Home » Misc » Best venus fly trap food

Best venus fly trap food


What to Feed and Not to Feed a Venus flytrap- Complete List – Venus Flytrap World

There is a long list of food you can and can’t feed your Venus flytrap. I have grown Venus flytraps for over three years, and over time I have learned what works and what doesn’t. In this article, I share my advice.

Insects and spiders are suitable food options for Venus flytraps. The best feed alternatives are small live bugs that contain high nutrients. Freeze-dried insects are also an alternative. Always avoid feeding human food to Venus flytraps.

Venus flytraps do not need to consume insects to survive. However, consuming prey gives them extra nutrients, which fuel the plant to grow and divide. I have noticed many positive effects in Venus flytraps that consume insects frequently.

Make sure you choose an appropriate meal for your plant by learning about suitable options. Read each of the lists below for a successful feeding!

List of Food Options for Venus Flytrap

As you might notice from the list below, many arthropods are suitable to feed for Venus flytraps. Also, some less conventional options include plant food. Make sure to read the text below the list to learn which are the best and most practical alternatives for your specific scenario.

The list above is not comprehensive. It contains a list of many suitable food options, but almost any bug will do. Still, I tried to keep the list short and emphasize the most common insects you can find around your home, garden, or in park. The trick is to find an insect that is small enough to fit entirely inside the trap. Also, preferably, you want to choose food that contains a lot of soft tissue and little to no hard shells. I buy these freeze-dried bugs in the pet store as they are very affordable, can last you for years, and are extremely nutritious. The link will take you to Amazon to review the prize, they are usually less than $10.

Do Venus Flytraps eat flies? Venus flytraps consume flies in real life. Venus flytraps attract flies with sweet nectar and trap them with their leaves. Then, they secrete enzymes to drown and consume the flies. Besides flies, Venus flytraps also consume many other types of insects and spiders.

Cricket, mealworms, and bloodworms are top food options for Venus flytraps and most carnivorous plants. They contain high protein content and a lot of soft tissue. All three can be purchased online or at pet stores. Generally, there are two options: live and freeze-dried bugs.

Can venus flytraps eat dead bugs? Dead bugs are suitable to feed Venus flytraps. The process of employing dead feed is slightly more challenging than using live bugs. Dead bugs can be found in gardens or homes and bought in pet stores; some standard options are crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, and fruit flies.

Live and dead bugs will work for Venus flytraps. Both options are almost equally nutritious. However, employing dead bugs is less natural. Therefore it requires you to add a few extra steps to the feeding process to trick your plant into consuming a dead bug. For example, you will have to rehydrate the insect with distilled water.

What You Should Never Feed Venus Flytrap

With so much misinformation out there about what to feed Venus flytraps. I felt highly compelled to emphasize what you should never feed your Venus flytrap:

Can Venus flytraps eat human food? Human food is not appropriate for Venus flytraps or any carnivorous plants. Venus flytraps won’t be able to consume such complex food. Instead, after an unsuccessful digestion attempt, the leaf withers, and the food rots, attracting mold and bacteria.

Can Venus flytraps eat animals other than insects? Venus flytraps can digest meat from tiny animals such as rodents, birds, or frogs. However, this behavior is not very common. The diet of Venus flytraps in the wild is made up primarily of insects.

Never attempt to feed any animals besides insects or spiders to your Venus flytrap. Even though they can digest meat, the plant will most likely be unsuccessful at digesting the whole animal. And you will end up with a rotting trap.

Insects You Should Avoid Feeding to Venus Flytraps

Venus flytrap can consume almost any insect. However, some bugs are not the most suitable options. Here is a list of which ones to avoid:

Snails are not recommended to use as food for Venus flytraps. The plant won’t be able to digest the shell. And, only tiny snails will fit properly inside a Venus flytrap.

Can Venus flytraps eat slugs or caterpillars? Venus flytraps can consume slugs and caterpillars, but these insects present a challenge for Venus flytraps. Strong and desperate slugs or caterpillars can potentially eat their way out of the trap. Also, if the bug scapes, it can end up consuming the plant.

Venus Flytrap Feeding Instructions

Without proper instructions, it is not recommended to feed Venus flytraps. Feeding your plant incorrectly can end up harming it. For that reason, you must make sure to go over all of this information.

Venus flytrap capture and consume bugs to extract key nutrients. Such nutrients provide an extra boost for the plant but are not required for the plant’s survival, as most food is produced through photosynthesis.

Outdoors Venus flytraps can consume their own prey. And, sometimes indoors, they might have access to the occasional insect. Venus flytraps do not need a large number of insects to stay healthy. Sporadically feeding a venus flytrap can make a big difference, as long as done correctly.

Feeding Venus flytraps is a straightforward process that can improve the health of your plant if done correctly. These tips will help you ensure you do not make any beginner mistakes:

The list below outlines the steps to feed a live bug to a Venus flytrap. You can also watch the video to get a live demonstration of the feeding process.

