In this article about Venus flytrap, we will be discussing the most beautiful carnivorous plant on the planet. Here we will provide tips on how to grow and care for venus flytraps.
Here’s one additional article we’ve written as well for your further activity with Venus flytraps: How to Make a Venus Flytrap Terrarium
What Is a Venus Flytrap Plant
It is a lush green colored plant with a flytrap. The inner part of the trap colored bright red to attract insects and bugs. The outer part of the trap is also a lush green to complete the beautiful and somewhat fragile appearance of this small plant. Furthermore, it has about three to four trigger hairs about 0.5 centimeters at the end of its trap for feeling touch and vibration. The trap shuts within 0.3 seconds after the hair is triggered.
Likewise, people fondly refer Venus flytrap to as Dionaea Muscipula in the botanical world. It belongs to family Droseraceae and Order Caryophyllales. Also, it originates from North and South Carolina in the subtropical wetlands of Eastern America. Moreover, it has been introduced to other States such as New Jersey, Florida, and a host of other states. Also, Venus flytrap is a perennial plant, and their flowers bloom every Spring. Continue reading below to find out more tips on how to grow and care for venus flytraps.
How to Grow Your Venus Flytraps
How to grow Venus flytrap from the seeds
Just follow these steps on how to grow and care for Venus flytraps, we’ll start with the seeds. Venus flytrap seeds are pretty easy to cultivate. The seed germinates reasonably quickly and easily without much stress. Moreover, Venus flytrap usually enters its flowering season around April and seeds by late June to early July. Thus, late June and early July is an ideal time to source for your seeds. You can store your seeds in the refrigerator after purchase until you are ready to plant your seeds. You can store up seeds for up to a year after their production. After this period, the Venus flytrap seed’s viability dramatically reduces. Also, the seeds can be shipped from the United States of America or any other country where it is available. For more in-depth information about growing Venus Flytraps from seeds you can find it HERE
- Prepare your soil by rinsing sphagnum peat with distilled water then draining it out. You can also add Silica sand to it. We have a more comprehensive soil recipe article HERE if you need it.
- Your soil should be placed in a plastic container with a drain to allow for adequate moisture and prevent over flooding of the seed.
- Moisten the soil with distilled water and not tap water.
- After that, scatter the Venus flytrap seed on the surface of the moistened soil, do not poke holes in the ground for planting it.
- Lightly dust sphagnum peat over the scattered seed to help retain moisture, and the seeds should be visible after the dusting.
- You should moisture the sphagnum peat and cover the plastic container with a lid that has holes poked into it.
- Place your plastic container in a bright room away from the direct glare of sunshine.
- Once your seed has germinated, you should remove the plastic covering and expose your plant to direct sunlight.
- Always moisten the surface of the soil, so the growing plant has enough water to pull.
- Similarly, the temperature should be warm inside your germination container, 78 degrees (plus or minus 5 degrees) is the optimum temperature for your plant to grow.
- Two to three weeks after your plant start germinating, you can transplant it to another container.
Best locations to grow your Venus flytrap
Venus flytraps require direct sunlight and lots of humidity for optimal growth. If you are growing this flytrap plant indoors, you should choose a place with direct sunlight. Also, insufficient sunlight can lead to leaf underdevelopment. So, a change in the dark red coloration of inside the trap to green or pink will be your first indication of inadequate sunlight. Your plants will thrive well in unheated greenhouses as well conservatories as long as the average temperature in the greenhouse is up to 30 c or 90 f degrees during summer.
Handling the flytrap's winter dormancy
Venus flytrap undergoes hibernation between November to February. During this period, you’ve to provide the plants with a cold resting place just like their native habitat. Move your plant away from the direct glare of sunlight. After that, the leaves of your Venus flytrap will start turning black and devoid of life. It is an entirely rational process. Also, trim the dead leaves out and wait for it to grow back after the dormancy end in February. Your plant will grow new healthy leaves after which you can re-pot your plant after. You can re-pot your plants after the dormancy period but never during the dormancy period. Your flower pot should be at least 4 inches to accommodate the growing roots.
Flytrap flowering and seeding process:
It starts after the winter dormancy comes the Spring bloom. Sometimes, it also begins after the flowering occurs in the seeding process.
It is an arbitrary process which you can deprive your plant of undergoing. Once the flowers appear, you should cut them off if you do not need new seeds. If you need the seeds, then allow your plant to flower. It is important to note that flowering and seeding will reduce the rate of growth of your Venus flytrap that season.
A plant which does not flower will typically grow taller than the one that flowers that season. Flowering sure takes its toll on your plant.
The right carnivorous plant soil and water:
To grow and care for grow and care for Venus flytraps you need adequate water for their development. Their natural habitat is a damp and moistened area all through the year. You should never use bottled water and tap water to water your plants except in emergencies. That’s because it can increase the mineral content in the soil, leading to Mineral shock to your plant. The continued build-up of the mineral can cause your plant not to thrive or kill it off totally. Put your flowering pot with holes at the base inside the water of about 1 cm for best result. It is far better than watering the plants.
The best soil for Flytrap is sphagnum peat moss mixed with perlite in ratio 2:1.
