It's overfeeding if the crickets are more than 2/3 the size of the traps. The traps will let you know if it's too much or too distasteful. They turn black and die - but the plant produces more traps. I know it's tempting and fun to feed them, but when outside, they are quite efficient! Have fun - but not TOO much fun!

venus' flytraps can benefit from a few bugs, here & there. Like Petiolaris said, Over feeding is when you feed them bugs too big for its size. During the growing season, my flytraps keep on eating & eating whatever they please. Most times, sadly*sigh* i never see any beautiful opened ,empty traps because they're always closed eating some fly or flying insect. But it won't harm your plant if you feed all the traps. It will most likely produce more & more divisions & offshoots from the base of the plant. this is so far what i know.. because i always see the results after my traps eating a bunch of bugs. take care then, have fun with your little flytrap. :p

The 2/3 Ration is good, Also... i think feeding 1 trap at a time while in doors is fine (it will close then open up with the carcas is when i feed them again)

But out doors they catch more than enough

Cheers

I'm just about to get a venis fly trap. I'm wondering if i have to feed it myself or does it attract the bugs by itself and also do they eat fly's.

You should have your plant outside, for best cultivation and they will attract bugs on their own.

I have had my trap for a wile and it has just started to to black one Trap at a time but not stopping ....... What can i do?

It is likely that the life of the individual trap is up. Normal. Just snip off anything that has blackened. Is there any new growth? If so, I wouldn't worry about anything.

I am trying out a venis fly trap for the first time. I live in Utah so I expect it to be difficult. Utah is very dry so my first question is how do I make it so the plant has enough humidity? Also, Utah has some pretty brutal winters so what do I do when it gets really cold? I am planning on keeping it inside but I am not sure this will work. Last thing, my fly trap isn't closing on anything, does this mean it is dead? Please help me! I have read all of the other blogs but I still think my little plant is struggling.
Thanks

I have several fly traps and they keep sending out long skinny stalks with little white flowers that bloom. How many stalks can one plant shoot out at one time? One of my plants have seven stalks. Does this mean that I have seven plants or just one really healthy one? Also, I am growing them indoors under grow lights, I have been leaving them on for 12 to 14 hours a day and have been getting fantastic results. But do they are they going to need a resting period like during the winter? Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing now? also does anybody know about the seed? I'd like to see a picture. The seeds from my plants are so small that I can barely see the.
Thanks!

Hello E.Morano,

Usually a Venus Flytrap will send up one or two flower scapes. What you are seeing is probably several plants that have divided off of one rhizome. One Venus Flytrap can create clones of itself by dividing its root crown into several adult plants as it gets older. After a couple of years, a cluster of 3 or more plants might be growing together so, when you repot them, you can check the crown and see if any break off on their own. Any that are easy to remove can be repotted seperately.

During winter, from November to February, Venus Flytraps will need to go dormant. You seem to be doing well with the grow lights, but they will grow even better in sunlight. Dormancy with grow lights would have to be simulated by cutting back on the amount of light they get by one hour a week at the beginning of winter until they are getting 8 hours a day. You will also need to simulate winter by placing the flytraps in a cold environment down to about 40 degrees if you just have to grow them indoors. If you live in a temperate zone, you can just adapt them to outdoor growing in pots and they will feel winter naturally and go dormant. Just protect them from really freezing weather, below 30 degrees, by covering them with plastic or mulch or by bringing them into a cold room or garage until the really low temperatures pass. In the wild, Venus Flytraps can experience and survive very cold winters, but in pots they are not well protected from freeze drying.

The seeds are very small, pear shaped, and colored black. You can just wait for the flowers to turn black and die off, then clip them off and shake the seeds out into a white plastic container or on some paper. The seeds can be sown as soon as you get them. Just drop them on the soil surface, don't bury them, and keep them moist. They will germinate in 2-6 weeks or so.

Hello everyone!

I am 15 years old, homeschooled, and i would like to do a report on Venus Fly Traps, and other carnivorous plants, so have a few questions to ask. How many insects does a VFT have to eat a year? How often does it have to eat? Someone told me that during the winter you can put your VFT in a plastic bag, and put it in the refrigerator, is this true? I got my VFT in a little plastic pot with a cup on top to keep in the humidity, do I keep the top on and only take it off for feeding time? Do I have to keep in in the little plastic pot? Last but not least, what do I put the water in? any and all information is needed and greatly appreciated. Thank you!