  1. Select an appropriate insect; one that has high nutritional content and can fit inside the trap of your plant.
  2. Locate the trigger hairs in your Venus flytrap. They are three thin filaments in each lobe of the trap.
  3. Use tweezers or your hands to grab the insect.
  4. Place the bug inside the lobes of your Venus flytrap. Make sure the bug is placed in the center.
  5. Brush the trigger hairs in the trap at least 2 times. After two touches the Venus flytrap should close on the insect.
  6. Wait until the trap closes and monitor it for the next 2-5 minutes. After a few minutes, the trap should be fully close.
  7. The venus flytrap start digesting the bug, it won’t reopen until at least a few days or a couple of weeks.

Leaves in Venus flytraps are ready to capture bugs when they just open. Then, after closing and reopening multiple times, leaves become exhausted and stop closing. When a leaf does not close, it is not a sign of poor health. It is completely normal behavior.

This article contains a summary of how to feed a Venus flytrap. However, there are more details to keep in consideration. Read the complete venus flytrap feeding guide to get all the information you need. And, check out my YouTube channel for more live examples: Venus Flytrap World.

How to Avoid Black Leaves After Feeding Venus Flytraps

Sometimes after feeding a venus flytrap, their leaves turn black. Why does that happen? And how should you prevent it? Here is an explanation.

Venus flytraps, like any other plants, shed leaves. When leaves get very old, they start to blacken or brown on the edges. Then, after a few days, the leaf ends up withering completely and turning to a dark, deep black color.

Even though most leaves wither due to natural causes, feeding a venus flytrap incorrectly can cause black leaves.

Employing a very large bug, overfeeding, or feeding during the incorrect season can cause black leaves in Venus flytraps. When the plant cannot digest its prey, it will let its leaves wither to save energy. Black leaves can be prevented by following certain care considerations.

Black leaves can be avoided by always employing an insect that fits entirely inside a trap, also by only feeding one trap at a time, and never feeding Venus flytraps during dormancy or when they are sick.

After feeding your plant, monitor the leaf you fed until digestion is complete. Then, you can verify the leaf remains healthy and ready for more bugs.

Other practices besides the feeding process can cause black leaves in Venus flytraps. For example, employing the incorrect water type, exerting too much stress, or unnecessary repotting can cause your plant to lose traps.

This section covered a short overview of the matter. But, there is a full article that can help you avoid black leaves from feeding your plant. Here is a link to that resource: Do Venus Flytraps Die After They Eat (plus easy fixes)

I love growing carnivorous plants and hope you can always keep your plants thriving. Here are some key articles you can read to ensure your plants stay healthy.

For general Venus flytrap care, you can download this care sheet: Venus Flytrap Care 101.

If you plan on growing Venus flytraps indoors, make sure you read this guide: How to Successfully Grow Venus Flytraps Indoors.

Recommended Products for Growing Venus Flytraps

Venus Flytrap Food Options (a Beginners Guide With Pictures) – Venus Flytrap World

Feeding a Venus flytrap is a unique and fun experience. Venus flytrap benefits from capturing prey and consuming bugs. In this article, I would like to share what I have learned about feeding Venus flytraps, including food options and the feeding method.

Venus flytraps capture and consume insects and arachnids to extract critical nutrients and supplement their diet. Venus flytraps can consume a variety of arthropods, such as flies, crickets, spiders, worms, ants, beetles, and slugs.

Now, let’s choose which food option is the most viable for you and continue with an overview of the feeding process. Feeding Venus flytraps is not very hard, but improper procedures can harm your plant. The instructions below will guide you through the process.

Venus Flytrap Food Options

Venus flytraps are native to the wetlands of South Carolina and North Carolina in the United States. There, they grow in inferior soil, with no access to nutrients. Over the years, Venus flytraps have evolved to be successful predatory plants. They capture bugs to consume key nutrients and supplement their diet.

In terms of food options, you must pick an appropriate meal in terms of size and decide if you prefer to employ live or dead feed. Venus flytrap can only consume bugs that fit inside their traps. Usually, a bug that is about 1/3 of the size of the trap should fit completely in it. Depending on the size of your venus flytrap you can consider the options below. You must also decide between live and dead feed.

Venus flytraps are not picky in terms of food. They can consume almost any type of insect or spider. Here are a few options you can find in pet stores and some other you can capture yourself in the garden.

Store Bought Options

You do not have to capture bugs for your Venus flytrap. It is very easy and inexpensive to buy feed in pet stores. The items in the store-bought list are very common items in pet shops as they are used to feed reptiles and fish.

