Venus flytrap care

19 Comments

1. Camille - February 19, 2008 at 1:11 pm

   My Venus Flytrap is flowering and know I’ve learned that it will almost certainly kill it, but it’s producing new traps and seems healthy, so is it still in danger or is it possible that it will survive?
   Also, I think of buying another one on the internet, but is it legal to ship plants from America to Europe and is it healthy for the plant?
   – Camille

   Carnivorous plant experts recommend that you cut off the flower because it will drain the plant of energy which it needs to keep producing healthy traps. My Venus Flytrap died shortly after blooming eventhough it looked good while it was in bloom. As long as the plant is grown legally in a greenhouse then I don’t see any reason not to ship it anywhere in the world.

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2. Alison - February 19, 2008 at 1:16 pm

   I recently bought a venus fly trap and some of the leaves are turning black. Is this a disease or are the leaves just old and dying? Alison

   Can be both, dying leaves are part of the natural growing cycle. They should be pruned to good material so that the rot doesn’t spread to other parts of the plant. Black leaves can also occur if it is kept too warm, too wet and too humid allowing fungus to attack . Fifty percent humidity is ideal. When the trap goes into a dormant stage, old leaves will turn black and should be trimmed. If they persist, then you will need to treat them with a fungicide.

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3. Jenni - March 2, 2008 at 9:03 am

   My VFT was doing well this past fall, when it has plenty of flies to feed on. We once saw it with 4 at a time and it started going down hill from there. Maybe it used too much energy? Now it is early spring and for several months now it grows a new shoot every week or two, but a “mouth” never develops – therefore it cannot eat (even though there are no flies now anyway). Should I be doing something different to help it grow or is this normal? Do they need to be repotted? Mine is in a tiny 2.5″ pot. Also, can we water it with tap water we have left sitting in a cup for a few days to allow the chlorine to vaporize?

   Your VFT may have gone through a dormant period during the winter at which time they will slow or stop growing and “rest”. It may also be stressed from over eating which is a fast way to kill it. Give it lots of humidity and keep it moist-not wet. A makeshift terrarium from a clear 2-liter soda bottle may also help with the humidity. Distilled or rain water is best but if you need to use tap water (as you suggested) let it sit for a few days to evaporate the chlorine. Don’t worry about repotting or feeding it as it will “fend” for itself. With spring just around the corner it should perk up.

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4. Bryan - March 22, 2008 at 12:22 am

   Two weeks ago I brought my fly trap out of winter dormancy after three months of being in the refrigerator and have just noticed some small bluish gray bugs walking around on the top of the soil. They really don�t look like aphids and seem to have no interest in the plant at all. Should I be worried? The plant is still growing back its first new traps of the year and I don’t want to stress the fragile plant by doing anything unnecessary. This is an indoor plant and I did not see them last year. Thanks

   The bluish gray bugs may be soil gnats which live in wet conditions and feed on decaying organic material. You didn’t mention if you repotted your Venus Fly trap. It’s a good idea to repot it in fresh medium (a mix of 60% peat moss and 40% perlite). Soil (fungus)gnats are usually nothing to worry about unless they get out of control. The plant actually feeds on them.

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5. Courtney J - October 9, 2008 at 9:49 am

   I have been growing both venus flytraps and pitcher plants and have a large infestation of whiteflies on the pitcher plants and some on the flytraps. I have tried using isopropyl alcohol, but the plants are very sensitive to it and it caused damage where it touched the plant. How else could the whiteflies be controlled on carnivorous plants?

   Hi Courtney
   Have you tried fly tape to attract & trap the white flies?

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6. Mark Peyman - February 18, 2009 at 4:51 am

   I’m in the same situation as courtney.. is there any other remedy of ridding my VFT of the whitefly infestation?. ive had it for nearly 3 years and a few months ago it just died off completely and keeps throwing up stems every few weeks. I know you would say it is dormant.. but it hasnt died off in previous winters for some reason.

