skip to main content

Tropical Plants

Venus Fly Trap Care

18 years ago

My girlfriend and I recently bought a venus fly trap from Walmart (I know, I know :-P) and it needs to be repotted. I have heard conflicting opinions on the medium I should transplant into. Some say regular potting soil is fine, while others says that you should use a potting mix formulated for African violets. Anyone have any advice?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

sowandsew
18 years ago
You might have luck inquiring to the Gardenweb carnivorous plant forum.
virgilevetts
18 years ago
Hey
They def dont lie reguarl potting mix. The slow release fertilizer will kill them quite promptly.
Being swamp plants they like wet, acid conditions. As I recall about 2 parts peat to 1 part pumice works well. Ive also had a lot of success with pure sphagnum moss. This is discourgaed by the experts but I used it for years with VFTs and the plants grew far quicker than in peat. The key is to never let them dry out. Sit them in a saucer of water in full sun over the summer and keep damp in winter.

They are not hard to grow, and most die from to much prodding! On that note, the planst do not need feeding, and doing so is likely to cause decay that will spread to th eleaves. Even indoors, th eplanst will catch there own food.
These plants have been grown very successfully in lab conditions without ever catching food.
Related Discussions
Venus Fly Trap Flower - help!
Q
Comments (20)
I realize that it has been at about 5 years since this post has been put up haha, I had a question on what I should do if my VFT flowers, I do not want it to flower because it makes the plant very weak and most VFT die after flowering. I found this after surfing the web for about an hour yet, I haven't found an answer. Do NOT put your VFT in a dark area with no sunlight, it will die. It will continue trying to do photosynthesis, and furthermore, like I said it will die. Instead, put a sealed bag over it and put it in the fridge over the winter, NOT the freezer. Make sure to keep the soil moist. http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2380.html I have read this entire site and it has helped me in many ways. I hope that if you have any questions it'll help, and also, should I cut the stem before it flowers? :P
...See More
Newbie to Venus fly trap
Q
Comments (5)
Hi there, and congrats on getting a new VFT. I would probably leave it in the pot it is in now, since it looks to be the correct size and it is made of plastic; unless the potting medium you have it in is incorrect. I usually use perlite and peat mixed together in equal amounts, though some people use other ingredients. I also use the tray method of watering, with distilled water, but if you leave it outside rainwater works just as well, if not better. Raising the humidity in the growing area would help, too. And most importantly, do not be afraid to give your trap lots and lots of light.
...See More
What is the best way to care for my venus fly trap?
Q
Comments (2)
you would need Pure Sphagnum PEat for soil, with either half perlite or half sand. Use only Pure WAter, and sence you just purchased it im guessig its kind of weak for a VFT, so i dont know that you want it going dormant it could die. So use artificial light I dont know to much on that but some one ealse should and will fill you in, but basicaly a couple Cool flourecent light bulbs, and a timer works good, they like lots of light, probably bout 12 or more hours of light to get good coloration. But being inside it wont get great coloration. As for puttingit inside, dont just take of the Plastic dome, slowly take it off, prop up one side a lil bit for 2 days the other side for 2 days so on and so forth till you prop all sides off, then you leave that their for about 3 days then take it off, this is what has worked for me. You would want about a 6 inch Pot. And would probably want to have about 2 inches in standing water letting the water table change from time to time, and its ok to flood it once or twice not to often. Some one will fill you in more detailed if i missed any thing. Cheers n good luck
...See More
Venus Fly Trap Flowering
Q
Comments (14)
Your plant may have flowered if your lights are running more than 12 hours a day. It thinks its spring. Would have to disagree regarding the suitability of venus flytraps for terrariums. Given sufficient light they do quite well in a terrarium, although I always suggest keeping them in pots in the terrarium to allow for sufficient drainage. I have a few dozen that I produced in vitro that have been growing in terrariums now for about 5 years. Unlike some that I've bought in the past, the ones out of culture seem to be quite happy without experiencing dormancy. Perhaps it has to do with how they were raised. I give most of them 14 hours of bright fluorescent light each day, although I have a few that I keep on a windowsill and those undergo a muted dormancy each winter. They go outside in summer once the days are long enough. One way that you can satisfy dormancy is to put the pots in plastic bags and pop them in a fridge for a few months. I do this with my northern pitcher plants to get them to flower. Kept at 34 degree F for about 3 months the leaves remain green and the plants will flower when taken out. Considering that yours has decided to flower it might be better to allow it to continue growing after removing the flower stalk. As long as it keeps producing new leaves large enough to replace any that turn black it should be fine. Progressively smaller leaves indicate it is declining or going into dormancy
...See More
garyfla_gw
18 years ago
Hi
These are fairly easy to grow in a variety of media .IMO the best is peat and perlite . They do need to be kept constantly moist and the saucer of water is a good idea. Be
sure to use RO or rainwater as they are very sensitive to minerals . They requie high light conditions even dirct sun . The tough part is the required dormant period. They need a chill for around 3 months but no hard freezes. I put mine in a ziplock and store in the fridge.
These are very commonly grown CP so you'll find tons of info on them. Good luck
gary
Heathen1
18 years ago
also... they aren't tropical... don't like even MY heat.
seeds_of_love
18 years ago
Hey! I just bought a VFT from Walmart too!;) It is pretty small, but healthy, and I don't think it needs repotting yet. Interesting note about not feeding it though... I bought it thinking it would enjoy the numerous fruit flies in our kitchen, but my little brothers and sisters think it is so fun to watch it catch a bug... I think they have fed it two small ants and a little flour moth so far.:/ It still has lots of open leaves. Should I totally discourage further feeding?;)
sharonlily_yahoo_com
18 years ago
don't feel bad...I bought a venus fly trap at wal-mart too....the middle of the traps are pink/red and I've read that means it's healthy....I had one a long time ago and killed it so I'm trying not to kill this one...I repotted it in african violet potting mix with peat in it (I think the bag said it had a slow release fertilizer...I hope that doesn't kill it) and I have it in I think a 6 inch pot with holes in the bottom and put it in a bowl of gravel ...I also have distilled water for it....we'll see if it stays alive...