The first three options: dried crickets, freeze-dried mealworms, and bloodworms, are all dead feed. They have been dried up and dehydrated. Before feeding to a Venus flytrap, you must use water to rehydrate the bugs. The convenient thing about these three options is the price and durability. A single package with thousands of worms or crickets costs only 5 to 10 dollars. And it can be stored for several years. Besides, the three options are highly nutritious. You might think dead bugs might provide fewer nutrients, but that is not necessarily true. For example, the mealworms in the picture are made up of about 45% protein.

I buy these freeze-dried bugs in the pet store as they are very affordable, can last you for years, and are extremely nutritious. The link will take you to Amazon to review the prize, they are usually less than $10.

Pet stores also offer live feed options, as some pets won’t eat dead bugs. Consider buying live crickets, fruit flies, or worms to feed your Venus flytrap. They cost about 5 to 12 dollars. Keep in mind live bugs have a limited life expectancy. So, you must buy them when you are ready to feed your plant.

Other Options

Against popular belief, Venus flytraps not only consume flies, but also other types of insects. You can experiment with different types of feed with your plant. Any of these options will provide good nutritional values. Some bugs are more difficult to use as carnivorous plant food than others. Here are a few considerations:

Ants and Gnats: They are great candidates for young Venus flytrap due to their size. But, feeding ants or gnats to large Venus flytrap can be a challenge. Sometimes these bugs are too small to activate the traps or they might escape before the lobes are fully close.

Slugs and Caterpillars: Be aware that these insects can give a ferocious fight to escape. Slugs and caterpillars can attempt to eat their way out of the plant.

Crickets and Grasshoppers: These two bugs are difficult to handle when they are alive. Make sure to practice picking them up with a set of tweezers or with your hands.

Dead vs Live Feed

Venus flytraps can consume either dead or live feed. This article I wrote contains a full list of venus flytrap food options. There are no extra nutritional or health benefits to choosing one on top of the other. However, the feeding process varies, and the decision should be based solely on your preferences.

Venus Flytrap Feeding Basics

This section will help you master the feeding process with live and dead food. First of all, let’s start by learning some basic tips:

Venus Flytrap Feeding Procedure

In this section, you will learn how to feed a Venus flytrap. The feeding procedures vary slightly between the dead and live feed options.

Feeding Dead Bugs

Step 1: Prepare the bug

Dead bugs from the pet store usually are dehydrated. Before you feed one to a Venus flytrap, you must rehydrate the bug. Use a few droplets of distilled water to hydrate it. If you are using a dead bug you caught or found, there is no need to hydrate it.

You might consider breaking up the insect into smaller pieces for easier handling. I like to break up mealworms into smaller pieces and hydrate them with water. Then, it is much easier to pick the appropriate amount for a single trap. The image below shows whole dried-freeze mealworms, and slightly broken up and rehydrated worms.

Step 2: Choose the appropriate amount

Now, you must pick the appropriate amount of food to feed a Venus flytrap. A good rule of thumb for bugs is to choose an insect that is no bigger than 1/3 of the size of the trap. When you feed a dead bug, especially if it comes from the pet store, it is better to aim for a smaller amount. Aim for some quantity close to 1/4 of the size of the trap.

Generally, it is much easier to fit larger traps. When you feed very young Venus flytraps, it is a challenge to choose a small enough portion. In that case, it is a good idea to consider breaking up the bug into tiny bits.

Step 3: Place the food inside the trap

After you select the appropriate quantity, pick it up with your hands, or with a tool. I like to use a set of chopsticks.

Place the feed inside the trap. Aim for the center and make sure, the whole meal fits inside the trap. Remember, it is better to choose a smaller meal!

Step 4: Trigger the closing mechanism of the leaves

Sometimes you place the bug inside the trap, and it immediately triggers the closing mechanism of the lobes. On other occasions, you might need to manually trigger the trapping mechanism. Use a small stick like a q-tip of chopsticks and gently touch the trigger hairs inside the trap. You need to touch them twice within a few seconds for the trap to close.

Step 5: Stimulate the plant

After activating the trigger hairs, the trap will close. But, it will not do so immediately. First, it will go into a semi-closed state. This is completely normal. At this point, the plant is evaluating if it caught a live prey. Since it obviously didn’t, we must trick the plant to start the digestion process.

Use your finger or some small tool to massage the sides of the trap. Tap both sides of the trap for a minute or two, until it has completely closed. Once, it is closed shut, continue tapping the sides of the trap 10 to 20 more times to secure the digestion process has started.

These pictures show the initial semi-closed stage and the completely closed stage. In the second picture, the Venus flytrap has started digesting the prey.

Step 6: Wait and verify the plant started digesting the food

Now, you are all done. Keep an eye on the trap during the next hours. It should remain close for several days or even weeks while it digests the prey. If the leaf starts turning black, it is very likely that the feed was too large for the trap. Next time, choose a smaller portion for your plant.

Feeding Live Bugs

Step 1: Select the right size of bug

Do not attempt to overfeed a Venus flytrap. Carefully select a bug that can fit completely in between the two lobes. Follow the 1/3 of the size of the trap sizing rule. If your plant is too small to handle the victim. It is better to skip feeding.This bug is too big for that trap!

