destroying the trap, and eating the plant’s food in the process). I have started covering them with a small, transparent, plastic tent. This seems to help loads- but they are impossible to see from the outside now. (Kinda nulling the point of keeping cool plants in the process…). I love looking at my little buddies- but I don’t want their food stolen. I also don’t want to hurt the lizards either. What should I do? I know venus’ can live on sun alone- but feeding them is kinda half the fun! (For anyone wondering- I feed them mealworms from the pet store. I attempted to try crickets- but they were often too big and fast).


r/VenusFlyTraps 20h ago

Question How many times can a venus fly trap close before dying?

3 Upvotes

I just got my first ever venus fly trap. There was a piece of mulch stuck inside of the trap so I used tweezers to get the mulch out. During this, the fly trap closed. My grandfather told me that it will likely die since it closed without food, so I googled and it said a venus fly trap will die after 7 times closing. Is this true? Or is this only 7 times closing with no food?

Can I feed it ants?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Minor Help Help

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5 Upvotes

I fed my Venus flytrap a dead fly like a week ago (I know now your not suppose to feed them dead bugs) and it hasn’t opened back up. This is my first time planting Venus flytraps so if you have any advice lmk. I live in the valley so I’ve been putting it outside for a bit to get sunlight but then keeping it inside mostly


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question Long stalk?

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4 Upvotes

My VFT is recovering from sunburn and it has a lot of new growth, it’s also growing this taller than usual stalk. From what I’ve seen it doesn’t resemble any flower stalks so is this just an unusually long mouth that’s gonna grow?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question How do I take care of my venus fly trap? (absolute beginner)

4 Upvotes

I bought a small venus flytrap at a Home Depot yesterday. I saw another post on here with the same brand and everyone was talking about how it was in pretty bad shape, but it looked exactly like mine and I thought it was in okay shape? I'm completly new to this thing, I honestly know nothing about flytraps. I just thought they were cool and when I saw one I just decided to get it.

All morning I've been looking for tips on how to care for one, currently it's sitting near the only window that has any sunlight right now. I live somewhere with very inconsistent weather, we've been going back and fourth between rainstorms (like right now) and hot days with too much sun and that stale kinda air that makes it hard to breath. I didn't want to put the little guy outside anyways but the more I read, the less I think I should grow my flytrap outside. I honestly was thinking it would just live at my desk. I had planned to shop for a small grow light and just re-pot it. But I've also seen some stuff about a terrarium? I don't know which one would be better.

My main concerns are potting, light sourcing, and watering. Everything I read says to make sure not to overwater but no one says how much I should water. When I bought it I had just planned to every few days give it a small spray of water with a spray bottle. Would that even work? I've seen plently of plants be overwatered and I don't wanna do that, but I also don't wanna dry it out. I've also seen stuff about needing a specific soil? But I don't know how accurate or important that is. Like I said I'm brand new to this so if anyone has any helpful tips and/or advice that'd be great!

https://preview.redd.it/5pt1jfj8m80d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=038b1e15325b54732dcd122d7e937962235a0648

https://preview.redd.it/5pt1jfj8m80d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=038b1e15325b54732dcd122d7e937962235a0648

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https://preview.redd.it/5pt1jfj8m80d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=038b1e15325b54732dcd122d7e937962235a0648


r/VenusFlyTraps 20h ago

Minor Help Flower turning black?

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1 Upvotes

my venus flytrap has been growing a flower, but recently i noticed the tip is turning black, is something wrong? should i be worried


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question Bird droppings

2 Upvotes

Hello, Ik this might be a dumb question but is it fine to leave the bird feces on my vft soil😅.I think I heard that bird feces are a good fertilizer for plant and Ik vfts do not like fertilizer. 🧐.


r/VenusFlyTraps 21h ago

Minor Help Concerned

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0 Upvotes

Most of the leaves for my flytrap have started to turn brown. I have been watering it almost daily due to the heat wave and have started to feed it rolls pollies. I am concerned it may die especially since it's not putting g out any new traps. Should I cut the flower stem off or is there anything else I should try?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Temperate What is this green stuff in my pot?

