How to care for a venus fly trap outdoors
Venus Fly Trap Care - The Great Outdoors Nursery
Dionaea muscipula
The most popular carnivorous plant, Venus flytraps grow to 5-6 inches in diameter with traps typically measuring up to 1.5 inches.
In late spring, Venus flytraps produce small white flowers that readily self-pollinate. In mid to late summer, you can collect seeds once the entire stalk turns completely black and dries up. Native to a 90-mile radius
around Wilmington, NC. USDA Zone of Native Habitat: Zone 8
Where to Grow
The flytrap grows best outdoors as a container or potted plant. It makes an excellent addition to any sunny deck or patio. You may also grow it in a pond or fountain, but keep the crown of the plant above water. Because of its specific soil requirements, avoid planting it directly into the ground, unless you have created a specific type of bog garden.
Sunlight
During the growing season, grow your flytrap outside in full sun. Provide 6 or more hours of direct sunlight for vigorous growth.
If full sun is not possible, provide a minimum of 4 hours of direct sunlight with bright indirect light during the rest of the day. Your plant wont be as vibrant or sturdy as one grown in full sun, but you will be able to maintain its overall health.
Heat Tolerance
The flytrap tolerates the summer heat well. It originates from an area where temperatures above 90F commonly occur in summer. However, in its native habitat, the soil temperature is moderated by a slow seepage of cool spring water.
When growing your flytrap in containers, you will need to pay attention to soil temperature. While it may not be necessary to shade your plant during the hottest parts of summer, you may need to top water your plants daily to prevent the roots from over-heating. Plants will over heat when the soil temperature approaches 110F. Monitor soil temperature whenever the daytime temperature rises above 100F.
Water
Keep the pot in standing water at all times. Never allow the soil to dry out completely. The flytrap requires mineral-free water. So bottled distilled water, water passed through a reverse-osmosis unit or collected rain water are best.
If you grow your plant in a pond or fountain, keep the water level no higher than halfway up the pot. Avoid drowning the crown of the plant.
Winter Care
As winter approaches, your plant will slow down in growth and eventually stop growing. Itll retain some of its leaves throughout the winter months, but the leaves will turn brown around the edges and the traps will stop working. This is perfectly normal. Flytraps require 3-4 months of winter dormancy triggered by cold temperatures (below 50F) and shorter daylight hours. Even while dormant, your plant will still need to sit in a small amount of standing water to prevent its soil from drying out.
However, plants are very susceptible to freeze damage when grown in containers.
You will need to protect your plant when the temperature falls below 20F or whenever there is a combination of freezing temperatures and wind. Both types of winter conditions can certainly cause serious frost burn. To prevent frost burn, cover it with black plastic or a tarp, or move it into an unheated garage or shed.
As soon as the freeze is over and the temperature climbs above 35F, uncover your plant and allow it to continue its dormancy outdoors.
Early Spring Care
When the temperature slowly creeps up and daylight hours become longer, your plants will gradually emerge from dormancy. Clip off all leaves from the previous year to make way for flower buds and new leaf growth. Look for flowers in late spring.
Feeding
Although some growers like to feed their flytrap, it is not necessary. Carnivorous plants have adapted to capturing insects on their own, and insects will naturally be attracted to your plant.
If you choose to feed your plant, use recently killed insects.
Do not feed your plant meat. Feeding is not at all required during the winter months when the plant is dormant. Because there is already an abundance of insects outdoors, its not necessary to supplement with foliar sprays.
Soil
The flytrap requires nutrient-free soil that provides good drainage and aeration. Use a standard soil mixture of 1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite. Never use potting soil, compost or fertilizer. These ingredients will kill your plant.
Repotting
For a robust plant, repot it every year. Change the soil, and if necessary, put your plant in a larger pot. Changing the soil restores soil acidity, improves root aeration and strengthens the health of your plants.
Repot during late winter and early spring, especially if you want really robust plants in time for summer. In general, however, you can repot your plants at any time of the year. If you choose to repot at a time other than early spring, make sure you keep the roots intact.