Step 1: Prepare the bug

Live bugs, do not need any extra prep before you feed them to a Venus flytrap. However, here are a few suggestions for handling the insect:

Step 2: Hold the bug and place it inside the trap

  1. Use a small tool or your hands to pick up the bug.
  2. Carefully set it in the center of the trap.
  3. Make sure you touch the trigger hairs inside the Venus flytrap lobes when you place the bug.
  4. The leaf should close and keep the bug in place. However, it will only go into a semi-closed stage.
  5. The movement of the victim trying to scape will continue to stimulate the trigger hairs inside the trap.

You do not need to stimulate the traps or do anything else. The movement of the bug will ensure the trap closes completely. Once that happens, the plant will drown the insect with enzymes and starts digesting it.

Step 3: Wait and verify the trap is fully closed

Keep an eye on the plant for a few minutes. Some bugs can try to escape from the plant by eating their way out or using brute force. Then, monitor the trap in the next weeks to ensure the feeding was successful.

At the end of the process, the leaf will reopen and expose the exoskeleton and any other remains of the victim.

Related Questions

Why Do Venus Flytrap Consume Bugs?

Venus flytrap capture bugs to supplement their diet. In their natural habitat, Venus flytraps live in very poor soil which lacks nutrients. Some scientists hypothesize Venus flytraps chose such an environment because of the lack of competition for the soil. Still, the Venus flytrap needed access to key nutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, which were not present in the environment. As a result, Venus flytraps evolved to be successful predators. The traps in a Venus flytrap are modified leaves that have developed a trapping mechanism. When a Venus flytrap captures an insect, it closes and starts producing digestive enzymes inside the trap. The plant digests the bugs and extracts key nutrients to supplement their diet.

Do Venus Flytraps Need Bugs to Survive?

Venus flytraps consume bugs, but do they need them to survive?

Venus flytraps do not need bugs to survive. Like the other plants, Venus flytraps produce their own food through the photosynthesis process. For that reason, Venus flytraps require great amounts of sunlight and water to survive.

Even though the bugs are not required for the plant’s survival, they benefit from capturing prey. The nutrients they extract from their victims supplement their diet and boost their growth, especially when the plant is young.

Why Won’t a Venus Flytrap Eat?

Venus flytraps can start consuming bugs from a very young age. As soon as they are large enough to capture prey, they will start consuming them. In rare scenarios, Venus flytraps do not consume prey. This is not common in the wild, but it can be in other environments.

Here are a few reasons why a Venus flytrap is not consuming insects:

  1. Improper care: if the Venus flytrap is sick, suffering from a pest infestation of not receiving nearly enough light, the traps might not work properly. The plant is focused on surviving, rather than capturing prey.
  2. Dormancy: During dormancy, Venus flytraps go into a resting stage. During that period, Venus flytraps do not need to consume prey. They are just focused on resting rather than growing.
  3. Dying leaves: venus flytraps are constantly changing old leaves for new ones. A trap might not close because it has started withering. You might notice some black coloring on the edges that will expand through the whole branch. A dying leaf is not useful for capturing and consuming bugs. However, it will still participate in the photosynthesis process.

Recommended Products for Growing Carnivorous Plants

Finding the best pots, lights, and soil for carnivorous plants is difficult. I have grown carnivorous plants for over 5 years, and these are the products I use. The links will take you to Amazon to view the prices and full specs:

How to keep a Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

In our online store you can buy different varieties of the plant Dionaea muscipula (Venus flytrap). All of them are presented in the section of plants-predators.

Description

Dionea muscipula (Venus flytrap) is a perennial herbaceous insectivorous plant, the only representative of its genus, from the sunflower family (Droseraceae). The scientific species name (muscipula), translated from Latin as "mousetrap", was probably obtained by this plant by mistake of a botanist who actually wanted to write muscicipula (fly trap). Dione, in Greek mythology, was the mother of Aphrodite, in the Roman version of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and plants. This species belongs to a small group of plants capable of rapid movements. nine0003

In nature Venus flytrap grows in peat bogs on the Atlantic coast of the USA, in the states of North and South Carolina. There is also a known population of these plants in Florida, but this state is not the desired homeland of these plants; Venus flytrap seeds were introduced and sown here by one gardener in the 1930s.

In its homeland, the plant population of this species is rapidly declining due to human activities, in particular the construction of golf courses and holiday homes. The species is currently listed on CITES Appendix II, meaning it is critically endangered. However, the Venus flytrap is very common and popular in cultivation with gardeners around the world. Most of the plants sold today are grown in plant cell and tissue culture. nine0003

Like most carnivorous plants that grow in nitrogen-poor soils, these plants are no exception, and therefore have to extract an additional source of nitrogen from insects by catching them.