Related Stories

MOST POPULAR How to Get Rid of Those Pesky Summer Fruit Flies

By Mitchell Parker

Learn what fruit flies are, how to prevent them and how to get rid of them in your home

PETS What You Need to Know Before Buying Chicks

Ordering chicks for your backyard coop? Easy. But caring for them requires planning and foresight. Here's what to do

MODERN ARCHITECTURE Houzz Tour: Creative Thinking Yields a Lakefront 'Living Room'

By Vanessa Brunner

Careful planning leads to a new structure and location for a stellar view

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Family Builds Off the Grid Near the Cascade Mountains

By Mitchell Parker

Homeowners carefully construct a weekend home on 20 acres in remote northeast Washington

FEEL-GOOD HOME Inherited Pieces: Embrace the Approach That Works for You

By Glamour Nest

How you remember and honor loved ones through heirlooms is your decision alone

MODERN ARCHITECTURE Keep Your Big Windows — and Save Birds Too

Reduce bird strikes on windows with everything from architectural solutions to a new high-tech glass from Germany

PETS So You Want to Get a Cat

By Mitchell Parker

If you're a cat lover, the joys outweigh any other issue. If you haven't lived with one yet, here are a few things to know

PETS 10 Tips for Keeping Indoor Cats Healthy and Happy

By Laura Gaskill

It's National Cat Day: Ask not what your cat can do for you (because it will ignore you) but what you can do for your cat

PETS See a Deluxe 'Catio' Built for Feline Fun

By Becky Harris

Sixteen lucky cats get the run of a protected outdoor patio with ramps, steps and even a koi pond

FURNITURE Your Essential Sofa Buying Guide

By Susan Redman

Here’s what to consider when looking for a quality sofa that will last

Sponsored

Urban Upkeep LLC

6 Reviews

Franklin County's High Quality Painting Expert

More Discussions

Meyer Lime (tastes and smells like a Limey/Orange)

16

Philodendron Selloum looks bad :(((

0

Need Help Identifying this Plant

2

Are Cordylines shade plants?

4

Sterlizia curled leafs

0