When changing pots, use a tall one that will easily accommodate its long root system. Flytraps tend to grow faster and larger when their roots have room to grow. Large pots will also give your plants added protection during the winter.
Indoor Care
Because of sun requirements and winter dormancy, we do not recommend growing flytraps indoors, including terrariums. They grow best outdoors as container plants or in bog gardens.
How to Water, Feed, & Tend This Carnivorous Plant
Venus fly traps (also called Venus flytraps or just a flytrap) are among the coolest plants you can grow. In their native habitat, Venus fly traps live for years. Unfortunately, they are often short-lived plants in cultivation, but this is only because most people don’t care for them properly. In this article, you’ll learn all the essential basics of Venus fly trap care.
Venus fly traps are unique plants to add to your collection but caring for them requires some special considerations.
Varieties of Venus fly traps
There is only one species of Venus fly trap, Dionaea muscipula, and it is native to a small region of eastern North and South Carolina. Over the years, it has been bred to exhibit different traits, and there are now dozens of different cultivars on the market. Some of the types of Venus fly traps you may come across include ‘Red Dragon’ which has a dark red coloration, ‘Justina Davis’ which is a solid green, ‘Flaming Lips’ which has bright orange traps, and ‘Purple Haze’ which has deep purple traps, among many others. There are some pretty funky growth forms out there, too, though they are often only available through specialty plant nurseries. Most are propagated via tissue culture, but sadly, wild collecting does still take place, even though it puts native populations in peril.
The majority Venus fly trap varieties grow just an inch or two tall and wide, though some larger cultivars exist.
There are many varieties of Venus fly traps on the market, but they all come from just a single species of this cool plant.
Venus fly trap care essentials
In order to properly care for a Venus fly trap plant, you first have to understand what it needs. Like other plants, what a fly trap needs to grow is based on where it evolved and what it requires from its natural environment. The same factors you consider when caring for other plants should also be taken into account when it comes to caring for a Venus fly trap. In a nutshell, those factors are light, the growing medium, water, nutrition, and, for Venus fly traps, a special dormancy period. We’ll talk about each of these factors in turn. But first, let’s talk about the fact that Venus fly traps can be grown both indoors and out.
Fly traps evolved in soils that are very nutrient poor, leading them to develop the ability to absorb nutrients from trapped and digested insect prey.Venus fly trap care: indoors vs. outdoors
Venus fly traps are significantly easier to care for when grown outside as a winter-tender plant, rather than growing them indoors.
Home environments aren’t ideal, unless you have a very sunny windowsill and can give the plants a lot of attention. However, I’ll discuss both indoor and outdoor Venus fly trap care in this article because I know that not everyone has the ability or space to grow them outdoors.
The best planting mix for Venus flytrap plants
Regardless of whether you decide to grow your fly trap indoors or out, you’ll need to consider the best growing mixture to use first. Venus fly traps evolved in the very lean, nutrient-poor soil of bogs. That’s why they developed the interesting adaptation of relying on nutrients absorbed from their insect prey, rather than from the soil.
Do not plant Venus fly traps in garden soil or in regular potting soil. Instead, use a mix containing two parts peat moss and one part perlite as ingredients. An alternative mix is a 50/50 blend of peat moss and perlite. Pure high-quality fiber sphagnum moss is a third option.
Long-fiber sphagnum moss makes a good potting medium, though finding a high-quality source is essential.
Here, I’ve taken a plant out of its pot to show you how the roots are wrapped in sphagnum threads.The best light levels for Venus fly traps
These carnivorous plants require a lot of sun. If you’re growing your plant outdoors, 4 or more hours of direct sunlight followed by 2-4 hours of bright indirect light is best. Indoors, a south-facing window that receives at least 6 hours of full sun is necessary if you live in the northern hemisphere. Alternatively, put the plant under a grow light for 10-12 hours per day during the growing season. Choose a light system that produces light in the blue wavelength and place the lights about 6 to 8 inches above the plant tops.
I much prefer growing Venus fly traps outside to growing them indoors. It’s an easy way to ensure they receive enough light.Do Venus flytraps need to be in a terrarium?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to grow indoor Venus fly traps in a terrarium. In fact, fully closed terrariums can cause the plants to develop rot.