Venus flytrap leaves are clustered and grow from a short underground bulbous stem. Each plant has 4 to 7 elongated leaves, at the end of which trap leaves 8 to 15 cm long are formed. These special leaves consist of two valves and are able to fold. Along the edges of each flap is a row of long, thin bristles that, when slammed shut, keep the prey inside and prevent it from getting out. nine0003

Closed fly trap inside

Nectar glands along the inner row of bristles to attract insects. In addition to the bristles along the edges of the leaf, on each of the two inner flat surfaces of the trap there are three special hairs - triggers. If the insect attracted by the aroma touches two or all three of these hairs in turn, the trap quickly closes. At first, it only covers itself slightly, and the insect has the opportunity to move within the trap. If a small insect is caught and manages to get through the lattice of bristles, the stimulation of the hairs stops and the trap opens again after about a day. But if a larger insect (more than 3-4 mm) is caught in the trap, and the stimulation of the hairs continues, the trap closes more tightly and the digestion process begins. The glands on the inner surface of the leaf begin to secrete digestive enzymes, which dissolve the victim from the inside. The resulting nutrients are absorbed by the inner walls of the trap. As soon as the digestion process ends (usually it takes about 7-10 days), the trap opens again, leaving only an empty chitinous shell from the insect. nine0003

If, while moving along the leaf, the insect does not touch the trigger hairs or touches only one of the hairs, the trap will not work. This strategy is very important for the plant. It prevents false triggering of the trap, as a result of falling raindrops, leaves or twigs on it.

Each trap is designed for only three digestion processes, after which its leaves turn black and die off. And even if the trap can't catch a single insect, it can only close and reopen about seven times. Therefore, when keeping a house, you should not force the trap to work in vain, artificially stimulating its hairs. nine0003

The mechanism of leaf slamming is a very complex process of interaction between its elasticity, turgor and growth, which is not yet fully understood. With successive stimulation of the hairs, an electrical impulse is generated that propagates through the leaf and stimulates the cells in the lobes and in the midline of the leaf. As a result of further complex reactions in these cells, the flaps of the trap slam shut at lightning speed. In this case, the trap sheet changes its shape, from convex (outward curved) to concave (inward curved). All this happens in the blink of an eye. nine0003

The flowers of the Venus flytrap are collected in inflorescences and are located on long stems, much higher than the traps, which is natural, because. Insects that pollinate flowers should not fall into the leaf traps. The flowers are white, about 2 cm in size with five petals. Flowering occurs from May to July.

The fruit is an unevenly cracking capsule filled with about twenty shiny black and very small seeds, about the size of the dot at the end of this sentence.

In addition to seeds, the Venus flytrap reproduces through its rhizome. Each plant produces no more than seven leaves. If a plant has more than seven leaves, it means that a new young plant has already separated from it. nine0003

The typical coloration of the Venus flytrap is green. The traps are also green, but their interiors can be reddish in good light. Young plants in spring produce traps at the end of short petioles, which are collected in rosettes and pressed to the ground. As summer approaches, the petioles become longer and more upright. In addition to the typical form of , many different varieties of have been bred by breeders - some of them remain pressed to the ground all year round, others differ slightly in color and size. So, there are varieties with especially rich dark red inner areas of the traps and even completely red plants. However, such plants are difficult to obtain in cultivation due to their high requirement for bright light. nine0003

Healthy, well-developed plants are very hardy, and can safely endure both drought and temporary flooding (of course, no more than a few days).

Contents

Sowing and cultivation of seeds

. To do this, the seeds of the Venus flytrap must be placed in a container with a napkin or gauze soaked in a fungicide solution, or simply on the ground. Then a container with a napkin / soil with seeds must be put in the refrigerator (not a freezer!) for 4-8 weeks. During this time, it is necessary to ensure that the napkin or primer does not dry out. nine0003

After stratification is complete, seeds can be sown in small containers filled with a clean potting mix for predator plants (safgnum moss, perlite and coco). It is important that the soil is not compacted. It is necessary to carefully spread the seeds on the surface of the soil and sprinkle them with a thin layer. Do not bury! Then the container should be covered and placed in a warm, well-lit place. The temperature should be maintained between 25-27°C and the lighting duration should be 14-16 hours. Germination lasts 2-4 weeks. It should be remembered that some seeds may begin to germinate after 2-3 months, and sometimes up to a year (but this is already an exception)! After the appearance of more than one leaf, you should begin to gradually "ventilate" the plants. Then you can carefully transplant them into individual pots. When transplanting, you must be careful not to damage the fragile roots. The substrate with growing seeds must be constantly wet. Humidification should be carried out with distilled water from below. See "Irrigation" for more details. nine0003

Soil

The best soil for these plants is sphagnum moss, perlite and coco in a ratio of 1 to 3. Before using perlite, it is advisable to soak it in distilled water for a week. Also, as a soil, you can use a mixture of high-moor peat and pure quartz sand, in a ratio of 2 to 1. Before using quartz sand, it is advisable to rinse it in running water. Only quartz sand should be used. The use of any other sand, except for quartz, can lead to the death of the plant. nine0003

The planting pot should be at least 10-12 cm deep and neither too narrow nor too wide. In a pot with a diameter of 75 mm, 4-5 young seedlings can be placed.

