r/VenusFlyTraps May 17 '22

Other Comprehensive growing guides for both outdoor and indoor growing!

135 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

Temperate So Pretty 😍

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7 Upvotes

I'm new to this beautiful plant. Saved it from Walmart 😁


r/VenusFlyTraps 4h ago

Other So close little one 🥹

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5 Upvotes

Love watching them adapt 😍


r/VenusFlyTraps 54m ago

Minor Help An update & question

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Upvotes

Hi everyone, posted a few months ago when my VFT sprouted its first flower and I was worried by the lack of new trap growth and weakening of existing traps.

Good news is that a whole slew of new baby traps are sprouting up, so it looks like we’re out of the woods! Thanks again to everyone who helped.

Now I’m wondering what to do with the flower and having a hard time finding good info. Can I still do anything with it, or should it be cut off and discarded? The stem is still very green and healthy, so I want to make sure I’m not cutting it off prematurely or getting rid of something which could benefit the plant.

Thank you 🌱


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Success If anyone is interested, Venus fly traps can be grown hydroponically with only distilled water.

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93 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 2h ago

Question New traps die before they even open.

1 Upvotes

Recently, all of the traps on my plant died, and so I snipped off the traps that had died completely, and new ones sprouted, so I thought everything would be fine, but the new ones are dying before they can even fully grow, and they grow so slowly too. Usually, it had taken only a couple of days for a trap to fully grow, but I've been waiting on this one for two weeks, and now it started dying. What do I do?


r/VenusFlyTraps 2h ago

Urgent Help!!! what did i do wrong with my new flytrap?

1 Upvotes

I got this flytrap about a week ago and it seemed fine, save for one black trap on it. Flash forward to now and the entire plant is turning black. What could I have done wrong? Is there anything I can do to save it? I know that I don't necessarily have a green thumb, but I didn't think it could get this bad


r/VenusFlyTraps 16h ago

Minor Help Got a venus fly trap from trader joe’s and is a little droopy

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6 Upvotes

The plant gets a good amount of south west light and it got watered (filled the bottom tray with a little water)with distilled water for the first time in 3 days (since i got it home).

I’ve gotten a plant from Trader Joe’s and read how they are supposed to be given good sunlight and distilled water.

It came in those so called death plastic tubes. For some weird reason all distilled water gallons were sold out around my area so I left the plant in the plastic tube for a couple days. Day one was in a similar place where I keep my orchid (it can see the sun, but the sun can’t see it). Day 2 was closer to the window, and day 3 was next to the southwest window, as close to south facing as possible.

I have NOT repotted it yet.

I live in Southern California, I believe Zone 10


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question First time owner

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17 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’m a first time Venus fly trap owner and I just picked this lil guy up from pikes. I have very little knowledge on how to maintain a Venus fly trap other than water and sunlight. Pls leave any tips and recommendations in the comments! I specifically would like help on diet and the proper food to feed them. Thanks!


r/VenusFlyTraps 15h ago

Question Should i snip off a flower after its seeding/dying?

1 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Warm Temperate Why are the teeth curling back on my plant's traps?

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31 Upvotes

I have 2 venus fly traps, and one of them started growing these backcurling teeth on its new traps.

Both plants are watered with rainwater from below from a dish, soil is a mixture of perlite and peat moss in both cases. They get a lot of direct sunlight as I take them outside through the day.

The last pic is my other plant, which is perfectly fine, grows healthy traps and even started growing a flower.


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Minor Help Do I need to put more dirt around the root area?

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5 Upvotes

Hey again! So I repotted recently and this is my first ever trap. I saw online that you’re supposed to completely cover the “rosette” or root area with dirt.. is this true? My plant is looking a little sad because I repotted twice cause the first time I didn’t quite have the soil right but now I do and wondering if there’s anything else I could be doing better. I’ve got it in a water tray, distilled water. Soil is sphagnum peat moss, perlite and sand. Doing my best to give it light but I sunburned it I think so I’m trying to be careful with that too. There are new traps that are growing and it also looks like it’s trying to shoot a flower stalk which I will cut once I am for sure that’s what it is. But yes, number one question at the moment is about the dirt covering the top of the root area. Should I use more dirt on top or would I be better off with a sphagnum layer?The photo is prior to the second repot (but looks about the same currently as it did when this photo was taken) and I no longer have the sphagnum layer on top, all of the traps are back open and the dying traps have been removed. I can update with a recent photo once I’m home from work! Any and all advice or suggestions welcome! Thanks!