If you have an open-topped terrarium with good aeration, flytraps should do fine (combine them with a pitcher plant and sundew for a truly carnivorous experience!). It’s just enough shelter to keep the humidity around the plant high, but not so much that it causes rot. Never grow fly traps in a terrarium outdoors, however, because the glass amplifies the sun which often leads to leaf burn.
How to water a Venus fly trap
Indoors or out, keep the growing medium moist to wet at all times. Remember, these are bog plants. Do not allow the soil to dry out. Water the plant by sitting the base of the pot in a saucer of water for a few hours at a time every few days. Some growers leave the pot sitting in a saucer with a half inch of water in it at all times, but I find this increases the risk of rot. If you’re growing a fly trap outdoors, to keep the roots from becoming too hot on the hottest days of summer, add cool water to the saucer on a daily basis.
Use distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or rainwater only to water Venus fly traps. They do not tolerate water with chlorine, dissolved minerals, or salts in it. Do not use tap water. This is very important.
Feeding your plant is either fun or gross, depending on your outlook. The good news is that if you grow your plants outdoors, they’ll catch plenty of prey on their own.How to feed a Venus fly trap
If you grow your fly traps outdoors, they catch plenty of prey all on their own, but if you’re growing them indoors, you can catch flies, beetles, spiders, crickets, or other garden insects in a net and use a pair of terrarium tweezers to feed the bug to your plant.
Inside each of the traps are a handful of trigger hairs. If the movement of an insect hits the same hair twice within a few seconds or two different hairs are tapped in quick succession, the trap is triggered to close. Digestive enzymes are then released by the insect’s continued movement after the trap has been triggered, and the plant is able to absorb the nutrients contained in the insect.
Feeding a Venus fly trap in this way is not necessary, but it sure is fun!
A few don’ts when it comes to feeding bugs to a Venus fly trap:
- Never feed your plant prey during winter dormancy (more on this in a bit).
- Do not feed your plant hamburger or any other meat. It’s not able to digest it since the enzymes are only released by movement that takes place after the trap has closed.
- Do not feed your plants more than one or two bugs per month.
Fertilizer for Venus fly trap care
Since fly traps live in lean soils, there’s no need to add supplemental fertilizer. They do not like compost, or granular or liquid fertilizers. In most cases, fertilizing kills them.
How often should you repot a Venus fly trap?
Repot Venus fly traps every year or two, selecting a slightly larger pot and changing the growing medium each time.
The best time to repot a fly trap is in the early spring.
Venus fly trap care in winter – dormancy is essential!
When autumn arrives, Venus fly trap plants begin to shift into a winter dormancy period. They stop growing and most of the leaves turn black and die. The mechanism that triggers any remaining traps to close no longer works. This is your signal that the plant is shifting into its winter dormancy. This dormancy period is absolutely necessary and lasts 3 or 4 months. Remember, your plant is not dead. Don’t throw it away; just change how you care for it.
Dormancy is triggered by the shorter days and dropping temperatures of autumn. It’s nothing to panic about, I promise. Trying to fight this natural dormancy period spells death for your plant, so don’t ignore it. Plants need it, regardless of whether they are growing indoors or out.
When dormancy arrives, the leaves begin to turn black and die off. Any remaining traps will no longer function.Regardless of whether you grow your plant indoors or out, put it in a cool location, such as an unheated attached garage or a cool basement, for the dormancy period.
The plant doesn’t need much light, but close to a window is best. Venus fly traps can survive occasional winter temperatures as low as 20°F in the wild, but in a container, they aren’t quite as hardy. Winter dormancy temperatures that hover between 50° and 35°F are ideal. If you live in a region where the outdoor temperatures don’t drop lower than 30°F, there’s no need to move the plant into a garage; just leave it outdoors through the dormancy period.
Let all the leaves turn black and die. The plant is resting. During winter dormancy, be sure the plant is kept moist at all times. Do not feed your plant and do not fuss with it. Just let it be.