These plants should be repotted annually if the irrigation water contains a high amount of dissolved salts (up to 50 mg/l) or every two years if the amount is low (5 mg/l). When transplanting, you need to be very careful not to provoke the triggering of traps.

Watering

The soil for the Venus flytrap must be constantly moist. Humidification should always come from below. If you water the soil from above, this can lead to soil compaction and a lack of oxygen to the roots. It is necessary to place the pot with the plant on a tray of water so that the drain holes of the pot are completely covered. For irrigation, use only distilled water. Drying out or excessive waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed. If necessary, you can spray the plants from the sprayer a couple of times a week. nine0003

Lighting

The Venus flytrap requires a high level of light. She needs direct sunlight for at least 4-5 hours a day. However, prolonged exposure to sunlight (especially during summer afternoons) should also be avoided. To protect against direct rays, several layers of gauze can be stretched over the plant to scatter them. If the plant receives less than 4 hours of sunlight per day and is located in an insufficiently lit area, additional lighting with lamps is required. You can illuminate with fluorescent lamps with a power of at least 40 W from a distance of 15-20 cm. The duration of illumination is 14-16 hours during the growing season. When lighting a plant with lamps, avoid rotating the plant pot or changing the location of the light source. In good bright light outdoors, the inner walls of the traps turn red. nine0003

Temperature and humidity

The temperature must be maintained at 22-27 °C. The Venus flytrap can tolerate higher temperatures, but not above 35°C. The air should be fresh, but drafts should not be allowed. Many people recommend keeping the Venus flytrap in closed aquariums and terrariums, arguing that it needs high humidity to grow. This is not entirely true, because The Venus flytrap can grow well in relatively low humidity, as long as its roots are constantly in moist soil. Humidity can be maintained in a wide range - from 40 to 70%. In closed aquariums, at high temperature, humidity and lack of good ventilation, the plant can get sick and even die. nine0003

Feeding

Venus flytrap must not be fed with any fertilizer! You can occasionally feed only live insects of a suitable size (at least half the size of the trap itself). Feeding insects with hard chitinous shells (beetles) and insects that can gnaw through the trap should be avoided. You should not feed the Venus flytrap with earthworms, as well as bloodworms or tubules, because. they contain too much moisture, which can cause the traps to rot. In no case should you feed meat or sausage! nine0003

For mature plants growing in a room, 2-3 insects will be enough for the whole summer. Those that are on the street can not be fed at all, because. they are able to feed themselves. With the onset of autumn cold, feeding should be stopped until the onset of spring.

Wintering

Venus flytrap cannot grow at room temperature all year round. For normal growth and existence, she needs a dormant period of 3-4 months. Otherwise, the plant will not live with you for a long time. In the fall, you need to start preparing the Venus flytrap for wintering. In October-November, the temperature should be gradually lowered, first to 10-15°C, and then to about +5°C. Also at this time, daylight hours should be gradually reduced, from 14-16 hours to about 8-9. To achieve this, you can put the plant on a balcony or on a windowsill near an open window. Soon, the Venus flytrap will grow wide, flat leaves and small traps, which will indicate its readiness for winter. Glazed balconies or greenhouses are great for wintering. At a wintering temperature of +10 to +5°C, the Venus flytrap, as before, needs lighting and watering from a pallet. Water for irrigation should be the same temperature as the soil. Do not allow waterlogging of the substrate. If natural light is not enough, you will need to illuminate the plants with cold light lamps. The duration of illumination in winter should be approximately 8-9hours.

If there is no suitable place for wintering, you can put the plants in the refrigerator for wintering, but the temperature there should not go beyond 0 to +5°C. Only at this temperature, plants do not need lighting and retain their leaves. At sub-zero temperatures, the leaves turn black and die. After preparing for winter, the Venus flytrap must be sprayed, then packed in a bag with several ventilation holes and placed in the refrigerator. About once a month, the substrate must be watered with distilled water of the same temperature. nine0003

It is not recommended to lower the temperature below +5°C, for plants that have not overwintered before.

Plants wintering on balconies or in greenhouses should not be taken out of wintering - with an increase in daylight hours and temperature, they will come out of it themselves. The same plants that overwintered in the refrigerator must be removed after about 3 months, after which the bags should be removed from their pots and placed in a cool place under the lamps. The duration of illumination should initially be 10 hours a day, and then it should be gradually increased to 14-16 hours. It is also necessary to gradually raise the air temperature. Plants that are intended to be kept under natural light, on balconies or sunny window sills, should be removed from wintering in early spring. nine0003

After the end of wintering, it is necessary to transplant the plants into a new substrate.