~julia~

Hi Julia,

VFT's unfortunately, while being the most popular and most interesting, aren't the best carnivorous plant to keep indoors. Out of proportion to other CP's, they require a lot of direct sunlight, which means having it grown outside. But if you can't provide that right now, a bright, sunny window sill (southwest exposure)along with a 40W artificial light ~4" above it, would be very hepful, at least in the short run.

Water: Store-bought distilled water or laboratory deionized water or Reverse Osmosis (RO) water or collected rainwater are acceptable - but NOT tap water or mineral or spring water. That would kill it with a slow death. The pot/plant should be sitting in another plastic container, with ~1/2-1" of water.

Humidity: It should NOT be covered. High humidity is not only not required, but could create a mini-greenhouse effect, cooking the plant, as well as possibly leading to mold. The plant needs to be exposed to the air.

Feeding: First and foremost a VFT is just another plant that needs light, water, and air. Its adaptation to poor nutrient soil media has led it to carnivorosity, but that is secondary to its need for light, water, and air. When outside, it catches enough bugs on its own to keep it going. When inside, the general rule of thumb is like one bug per trap per week, and even that's plenty. Feeding VFT's is more something that we humans like to see, more than the plant needs it.

Dormancy: That's one approach to providing dormancy. Depnding upon where you live, you may be able to keep it outside all year round. They come from North Carolina, so if your climate is similar, you can keep it outside and dispense with the refrigerator. My very first successful dormancy with a VFT was to place the pot/plant, as is, uncovered, in the butter keeper. That worked for me and the plant. After that and living in the Northeast, I have kept VFT's and other similar plants in plastic buckets, with drainage holes, outside, for 2/3 of the year. And when it got too cold I toted the buckets to my attic and placed them at window sills, where it stayed cold, but not frigid, and woke up naturally, as the light and temps dictated. Here's a few pictures to give you an idea:

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Hello sundancer 92,

1. Venus Flytraps really do not have to eat, but are healthier when they catch and eat insects. Insects are their fertilizer, but fertilizer is not the most important aspect of plant health, sunlight and water are. A Venus Flytrap would maintain good health with about a dozen or fewer insects a year, however, usually catch much more than that.

2. Venus Flytraps take about a week or two to digest an insect, so if it does not catch anything on it's own for a couple of weeks, you can feed it a small insect, much smaller than the leaf, about once every two weeks.

3. During winter, Venus Flytraps must go dormant to maintain good health or they will weaken and die the following year in all probability. First, you must make sure the plant can feel the seasons by being in sunlight as the seasons change. If you just have to grow it inside, you will have to place it in a south window or give it less artificial florescent light each week of November until it gets 8 hours of light. It will also need to feel cold weather, so you can place it in the refrigerator, outside in cold weather, or in an ice chest with frozen bottles of water around it's pot so that it gets down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit after you have started lowering the light photoperiod. The drop in temperature and light level will make it go dormant. The problem with the refrigerator is that the plant will have to be fully dormant before you can place it in the fridge all winter and that fungus and drying out can occur too easily there. I prefer the ice chest or placing the plant outdoors. Just make sure the temperatures do not drop below freezing for over a day or two and keep the soil barely moist. In February, the plant will come out of dormancy as the light and heat levels rise. Indoors, you have to simulate that by giving the plant one more hour of light each week of February and placing less ice bottles around it each week until it has come out of dormancy and gets 12 or more hours of light. During winter, I open the ice chest to air it out and give the plant some light all day, then at night I cover it so the temperatures will drop and condensation forms to keep it moist. Every 12 hours, replace the ice bottles so they keep the temperature constant. Clearly, outside is the easier way to overwinter flytraps, but not every place has cold, short photoperiod winters the same.

4. Yes, the little "death cubes" you get at hardware stores are the easiest way to kill a flytrap. I think they must want the plants to die after they sell them so they can make you buy another every year. You can slowly remove the top by punching holes in it or placing a pencil or other object under one side to let in some air. Every 3 days, punch more holes or set up a way to hold the top up a bit more until it looks like swiss cheese or is lifted a couple of inches. By that time, it should be a couple of weeks and the cover can be removed completely. The plant will get sick and go into shock if you take the humidity dome off too fast and leave it off without adapting the plant slowly. Flytraps can adapt to low humidity very well. Mine are in a pot with no cover at all and are doing very well.