   Hi Mark
   One way to control whitefly is to spray the plant with a systemic like Orthenex. It should protect your plant for up to 3 months. Follow label directions and take precautions when using this product. Do not spray indoors.

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7. Aaron - March 28, 2009 at 1:45 pm

   Okay I bought my Venus flytrap about 6 days ago, and it has been doing great! It is eating a ladybug right now, and I have trimmed it, gave it plenty of water, and kept it under a light because it has been rainy down here, and there has been no sunlight. But I have comed worried about the humidity! I have nothing to put over it to have humidity, and I was wanting to know if just watering it good everyday will do fine? And I keep it inside, and hand feed it often, is handfeeding it ok, as long as the trap shuts by itself?
   Thanks, Aaron

   HI Aaron
   You are going to drown the plant if you water it everyday. It needs to be kept moist but not soggy. Once a week may be sufficient. If its raining a lot, I would not worry about humidity, there should be enough in the air to satisfy your Venus flytrap. I know it a cool novelty to watch the traps close but its best not feed the plant, it will feed itself.

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8. carnivourcactiman - June 10, 2009 at 10:07 pm

   i have flytraps, i live in southern cali. and have them in full sun and set in a bog enviorment, i use reverse osmosis treated water and fill a try on the bottom of the pot, when the tray is about dry i fill it back up, i don’t feed it i let it catch its own bugs and it is doing great no problems,

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9. SPC:BRAY - July 12, 2009 at 11:01 am

   hello, i am in the army deployed to baghdad, iraq and i have just got my 1st vft and i read the above QanA but nothing really was asked or said on my area or temp situation. 1st off it took 11 days for my plant to get here from michigan. then once it arrived two plants looked ok and were tall and green and one was small and black and one other one was small and green. my vft i believe is a starter one it is in a small square plastic case two inch wide by 4inch tall with a plastic top on it. can you give me some info on how to take care of it with me being in baghdad. also there is a thin plastic liner that is in the case with a half inch hole in the middle were the plants are growing thru should i take that out to give the plants more room or is it there for a reason. also it gets to be about 100-110 in the shade here. thank you for your help.

   Hello SPC: Bray
   Thank you for your service to our country. Hopefully, I can help you with your VFT. It is a plant that requires humidity and temperatures of 50-75F. It grows in boggy areas of the Carolinas so that’s the kind of environment you need to establish. A mini terrarium made out of a jar or plastic 2 liter bottle would work. I would recommend that you transplant it into a soil mix of peat moss and perlite (a well-drained soil mix) but that may not be accessible to you in Baghdad. Instead, keep the plastic container in a saucer filled with a couple inches of water to increase the humidity around the plant. Remove the dome or your VFT will “cook” inside the container in high temperatures. The plant should be moist but not wet and allowed not to dry out. Misting will help. The plastic liner is there to keep the plant in place. It will survive if keep indoors in partial direct sun(4 hrs) or under flourescent light (6″ above plant) in a “cooler” environment. Good luck.

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10. Sarah C - August 5, 2009 at 7:52 am

    I just bought a VFT, it’s small and looks young, i’d like to re-plant it to give it more room to grow but should i wait to re-plant until next spring since it’s already August?

    Hi Sarah
    I would wait till next spring to re-plant your VFT especially if its not overflowing in the container.

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11. Luke - September 14, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    Dormancy
    hello there, so When you grow Venus flytraps in the winter, i dont get the part about dusting it with fungicide?

    Hi Luke
    Venus fly trap is dusted with a fungicide powder to protect them from rot while they are dormant (resting) in the frig. During dormancy, it should not be allowed to dry out. It should be stored moist but not wet, if too wet, they can get mildew and rot. Dormancy usually starts in late fall to early spring.

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12. Damian - March 26, 2010 at 5:17 am

    Hi,

    Having read the previous posts/replies, i think it’s too late for my VFT but I thought it was worth a post anyway.