Propagation

Venus flytrap can be propagated by seeds, dividing bulbs or cuttings.

The easiest way is to divide the plant with daughter bulbs.

Older plants produce quite a lot of these bulbs or growing points. They can be separated from the parent plant with a sharp, clean blade and planted separately. It is advisable to sprinkle the cut with crushed coal. It is important that the separated plant has at least a few roots. It is advisable to divide the plant in this way no more than 1 time in 2-3 years. nine0003

For seed production, you need to take a healthy plant that has passed at least one winter. Flowers appear in spring or early summer. You can pollinate the flowers with a brush, 2 days after they open. After pollination, the flower will wither and a box will form. Seeds can be collected when the box becomes dry and starts to crack.

If you do not plan to get seeds from the plant, it is better to cut off the peduncle (especially if the plant has not overwintered yet). flowering takes a lot of energy from the Venus flytrap. nine0003

Pests and diseases

Aphids can appear in the traps of these plants, causing them to become distorted and deformed. You can fight it with the help of various aerosols against aphids.

If the Venus flytrap is kept dry and warm, it can also be attacked by spider mites. A means of combating it is spraying the plant with drugs against ticks.

If the Venus flytrap is constantly exposed to too wet and humid environments, black sooty fungus can grow on it. To prevent this, plants must be kept in the right conditions. The fungus control agent is a suitable fungicide. nine0003

Gray rot or botrytis is when a plant develops rot as a result of a fungal infection, which then becomes covered with a gray fluff. When it occurs, it is necessary to cut off the damaged parts of the plant, and then treat the entire plant, along with the substrate, with one of the available systemic fungicides.

A bacterial attack is when the trap cannot "digest" the caught insect, as a result of which it begins to rot. This process, if left unchecked, can spread to other parts of the plant and eventually destroy the entire plant. In case of rot, it is necessary to remove the damaged trap in time. nine0003

Live flies, but no meat. How to breed and what they feed "predatory" plants | SOCIETY

About 600 species of carnivorous plants are known in nature. Most of them feed mainly on insects, and some on small frogs, lizards and rats. What predatory plants are popular with breeders, is it true that they cannot be fed with meat, how to understand that they are hungry, can they harm a person, how many insects they can eat and how they catch “prey”, AiF-Volgograd learned from collector Liana Galina.

"Predators" from the Red Book

Liana comes from Ufa. The other day she visited Volgograd with an exhibition of her plants and a mini-lecture about them and other species. By the way, she, according to her, is the only collector who travels with her predatory flycatchers and sundews around the cities of Russia and shows them to people. The girl wants to talk about these unusual plants, because some species are destroyed and listed in the Red Book. In addition, Liana wants to show people that they are not dangerous to them and make sure that they are no longer treated with disgust. nine0003

Liana is an economist by education. I became interested in exotic plants at school and could never think that I would take them seriously. Now Liana is going to enter the university at the Faculty of Biology in order to become a real professional, but for now she is learning everything herself in practice. But at the beginning of her passion for such a hobby, the girl went to collectors in other cities and adopted their experience. “There was very little information on how to care for carnivorous plants at home on the Internet and books, it simply wasn’t enough,” she notes. Now the girl herself shares her knowledge. nine0003

Flycatchers: the fastest "predators"

Liana's collection contains plants called the Venus flytrap. “They got it because their favorite insect is flies, and also in honor of the Roman goddess of beauty. Sometimes these plants are called mousetraps. But this is not true - scientists once made a mistake when translating the name from Latin. In diameter, the "toothy mouths" of plants can reach a maximum of three centimeters. Therefore, they are simply not able to catch mice, they are too small, ”says Liana. nine0003

Venus flytrap insects are attracted by their sweet smell and bright colors. By the way, the color of the traps inside changes depending on the degree of hunger of the plant. “If it has not eaten for a very long time, then they will be bright red, even burgundy, and if full, then green,” Liana shares her experience. There are spikes on each half of the trap. It closes only when the insect touches at least two spikes. The flycatcher is considered the fastest of the carnivorous plants. Her traps close instantly. “The settled fly does not have time to fly away,” Liana notes. nine0003 On the left in the photo is a very hungry flycatcher, as indicated by the bright maroon color of its traps. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

Flycatcher should not be fed with meat - the plant starts to rot because of it. In addition, dead insects are not suitable for her, because. they have no nutrients.

By the way, you need to put an insect in only one flycatcher trap, and not on all, otherwise the plant will have an excess of nitrogen. “All traps have the same root. Therefore, if you feed one, the whole plant will be fed, ”explains Liana. nine0003

Flycatchers are very fond of the sun and water, as they they are swamp plants. “Water should be poured into them not from above, but into the pan so that the halves of the trap do not close. It should be soft and poor in nutrients. Distilled, rain and filtered is quite suitable, ”says Liana.