Likewise, you can get your oils on Amazon or any other local plant supplies job next to you.
Here is a more detailed article of ours about carnivorous soil mixes Carnivorous Soil Recipes Guides
Don't feel like mixing your own carnivorous soils?
We recommend these options from Amazon for Venus Flytraps
Feeding your Venus flytrap:
If you plant your Venus flytrap outside, you do not need to feed them insect as they should typically catch enough on their own. If they are raising indoors then you should feed your plants with dead insect following the steps below;
- Trigger the hair at the end of the Flytrap once.
- Place one or two dead insects inside the Flytrap depending on the size of the Flytrap.
- Quickly trigger the hair again to sensitize your trap.
- Do not force any trap to open. Feed the insects to the open hatches.
- You can buy dead insects such as Cricket, Blood worms, and Meal worms from Amazon and other local stores around you to save yourself the stress of killing insects by yourself.
Precaution to take while growing your Venus flytraps
- Plant in a bowl with a drainage system:
Venus flytraps do not like too much water, but they love moisture. To grow and care for Venus flytraps you must create the right balance; else the plant will die. Too much water causes root rot in your plant. Plant your Venus flytraps in bowls with drainage holes. Plastic containers are useful over clay and ceramic pots. That’s because the minerals in the clay and ceramic pots can permeate into the soil in which your plant is planted and cause a condition concerning minerals.
- Plant your Venus flytraps in plastic bowls:
While bowls made from clay, cement, and ceramics are beautiful and ornamental, you should not use them in planting the Venus flytraps. It is because minerals from the clay and cement pot can seep into the soil used to plant your Venus flytrap. Also, it could lead to mineral shock, which can kill your plants. Venus flytraps are sensitive to too many vitamins just like they are with water.
- Never use beach soil and perlite in planting your seed:
Beach soil is also famous as silica sand, and you should not use them in planting your Venus flytrap seeds. It is so because of the high mineral content. Maybe, it will result in mineral shock, which will kill the young plant or prevent the seed from germinating.
- Do not expose your recently planted seed to sunlight:
Exposing your new seeds to sunlight can lead to drying of the soil in which your seed is planted. It can slow down the rate of growth of your plant. The intense sunlight can also damage the seed itself, further affecting the growth and germination of the plant.
- Do not do stratification after planting your seeds:
Stratification is a method that you can use to keep seed cold after plantation. To grow and care for Venus flytraps you’ll need higher temperatures to get them flourish;And do not require stratification to continue. You can store the seed inside your refrigerator for up to a year if you are not planting it immediately, but a planted seedling needs heat.
- Do not feed your Venus flytraps insects they cannot digest:
There are a lot of disadvantages to feeding your plant insects they cannot absorb. It will shorten the lifespan of the Flytrap, can lead to nutrient deficiency and also cause rotting of the Flytrap.
Evolution of the Venus Flytrap
We cannot make a scientific exertion about the stages and process involved in the development of Venus flytrap primarily due to the absence of fossils evidence. We can only make educated guesses. The lack of substantial fossils evidence is due to the soft tissues that make up the carnivorous plants. They rot quickly and mostly do not leave fossils behind.
Scientists believe that Venus flytraps evolved from Sundew-like plants with sticky leaves to the present day trap mechanism. Charles Darwin, who happens to be the father of modern genetics, was fascinated with the Venus flytrap and called it one of the most beautiful in the world. Also, the sticky leaves are believed to have evolved into a trap mechanism with trigger hairs to act as the sensory part.
A DNA analysis at the University of Wisconsin confirmed that Venus flytrap is related to Waterwheel plant. The Waterwheel plant is also a carnivorous plant which has translucent traps to snare insects although at less speed than the Venus flytrap.
Know your Venus flytrap cultivators:
There is a single species of Venus flytrap, and that is Dionea Muscipula, but there are over a dozen known cultivators around engineered by horticulturists. Below are some of the cultivators we have around. The cultivators have been classified based on colors, sizes and mutation.
- Cultivators based on colors:
- Dionaea Justina Davis: this cultivator is completely green all over. The trap’s interior and exterior are also green in color.
- Dionaea Red Dragon: the direct opposite of Dionaea Justina Davis. It is burgundy red all over. Both the interior and exterior of this plant, including the stem, are colored in this dark red.
- Dionaea Green Dragon: this is a replica of the Red dragon in size and shape. It is also colored Burgundy like the Red Dragon. The only difference in color is the strip of green around its trap margins.
- Dionaea Clayton Red Sunset: this variety has green leaves and a red flytrap (both interior and exterior). This cultivator sheds most of its leaves during winter leaving it with a mostly red appearance.
- Cultivators based on trap size:
- Dionaea B52: it is one of the most common cultivators around. It’s distinguishing factor is an abnormally giant flytrap when compared to Venus Flytrap.
- Dionaea Petite Dragon: like its’s name suggests the small dragon has a quite small flytrap when compared to Venus Flytrap. It has dark red just like the Red Dragon variety.
- Cultivators based on mutation:
- Dionaea Fused Tooth: this plant’s malformed leaves becomes obvious during other seasons apart from Spring. Spring is the only time it has an ordinary appearance. Its leaves have irregularly merged spines which gives the plant a weird look.