This is what a Typical Venus Flytrap should look like at this time of year. Notice the large, red traps, flower scape, and upright leaves.

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5. The little plastic pot will be too small to grow a Venus Flytrap over the long term as they get long roots and can divide themselves into more plants from their roots, growing into an ever expanding clump. You can get a bale of dry sphagnum peat moss (the Canadian premium is good) and some regular perlite and use them in a 50/50 mix and repot the plant any time in the spring or summer into a 5-6 inch pot with drainage holes. Make sure none of the soil you use has any fertilizers or minerals in them as they would rot the roots and kill the plant.

6. Place a large tray, about 1-2 inches larger than the base of the pot and about 2 or more inches tall, under the pot to hold water. Water the plant only with distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water as hard water from the tap will harm and kill the plant over time. They hate high mineral content water. Top water the plant so that the water drains into the tray and leave the tray with about an inch or so of water. When the tray gets dry, water it again. They always like moist soil at all times of the year, but not waterlogged and never dry.

Never fertilize the plant and give it a lot of light. Since your plant has been in a low light hardware store, it will need to be adapted to higher light too. While you adapt it to low humidity, you can place the plant in an east or west window or under two 40 watt florescent tubes of the cool white shop light variety or one compact flourescent bulb of 100 watt equivalence as close to the plant as possible. About 2 or so inches from the leaves would be a good start. After adapting the plant to low humidity and that silly cover is off, you can place it in a good south facing window for a week and then place it out on a sunny patio or balcony where it is protected from animals and little children and can catch it's own insects and get full sun for the rest of the time if possible. If not, the window will have to do. Venus flytraps really prefer full sun, so as much light as you can supply would be best. They come from North Carolina where they live in a bog with no trees and no larger plants over them, so there is no shade. They get full sun all summer, temperatures up to 100 degrees, and experience freezing winters in their native habitat. They often live over 10-20 years in such conditions.

Also, never feed the plant hamburger, dead insects, or anything other than live insects smaller than the trap. Anything dead will be rejected and waste the trap's energy closing and anything with fat in it or that is not a normal food source might rot the trap.

Good luck with your plant.

Thank you all so much! Your information has been very, very helpful. I have decided to put my VFT outside, so it can be exposed to real sunlight. When I bought my VFT, I had also bought a pitcher plant. Would I be able to plant both of them together if I got a bigger pot? If I end up buying more than 1 VFT could I pot them together?

~julia~

Hello sundancer 92,

What type of Pitcher plant is it? If it is a North American species you can treat it much as the VFT and pot them together in a large container. VFT can be potted together, just give them a couple of inches space between plants.

If you bought an Asian Pitcher plant, it will need more tropical conditions and can be grown as a houseplant year round in a good sunny window.

This is an Asian Pitcher Plant called Nepenthes sanguinea.

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The Asian Pitcher Plants grow like vines with leaves that produce tendrils from which pitchers form. Some remain relatively small and some vine out to over 20 feet long. They like light about like what they would get under a tree.

This is a North American Pitcher Plant called Sarracenia rubra.

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North American Pitchers grow trumpet shaped leaves straight up or curved close to the ground and have a hood or lid around the top opening. They need full sun and dormancy just like the Venus Flytrap and can grow about 1-3 or so feet tall according to the species.

Check out petiolaris's collection in his pictures and see if any of his plants look similar to yours.

VFT's and American pitcher plants (Sarracenias)grow in similar conditions....however.... Sarracenias can be kept in a pot that is in a container of water, (water-logged). VFT's aren't as fond of the water-logged setup and prefer to have more opportunity for drainage. But you can get by having them together if the pot they are in is deep.

Another thing to consider is that a significant change in a plant's conditions can easily cause shock. By putting the VFT outside, without a bit of acclimation (under a porch for a week or so), the existing leaves may die. I wouldn't expect the plant to die, but it could react.. and in a few weeks, recover. Always go slowly when changing a plant's environment.

Ive been reading here about humidity being bad. I have kept my plants in a very humid environment and have been getting fantastic results. But now Im concerned. Should I cut the humidity? If so, please tell me why.

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These are the containers I have them growing in. As you can see from the one on the left, I have holes cut in the top. I pulled the stalk through the hole. I cut the other stalks off.

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This is the plant on the right.

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The middle plant

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The left one.