Note that carnivorous plants eat insects because the soil in which they grow in nature is low in nutrients. The lack of these substances necessary for normal life, they get not so much through photosynthesis, but due to the "eating" of beetles, caterpillars, spiders, rats. nine0003 In order for the whole plant to be saturated, it is enough to feed just one trap. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

Flycatchers are perennial plants. Insects are mainly caught in the summer. “Winter is a period of rest for them. At this time, they do not eat anything, ”says Liana.

By the way, it is enough for one plant to eat only five or six insects a year. It digests a fly for a whole week.

Flycatchers are safe for humans - the enzymes contained in the digestive fluid of such plants cannot harm humans and their pets. “Cats sometimes gnaw on them, like ordinary plants,” says the girl. nine0003

Sarracenia: a plant that eats lizards

This plant, unlike the flycatcher, is passive. It has twisted sheets in the form of water lilies with caps at their ends.

Sarracenia can even swallow a lizard. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

“Sugary mucus, a kind of nectar, is released on the lids, which attracts insects. Inside, water lilies are very smooth, slippery and filled with gastric juice. When an insect sits on a jug, it simply slides inside and can no longer get out, and when it runs out of strength, it falls to the bottom, ”explains Liana. Inside, on the surface of the walls of the plant, there are special hairs that allow the victim to move only down. nine0003

The plant can catch 10-20 insects in one jar at a time. In nature, it can even catch frogs and lizards.

Nectar exudes at the tips of the sarracenia jars. Photo: AIF / Olesya Khodunova

Sarracenia is one of the largest carnivorous plants. Jugs can reach a length of 40 centimeters.

In nature, birds consider sarracenia to be something like a feeder. They peck out not yet completely digested insects from it.

The yellow sarracenia is the most popular among breeders. It has light orange flowers and green trap jugs. If at home she is provided with proper care and watered abundantly, then she will feel good without feeding insects. In addition, Sarracenia purpurea is very popular. Her flowers smell like violets. nine0003

Don't fertilize Sarracenia as they will destroy it.

Only 10 species of Sarracenia are known. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

Nepenthes: predator-healer

This is also a tropical plant with pitchers. In nature, jugs can also reach 40 centimeters.

The scientific name of the genus is taken from ancient Greek mythology, derived from the name of the legendary herb of oblivion - Nepenth.

Most of these plants grow in the humid tropics of India, New Zealand, Thailand. nine0003

Nepenthes are quite capricious and demanding. It is rare in room culture, since many species are too large for indoor greenhouses, and keeping plants on window sills is often impossible due to the low relative humidity of the air in the apartment.

Caps over pitchers protect them from rain in nature. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

“The plant is passive, but very voracious - it eats up to 40 insects. These are the largest carnivorous plants.

In the 19th century, Nepenthes gained real popularity. He grew his species and hybrids in his famous nursery botanist Peter Christian . Beginning in the 1960s, these plants experienced a boom again thanks to the work of by the Japanese botanist Shigeo Kurata.

People used these plants in folk medicine for coughs, inflammation of the bladder, skin and more.

Nepenthes even has small spikes on the pitchers, which are needed in order to protect prey from birds. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

Sundews and butterworts: wrapping leaves

These plants grow in swamps, they are found even in Russia. nine0003

“Dewdrops are the most widespread type of carnivorous plants. There are 140 species. Of these, four species are found in Russia. On the leaves of sundews there are small sticky drops. An insect, if it sits on them, cannot come off. And the leaf will gradually begin to wrap. The sundew usually sticks to the insect with all the hairs and sucks out the soft tissues. This is a very slow plant. Sundews feed on small midges and mosquitoes. They like to stand in the water and in the sun,” says Liana.

Rosyanka is a perennial herb. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

The upper side of the leaf is covered with glands, some of which secrete sugary mucus, which is a trap for small midges, while others generate enzymes that help digest insects.

Zhiryanki grow in peat bogs and wetlands in the northern hemisphere - from the Arctic glaciers to Alabama in the USA. Some species are found in the tropics and even Russia. Zhiryanka is very sensitive to changes in growing conditions and quickly dies from drought, therefore all places of growth of Zhiryanka in nature are taken under protection. nine0003 Zhiryanka can bloom, because of this, many consider it the cutest carnivorous plant. Photo: AiF / Olesya Khodunova

“Many sundews and butterflies are even listed in the Red Book,” says Liana.

Heliamphora: rotting plant with bacteria

“This is a relative of Sarracenia. Grows in South America. Unlike other carnivorous plants, they do not digest insects with the help of digestive juice, but do it at the expense of bacteria. The victim simply decomposes inside the heliamphora,” says Liana. nine0003

Heliamphora attracts insects with its bright color, strong aroma, liquid inside water lilies. When the victim sits down on a leaf to feast on nectar, it descends along the villi and ends up in the liquid.

Learn more