- Dionaea Cupped Trap: in this plant, the leaves look normal when compared to Venus flytraps, but you can notice the variation on the Flytrap. The Flytrap of this plant has an odd shape at the edges. The spine of the traps are coiled longer, and this gives the flytrap cupping looking hence the name “cupped trap”.
- Dionaea Jaws: imagine what the jaws of a shark look like, then you know precisely how this cultivator’s Flytrap looks. The flytraps have sharp and quite pointy spines with big traps.
- Dionaea Dentate Traps: this one has a toothy trap. The needles of the trap look like short irregularly shaped triangular teeth like those seen in a saw. It is referred to as Dente Traps by some people.
- Dionaea Wacky traps: the traps are not the only irregularities in this plant. These plants have prolonged development, and they produce distorted flowers known as “Bart Simpson”. The leaves never fully develop throughout its lifetime.
Why Does the Venus Flytrap Need Its Traps
Venus flytrap, like any other plant, derives nutrients from the soil. They take water from the land, air, and minerals required for their survival. They undergo photosynthesis to create further the energy needed for their survival. However, the soil which is native to them lack some nutrients required for the growth and survival of these plants.
Evolution, the saving grace of both animals and plants occurred, and Venus flytraps evolved from the sticky leaves to flytraps that consume insects. They feed on insects as supplements to the nutrients they get from the soil. Insects provide them with nutrients such as Sulphur, nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium, which is not readily available in the ground. Venus flytraps feed on ants, flies, and grasshoppers.
How Does Venus Flytrap Catch and Digest the Insects
1. Venus flytraps lure the insect into its traps with sweet-smelling nectars at the center of the wide-open trap.
2. Also, the insects are attracted to the bright colored interior of the trap and sweet smell of the nectar.
3. The insect lands on the pitfalls to feed on the nectar and by doing so, trigger the trigger hair.
4. Triggering of one or two of the strands twice within 20 seconds is enough to shut the trap close in 3 milliseconds partially.
5. The interlocking teeth formed by the trigger hair of Venus flytrap after slamming partially shut prevent the insects from escaping.
6. As the insect struggles to break free from its bondage, the tighter the traps close up until the hatch is completely closed up.
7. Once the trap closes tightly, the inside becomes a sort of abdomen through which digestion of the insects take place.
8. The glands on the inner surface of the leaves form and release digestive enzymes to digest the insects.
9. The insect exoskeleton made of chitin is the first to be digested by the trap.
10. After that, it absorbs the insect blood, which is rich in nitrogen.
11. The insect digestion takes several days, depending on the size of the insect trapped.
12. The trap closes until the digestion process completes.
13. The Flytrap opens up after the digestion of the insect is complete; to catch another insect.
14. The trap will die if you continuously place insects it can’t digest such as beetles into its jaws.
Interesting Facts About The Venus Flytrap
- Are Venus Flytraps Dangerous to Humans?
No, they are not even if you place your fingertips. That’s because they Venus flytrap cannot digest human flesh irrespective of the time spent in the trap. Their digestive system can only absorb small animals. Although an experiment shows that if you put a tiny bit of flesh into a Venus flytrap, it will partially digest it.
We’ve also written about Carnivorous plants in general along with Venus flytraps if they are edible for humans to some way.
- Venus flytraps do not eat the types of insects that pollinate them:
One exciting fact about Venus flytrap is that they do not consume the insects that pollinate them. Also, Venus flytraps are pollinated by Bees and beetles, which cannot be digested by Venus flytrap. Venus flytrap feeds on small ants, flies and grasshoppers.
- Endangered species status:
Many people were influenced by this beautiful plant that they took a lot of them from their natural habitat; this led to the species’ almost extinction.
- The lifespan of Venus flytraps:
Venus flytraps live and thrive for an extended period. With adequate care and maintenance of optimum environment as will be discussed later in this write-up, they can live to a ripe age of twenty. They can live for up to 20 years and above.
- Processed meat will cause your Flytrap to rot:
Hamburgers, bacon and other processed meat which human consumes is too complicated for the digestive system of your plant. Feeding them with such will only lead to rot.
- A trap can only digest about six insects in its lifetime:
Unlike the Venus plants, the trap has a lesser lifespan. After trapping an insect, the Flytrap remains closed for up to a week in most cases. However, this opening and closing take its toll on your plant’s trap. The trap will serve photosynthetic function after this.
- Flytraps chuck out husks and debris that falls into its trap:
The Flytrap opens up to spit out whatever stuff stuck in its Flytrap that it cannot digest.
Here’s a piece of interesting information we’ve compiled to another article related to the above context which you might want to read further: 10 Strange Facts About The Venus Flytrap
What We Learned While Writing How to Grow and Care for Venus Flytraps
Planting and nurturing flowering plants is a soothing and relaxing way of spending your time. It beautifies the home and surroundings and would make for an exciting project. Raising Flytrap is not difficult nor time-consuming. Just follow these tips on how to grow and care for Venus flytraps and you’ll be admiring them in no time.