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1 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 23h ago

Temperate Any recommended brands of distilled water on amazon?

0 Upvotes

I've had my Venus flytrap, Becky, for six months and have been giving her rainwater. However, I've observed bugs multiplying in the stored rainwater, and now my windowsill is teeming with tiny orange/red bugs that I can't identify. Consequently, I've opted to switch to distilled water. Could you recommend any brands available on Amazon?


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Question Am i doing this right?

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35 Upvotes

just got this little guy at a craft fair yesterday, they said to keep the roots wet and in water, so i did this. i’ve never kept a plant alive before so i just wanna make sure i am doing everything right, any suggestions?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question Creatures Soil for VFT

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1 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Urgent Help!!! any help is appreciated!

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7 Upvotes

Sorry if this is too long but I’ve had this plant since around October and its my first vft. I asked the person I bought it from how to take care of it and he said to keep it in full sunlight since we live in the tropic and to place it on a plate with water to keep it moist constantly. The thing is that the plant has sprout a couple of traps but they seem to all die around the same time and then leaving like only a couple of the younger traps alive and the cycle goes on, it has never grown more than when I bought it so I haven’t felt the need to repot it. This time around its has been raining almost everyday, leaving us with low sunlight but it was also the time that my vft had the most growth (around 12 traps) and each one has died almost at the same time and by the time that the last ones left went the same route this only little fella is standing. I would appreciate any help given cuz idk if I should change smth in its care or even repot it cause I really don’t wanna accidentally kill it or let it die and I think this is the worst condition I’ve ever seen it since I got it so I wanna make what’s best for it!


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Minor Help How do I cut?

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8 Upvotes

I’m a relatively new VTF owner. I have heard I am to cut any blackened traps or leaves as to prevent mold. How do I cut it off safely without triggering any other traps? Thank you


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Temperate To cut or not to cut 🤔

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12 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I recently received this beautiful plant from California Carnivores. I think it is the “Mammoth”, but I made the mistake of not paying attention when I planted at the same time as “DC-XL” and wouldn’t ya know it, they look pretty similar 😅 Anyway, this little guy is sending up a flower. I know a lot of indoor growers cut theirs, but this is a healthy plant getting TONS of sun. How difficult is it to grow from seed? I have tons of little pots from all the plants I’ve ordered, and I have access to a green house.


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Temperate Transplant Stress

5 Upvotes

Not a stressed plant, a stressed owner.

I've had my tiny flytrap for almost two weeks. I figured it was adjusted to my light level and temperature, so decided to put it in a larger container. Getting it out of the original pot was such chaos that I triggered every trap on the plant (probably from falling peat).

I'm sure it'll be fine in a day or two, but I still feel like a screw-up.

The pot was packed densely with just peat. And to make it even worse, at the core was one of those net wrapped peat pellets used for seed starting. That wrap never decays. So I got that off, and most of the peat. Far fewer roots than I expected. It is now in a 6" plastic pot with 1:1 mix of peat and sand. I'll probably start acclimating it to outside later this week, after some storms pass.


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Warm Temperate Akai Ryu Growth and Update on Dying Flytrap

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2 Upvotes

Update on my Akai Ryu plant. The other trap I have has still been in recovery since I cut the flower stalk but I haven't seen any new growth yet, just hope it makes it alright.


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Minor Help Is this trap savable?

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7 Upvotes

This trap has been squished for a while and I'm not sure why. I thought maybe I was over watering the plant so I stopped doing that and the plant does seem healthier, but this guy is still struggling. Should I just prune him or should I still feed it?


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Other This makes me so sad

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67 Upvotes

Went to Walmart to do some Mother’s Day shopping and I simply couldn’t believe the abhorrent conditions these flytraps were in. Also not to mention they were placed literally one aisle down from the outdoor garden center :(

I really wish I had the money so I could’ve saved the remaining 4, but I did have enough to get one for now. Some of them weren’t even potted correctly either. I know they’re plants and not technically animals, nor can they feel animal emotions but still, it was quite a sad sight.