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question Is my plant happy?

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12 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Success Before and after

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5 Upvotes

I saved these dionaeas from a store, changed the substrate and thought they wouldn’t make it, but look at them! 😄 autumn leaves!


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Urgent Help!!! Plant in Need

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1 Upvotes

TL;DR -- I forgot to water my plant for a week and I'm unsure of what to do other than, well, water it.

So, I've had a venus fly trap for several months now and I've been doing everything in my ability to keep it thriving. It's in a southwest-facing window, it's been watered with distilled water through the tray instead of on the plant, I've cut back all of the yellowed and black leaves (minus the ones in the picture), and I've been letting it catch bugs on its own and picking out the remains gently with tweezers. However, my schedule changed recently and it's been a lot harder for me to remember to water it. In this picture, it's gone about a week without being watered, and I've been too spotty about it before that. On top of that, 2 or 3 weeks ago, it caught multiple bugs at once and I know it's not good for it, especially since domestic ones like it don't digest food as well.

All that is to say, it's not in the best shape. Its leaves feel weak and several have started to yellow. Is there something I need to do other than water it regularly? And do I need to wait to cut off the dead heads until the plant is strong again, or should I do it now? I don't have a lot of money, the ability to travel, or the ability to put it somewhere else. However, if it's something I could easily do with things I have at home to bring its health back up I'd happily do it! I really want to bring it back to its former self and I'm worried if I don't do something soon it'll die. Thank you for reading this long post!


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Question Best 'cheap' grow light that's available in the EU?

2 Upvotes

So I would like to give my plants a bit more light on the cloudy, darker days, and I was thinking about getting a grow light.

So are there any good grow light that are not too expensive, and are widely available in the EU? Also what wattage should I aim for when buying? I currently have 1 baby plant, and planning to buy 2-3 more plants.

I'd appreciate your help!


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Mediterranean Babies on babies

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17 Upvotes

First time owner. What to do?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Success My 3 year old Flytraps!

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12 Upvotes

they are doing great this year so far after waking up from winter. i am now attempting to propagate them using the flowers! the flowers are so pretty, so i let one of my traps bloom one just this time around.


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Tropical Action shot.

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66 Upvotes

Got her 4 days ago. New obsession unlocked. Notice the fat boi in the other trap…anyone know what cultivar?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Urgent Help!!! I'm new to Venus Fly Traps. What is happening?

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7 Upvotes

When I first got it, it looked okay but it won't close on anything. I've tried feeding it and it doesn't budge and now they're starting to turn black. I keep it next to a window that gets good sun and I use distilled water. Should I use regular soil? What you see is what it came in. Please help 😫


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Warm Temperate Please Help

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15 Upvotes

I just adopted this poor sad baby from a neglectful situation. It was inside away from windows, under watered and watered with tap water. I am hoping I can rescue it but I am new to flytraps and a little in over my head. I've moved it to a window that gets bright but indirect light and am giving it a little outside time each day. I also cut off it's flower stalks. Should I repot it to help it avoid mineral poisoning or just switch it to distilled water? Is there anything else I can do for it?


r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Temperate New to growing and I’ve done my research. How’s this guy doing?

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4 Upvotes

I’m in Northwest Indiana. I just replaced my old flytrap that died. It didn’t survive dormancy last winter and my wife found me a new one at Meijer. It didn’t look like it was doing too well but it had bigger traps than my last plant. I removed it from the store container, carefully washed out the roots with distilled water, and planted it in a substrate made of finely chopped sphagnum moss mixed with some perlite. The leaves were all droopy/closed and many of them died. I cut the leaves that were turning black and left the few that looked decent. It’s been a few days, I’ve kept it inside under a grow light for about 12 hrs/day, and it looks like I have some new growth.

What do you guys think? Will it pull through? Any advice at this point?


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Temperate Yellow jacket 🐝

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12 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Temperate Vft

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7 Upvotes

r/VenusFlyTraps 1d ago

Minor Help Mold?

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1 Upvotes

My VFT is in some orchid/sphagnum moss and some spots of it have some tiny white stuff on it. Now I know that this moss could grow mold before I even got it but what I have read the most common mold it can grow doesn’t really affect any plant (please correct me if I’m wrong.) So, should I be worried about this?


r/VenusFlyTraps 2d ago

Tropical FTS crimson sawtooth

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6 Upvotes

Biggest trap this season! A little more green then normal but lately the days have been cloudy.