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Here is an up close of the middle one where you can see a clump of (mold?) growing. They almost look like eggs. This stuff was growing all over my peat moss when I opened the bag.

I read other articles that says humidity is good and that I should fill a dish with gravel and add water so that the gravel is covered but the pot is not submerged, which you can see in the pictures. Is this a bad thing though?
Also, I have my plants growing under 4 23 watt fluorescence lights. Each one puts out the light equivalent to a 100 watt bulb. I have highly reflective material all around the light housing. The material is mirror like. It came out of a Solatube. I built this stand my self.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I forgot to mention that I live in zone 9 and I dont know if this is a good outdoor climate for these plants

Hi ironius,

It is not so much that humidity itself is bad, just that high humidity coupled with closed containers creates a stagnant environment that breeds the mold you displayed. As your pictures also indicate, your Venus Flytraps are laying down on the job. This time of year, they should be growing upright petioles with large, red tinged traps. Venus Flytraps can be grown indoors for short time periods, but eventually weaken over several years of such low light. I have mine indoors, the picture is posted further up, and I intend to get it outdoors when I am able. They do best with full, direct sunlight and can grow in most humidity levels without difficulty. Humidity domes cause more problems than anything else.

1. Mold can grow on the soil and attack the plants, killing them rather quickly.

2. High humidity in a stuffy environment promotes weak, floppy leaves. In lower humidity and airy environment their leaves will be very tough and thick.

3. Insects cannot get to the traps so the plants cannot eat naturally.

4. Having them indoors in a controlled environment means that you will have to simulate dormancy the hard way in winter.

5. Humidity domes keep your options limited for light levels since they cannot be placed in direct sun without steaming the plants like in a pressure cooker.

My Venus flytraps do not have humidity covers, are placed within 2 inches from leaves to light of 4 40 watt florescent shoplight tubes, and sit in an inch of water dierectly in a tray. They really do not need the stones and gravel at all, they like water and enjoy having their soil moist all the time, just not waterlogged.

If your region gets temperatures around 100 degrees max in summer and winters down to about 40 or so Fahenheit, then it is just fine for Venus Flytraps. I live in zone 9 and would have mine outside too if I were not in a tiny apartment complex right now.

Since the Flytraps are flowering, I would try to get them as close to the lights as possible to stimulate seed production if that is what you seek. The more light they get, the better the yield. Mine has already produced over 30 seeds from 4 flowers already. That is about middling average, so my light levels are just barely adequate for now. If you notice, the one in the picture a couple of posts up has a bent scape as I restrained it with a piece of yarn as it grew so that the entire plant could remain directly under the light.

Excellent! Im in zone 9 also so Im going to try to winterise them outside. It does get usually over 100 degrees in the summer here. last summer it got up to 110, do you think this will be a problem?

Also thanks for all the helpful info.

Hi ironius,

Yeah, the high temps over 100 degrees do tend to dry them out asd kill them. In your region you would be limited to keeping them indoors I would say, until the fear of the hottest temperatures is past. Once the temps drop below 100 degrees, you can acclimate them to outdoors. Just protect them from animals and little children. Always go slow when acclimating a plant of any type to different humidity and sun levels. Just make sure you give them a couple of weeks of slow changes before the final change is made. Like every 3 days punch some holes in the humidity covers until they no longer hold humidity, then take them off. Then place them in a east or west window for one week, a south window for the second week, and then outside in full sun the rest of the time. Just protect them from temperatures over 100 degrees and under freezing for too long. They are temperate plants, but their region is 8, so they get lower summer temps and lower winter temps, but in a pot, should be protected from deep freezes under 30 for longer then a couple days at a time.

good luck with your plants!

Good thanks!

I'll pass on the luck though. Dont need it, I got skills.

Heh, jus kiddin.

Hello mutant_hybrid,
I have a North American pitcher plant, and I now have it in an aquarium with a glass top, and its filled with peat moss. I have the Venus Fly-trap on one side and the Pitcher plant on the other. Should I take the top off soon? I am trying to do it slow so the plants will not go in shock and die. Thank you for the pictures!

