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Buy a Venus Flytrap

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The Carnivorous Venus Trap

The Venus flytrap has captivated people across the world; the plants actually grow in an incredibly small geographic area. In the wild, they are found in a 700-mile region along the coast of North and South Carolina. Within this area, the plants are further limited to living in humid, wet and sunny bogs and acid wetland areas. Because Venus Flytraps are so scarce, some early botanists doubted their existence, despite all the stories about a flesh-eating plant.
So, how did the plant end up with the intriguing name of Venus Flytrap? It’s not too hard to imagine how ‘Flytrap’ might relate to its insect-catching abilities.

venus fly trap

But how to choose a Venus Flytrap Plant to buy? Unless one lives where Venus Flytraps grow naturally, one probably won’t be able to just plop one into the dirt in the garden and watch it grow. However, if one is willing to invest a little time and effort, one can certainly grow Venus Flytraps at home. There are two ways by which one can acquire a Venus Flytrap plant.

1) A reputable nursery or carnivorous plant society. There are several sites that offer carnivorous plants.

2) Local garden centers. Sometimes grocery stores with flower shops will feature carnivorous plants for sale at certain times of the year. The plant may be stressed but with a little love and care will prove to be not only and educational interest but also an unusual conversation plant. The kids love it. Just don’t let them feed it or snap the traps too much or the plant be stressed and die sooner than later.

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12 Comments on Buy a Venus Flytrap»

  1. Never pick venus flytraps where they live naturally! Not only is it illegal, it further hurts the already dying population of natural flytraps! There are many strict laws about picking every type of carnivorous plant.

    Comment by Robert — 7/2/2005 @ 3:08 pm

  2. How to care for a venus fly trap and what to feed it? How much water and what type of water is required for the plant

    Venus Fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) requires full sun in spring and fall and some shade in the hot months of summer. Keep them constantly moist, water with rainwater and provide high humidity at temperatures between 45-98 degrees. Repot the peat mix every year or two and do not fertilize. Feed the plant occasionally with tiny pieces of dead fly,maggots, never raw meat, if they don’t catch it themselves. They are difficult plants to grow and eventhough their lifespan may be short indoors, they’ll provide curiosity and interesting conversation.

    Comment by rShailen Dheda — 11/28/2005 @ 3:21 am

  3. I live in Northern U.S. and I was wondering if you could keep a Venus Fly Trap outdoors when it’s warm out and keep it indoors for the winter?

    They will love the outdoors in the summer. Make sure they get shade in the hot summer months. Provide humidity indoors in the winter.

    Comment by walrus62 — 2/25/2006 @ 4:36 pm

  4. I bought a Venus Fly Trap at Wal-Marts nursery. The person that worked there said that when they are pink they are really healthy, is that true?

    Color indicates the amount of light exposure, temperature and season. If the Venus fly trap has sufficient light to fulfull its chlorophyll requirement then it will develop a pinker color indicating it is happy & healthy. The pink/red color helps lure insects into the trap. There is also a variety “Akai Ryu” that is red and gets darker with more sun.

    Comment by Marissa Wurglinnei — 6/15/2006 @ 11:40 am

  5. I went on vacation for five weeks. When I left, my venus fly trap was already looking slightly brown. A neighbor took care of it. During vacation, I got a call saying my cats had knocked it down. I didn’t worry, but when I came back, it was brown partially and spindly. The plant and the soil around it were completely soaking. What is wrong with my venus fly trap?? Could it be overwatering?? Do the cats have anything to do with it?? How do I fix this, and will the fly trap recover??

    Sounds like your Venus fly trap wasn’t happy when you left it. When the cats knocked it down it could have caused some breakage but not the browning. Overwatering may be a possibility. Let the “soil” dry out slightly but keep it moist but not soaking. See how it responds. It may send out new leaves from the center. If its not happy in the present location try a sunny spot elsewhere and see what happens. more info

    Comment by kris — 11/23/2006 @ 10:02 am

  6. 2006-4-20
    how do i make my venus flytrap grow big and fat if it in a small pot do i have to put it in a big pot?

    A larger pot won’t make a larger plant. Once the plant seems to overflow the pot then you would repot it.

    Comment by jeremy — 12/19/2006 @ 3:13 pm

  7. Can i plant two flytraps in one pot together?
    what can i feed my flytrap if it is not getting enough flys?

    Probably would be better to keep them separate and not crowd them. They don’t like to be transplanted. Most likely, your traps are getting enough food but just in case feed your plants other bugs such as maggots, spiders, crickets. Just don’t overfeed too much will also kill the plant. Also make sure that the food is no larger than 1/3 the size of the trap or you risk rot and which will kill the leaf. Check out http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2125.html for more fly info.

    Comment by kimber harbour — 4/26/2007 @ 2:49 pm

  8. I bought a venus flytrap called fang. How do I care for it? And how do I know it’s healthy?

    It requires the same care as any other venus flytrap. The leaves should be free of spots, glossy and turgid (not floppy). Check out http://www.the-venus-flytrap.com/carnivorous-help-topics.html for more care info.

    Comment by Luke — 9/16/2007 @ 11:08 pm

  9. a few days after eating, my fly trap leaf
    will start turning black starting from where
    fly is and extending to the rest of leaf. I
    cut away the leaf.

    Comment by Gene O’Neal — 10/1/2007 @ 1:07 pm

  10. My nino bought me a venus flytrap but my dog dropped it . and because of the dog getting a hold of my venus flytrap. my venus has some dirt In it’s mouth. will the dirt harm the venus fly trap? is it o.k to touch the venus flytrap to clean the dirt out? what will happen if I touch it ?

    Yes, it’s ok to touch it but be gentle. Rinse off the dirt with a gentle stream of water. Most likely nothing will happen when you touch it.

    Comment by juana — 12/4/2007 @ 10:40 pm

  11. I used to have a small Flytrap a few months ago, I had it growing pretty well. I put the pot in a tupperware bottom with rocks and water in it to increase humidity. Then my father killed it :( but since then I’ve gotten a new one. I have it in a similar tupperware bowl with water, and the leaves sprout very vivaciously and tall, but they then slump over and haven’t developed into traps. The old traps aren’t healthy and don’t trigger shut. Could I be overwatering? Should i cut away the old traps?

    Your plant is not happy. Did you fertilize your VFtrap? What kind of water are you using - use distilled or rainwater not chlorinated water? The plant medium should be moist but not wet. Is it getting enough light?
    You may be keeping the plant too wet especially in the winter with cooler temperatures and less sunlight. Check the bulb and see if it is firm and a creamy color without any soft spots If you have soft spots it is rotting possibly from too much water. Even if all the leaves die back but the bulb is healthy, you can dust it with a fungicide and replant it. It should send out new growth. Don’t try to trigger the traps shut, it is stressful on the plant and will kill the trap. A trap can be triggered 3-4 times and then will die. Cut away any brown or dying traps before they rot.

    Comment by Jordan — 12/30/2007 @ 12:11 pm

  12. what do i do if my venus fly is to small to eat anything?

    Just leave it alone and let it grow. You don’t need to feed or fertilize it. It will get nutrition on its own. Usually the warm, moist soil conditions will breed soil gnats which Venus fly trap will feed on occasionally. Overfeeding a Venus fly trap is the fastest way to kill it.

    Comment by jaylen — 1/8/2008 @ 6:50 pm

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