    The plant has been doing really well for 7-9months since getting it and when it started to produce it’s first flowering stem I was really happy.
    However, yesterday the plant would not close on a pasisng fly so I wondered if a floweriing plant didn’t trap things that might be pollinating it, which lead me to this form, and I now see that it cold be the end of the road for my VFT afterall – is there anything that can be done to save it or is it time to get another one?
    D

    Hi Damian
    Remove the flower and stalk, if you haven’t already. Blooming takes a lot of energy out of the plant. If it is healthy, it will recover. Another blogger mentioned that they let their VFT bloom and it continues to grow well-that is not the common practice. Interesting idea about the plant not trapping because of pollinating the flower. I’m not sure which insect will pollinate it. The trap may not have closed because the fly did not trigger the hairs inside the trap. See the article above about how the plant feeds.

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13. James - May 1, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    Traps turn black
    Hello I have a VFT and have seen some rather large but not bigger than the trap leaves spiders go be eaten by my traps but after a couple of days of digestion my traps leaves start turning black and dry from the outside why is this happening?

    Hi James
    Each trap can take 2-3 insects and then dies. It could also be if the trap doesn’t close tight, bacteria and fungi can enter and feed on the insect causing the trap to die.

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14. shawn wylie - May 29, 2010 at 4:43 pm

    Do not feed your traps, they will get enough food on their own, one bug a month is good. Put them outside in full sun sitting in a tray of distilled water and let them do their thing. Hand feeding kills the trap and they only close three times and then the trap dies. Your taking energy from the plant everytime it closes. Research flytrap care at cobraplant.com, let the plant feed itself your killing it.

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15. Jack - July 7, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Aphids
    my VTF has aphids that I am treating, but it also seems to have little blister like bubbles forming on the leafe stalks. Might this be a fungus or a result of the aphid infestation? If it’s a sickness, any reccomendations on what product to get from the store for treatment? Thanks!!

    Hi Jack
    The blister like bubbles may just be honeydew(clear sticky substance) that the aphids excrete. Remove the aphids by squishing them or wash them off with running water. Insecticidal soap should work.

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16. saul - August 27, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    my venus fly trap already grow a flower and i am 10 years old

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17. caleb - May 6, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    Feeding
    Just got a venus fly trap. I was wondering how will feeding the plant kill it as it said in one of the coments above. The box that mine came in said that I could feed it. I would like to be educated on this matter. Thank you.

    Hi Caleb
    A venus fly trap will feed itself on insects in the medium it is in such as gnats. Feeding is not recommended because you can feed it large insects that the plant cannot digest fast enough which will kill the trap. Or feeding to often will also kill the trap. The trap dies after 2-3 feedings. Growers will say you can feed it because it is fun to watch. You can try it but make sure you don’t get carried away.

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18. Conor - December 29, 2011 at 12:47 am

    Aphids or fungus gnats
    Hi there, I’ve had my VFT for about 3 years. It has been very healthy (has divided into 9 plants) till now. I have noticed some of the trap ‘tips’ that clasp together when trap shuts are curling. On one particular plant the curling is so bad that it is very deformed and the traps are curling as well. Any ideas? Also, the peat soil has an infestation of minute white ‘hopper’ like insects. How will I get rid of these. Thanks a lot.

    Hi Conor
    It’s possible that you have either fungus gnats or aphids infecting your Venus fly trap. There are several ways to treat the problem. One is to use Orthene(acephate) a systemic insecticide which is absorbed by the roots into the leaves. It will render the whole plant poisonous to any insect that chews on it. Orthene can be used in pellet or spray form. The links above will give you more treatment options. Good luck

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19. Lyric s - May 31, 2012 at 10:07 am

    trap dying after feeding
    My planets are dieting right after thay ate some thing like a ant fly ladybug red

    Hi Lyric
    The trap will die after feeding several times. Each trap can take 2-3 insects and then dies. Dying leaves and traps are part of the growing cycle and should be trimmed off.

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