~Julia~

Hi sundancer 92,

Thats a good idea to take the top off the terrarium slowly. Just open it about and inch for 3 days, then 2 inches and so forth every 3 days until it is completely off and no longer holds humidity, then the plants will be hardened to room humidity and can be taken out and placed in brighter light until you can adapt them to full sun if possible. Just go slow and take a couple of weeks with the adapting process for humidity and light and the plants should not show much discomfort with the changes. To fast, and they might wilt and loose some leaves or burn in too strong a light all at once. When they are in low light and high humidity, their leaves become weaker and cannot stand bright light as much even though they need it. Kind of like how we need light to release vitamins in our bodies, but when we stay inside for weeks, we get a sunburn when we go out for 30 minutes. They just need to get a tan so they can get used to bright light again.

Keep up the good work and your plants will be much healthier.

I thought Id let my plants get a little sun so I put them outside for about 3 hours. I thought that short period would do them good. I guess not though. When I came back all the traps were closed and they were sunburned and somewhat wilted, a bunch of the leaves had brown spots on them. I took them inside and left them in the dark with the humidity domes on,for the rest of the day. Today they look better, they are no longer wilted. Should I put them under the grow lights all day or give them a break to continue to recover? What do you think Mutant? Thanks for the advice.

One thing I have learned is that a significant change in a plant's conditions (temp, light, humidity) can easily lead to a reaction. A long as the reaction isn't death, given enough time, the plants recover. And as long as its new conditions aren't ultimately detrimental, it is best to just wait it out. People tend to look for perfect conditions and aren't patient long enough to allow a given plant to recover and acclimate. Movong plants around can be just as bad a problem as one significant change.

Hello ironius,

I second petiolaris' advice. Slow steps. Placing the plants out for a few hours after they had been getting no ultraviolet radiation at all really sunburns them. They got to get a tan slowly just like people do. Give them a week in a east or west window, then a week in a south window, then outside in brighter light. They will adapt over time and grow more colorful and sturdy leaves.

Thank you very much Mutant_Hybrid, I am following your advice and it is working great! I have noticed that my North American Pitcher plant is doing very well! It is growing like a weed! The leafs are getting big and red! Once againg Thank you so much for the valuble information!

I just got my venis fly trap 2-3 days ago and it came in a small celindrical terarium about a 2 inch diamiter. its goten much bigger and i need to know more about the habatat i should keep it in

its tiny little vedgetable live depends on your repily

~olliechan

my new baby is looking pretty sick... and when it eats flies the whole fly isn't eaten... what do ido?
he is turning black on leaves too fast and some leaves are yellow... those leaves wont eat!!!

please help my new baby i don't want him to die and his name is "M.D."

I LOVE HIM!!!!!

please hurry with helpful information!! :(

abster2229,

If the plant has been adapted to proper growing conditions as the previous section of this post indicates, it should not suffer indigestion from catching flies.

If the plant is getting direct sun, temperatures below 100 degrees, mineral free water, no fertilizer, sphagnum peat moss or long fiber sphagnum, and has a water tray with 1/4 of the pot in water, the plant should be fine.

Venus Flytraps do not digest the entire fly, but only the juicy inner organs. A trap dying after trying to eat something indicates low light. A Flytrap with insufficient light cannot eat. Fertilized soil can kill the plant like you are describing as can too much water in stagnant conditions. The soil should always be moist but not waterlogged as that can induce root rot. Never use tap water as that builds up minerals in the soil and kills the plant too.

Never worry about feeding a Flytrap. Flies are like vitamin pills for carnivorous plants. They help out a little, but only if the plant is getting everything else it needs first. Trying to feed a sick Flytrap flies is like trying to save a person from starving by giving them only vitamin pills... they would still starve.

Abster,
Is your VFT indoors or out? If indoors get it outside. Adjust it to full sun a little every day. They Also need a dormancy period in winter, no lower than 40 degrees. I keep mine in the fridge as I have no basement or place to put them.

Tom

I just received a few plants, including a neglected venus fly trap, from a lady who is moving. Judging by the condition of all of her plants, I am guessing that nothing was done to provide a dormant period for this small VFT and that it has been given tap water. I cut off two spent flower stalks and a lot of black moldy rotted growth. I was able to remove the remnants of white-fly and gnat infestations also. There are two tiny traps and a few small leaves.

Should I decease the photoperiod and trick the plant into having a dormant period for a few months in my refrigerator? Or should I let it go and hope for the best. Some sites say that the plant will surely die without a dormant period, others don't metion it at all. This is my first VFT experience EVER. I'm in Switzerland (the country), so think about Montreal when you consider my "Zone."

Let it grow, forget the dormant period until the fall this time.