When spring arrives, the temperatures rise into the 50s, and the days lengthen, move your plants back into your living space if you’re growing them indoors. Or, put them back on a sunny patio if you’re growing them outdoors. If there are any dead leaves clinging to the plant, now is the time to cut them off.
Grow a whole colony of Venus fly traps in a large, deep bowl.
Simply move the bowl into a garage for the winter dormancy period and keep it moist.Venus fly trap care basics
As you can see, caring for Venus fly traps correctly is the perfect combination of art and science. They are truly fascinating plants that deserve a home with any gardener willing to let them have their winter rest.
Need more care advice for carnivorous plants? I recommend The Savage Garden by Peter D’Amato.
For more on growing unique plants, check out these articles:
- Lithops: How to care for living stones plants
- Pilea peperomioides care
- The best low-light succulents
- Fishbone cactus growing advice
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Care and cultivation of Venus Flytrap at home
Venus flytrap is an unusual, insectivorous plant that is increasingly winning the hearts of flower growers. Many gardeners are afraid to grow them because of the difficult care. But is it?!
Despite their popularity, the main reason why they die quite quickly in our homes is the lack of proper care.
Of course, these are not the easiest plants to care for, but when you follow simple tips for flycatchers, they will be able to please you for a long time in the office or at home. It is interesting to know that some flycatchers, with proper care, can live up to 30 years.
There is only one type of flycatcher - Venus flytrap (lat. Dionaea muscipula) , you can often still hear the name Dionea. This name comes from the Latin name of the genus Dionaea . But, despite the fact that there are different varieties, most of them have identical care requirements. Varieties create personality with their appearance, some have large traps and others come in different colors. nine0008
Lighting.
Venus flytrap in its natural environment is found in wet swamps with poor light levels. But, since this plant initially grows in much more open places that receive a lot of direct sunlight, they should be provided with a sunny place.
Soil. Never use nutrient-rich flycatcher soil. Such soil will rather kill this plant than help it develop well. For planting and transplanting a flycatcher, a mixture of sand, peat moss, perlite or vermiculite is suitable. You can also buy the necessary soil mixture at flower shops. nine0005 Watering. Venus flytrap needs fairly moderate watering in the warm season. But in winter, the soil can be almost dry.
This plant also has special water requirements. Do not water the flycatcher with plain tap water. Tap water contains salts and other additional minerals, which, although beneficial to human health, are mostly toxic to these plants as they make the water alkaline. For watering flycatchers, rainwater, distilled or bottled water should be used. nine0008
Humidity .
When the air is very dry, flycatcher leaves dry up and look very unattractive. Therefore, a water pan should be used to increase the humidity. Some of the water will be used by the plant, but some of the water will evaporate, creating a slightly humid microclimate.
Fertilizers. Never feed a Venus flytrap fertilizer! This is not only unnecessary, but also potentially fatal. Being predatory, they collect all the necessary nutrients from flies and other small insects, which they catch and digest. nine0008
Temperature .
Normal room temperature is ideal for growing Venus Flytrap. They can also easily cope with a slight drop in temperature, especially during the cold season.
Transplant .
The general rule is that Dionea should be repotted once a year or every two years in spring or summer. If your plant has not filled the entire pot, then a transplant is not required. In this case, only the soil is updated. nine0008
Reproduction .
Propagating a Venus flytrap from seeds is not an easy task and this method of reproduction is not suitable for beginner flower growers.
The easiest way to propagate this plant is by daughter bulbs, which Dionea forms in the process of its growth.
For propagation by bulbs, carefully, with a sharp knife, cut off the daughter bulb. It should be noted that it has a sufficient number of roots. The cut point on the mother bulb must be treated with crushed coal, which will prevent the appearance of rot. Then the daughter bulb is simply transplanted into a separate pot with prepared soil and watered. Since this plant is not fast growing, it will take time for it to grow. nine0005 Venus flytrap feeding. It is because of feeding that it causes such interest among flower growers. If your flycatcher grows on an open balcony, then it will catch insects on its own. If the plant grows indoors, then it should be fed no more than 1-2 times a month. One fly is digested by a flycatcher for 10-14 days. It is also interesting that if the plant is “full”, then it will “refuse” food.
Flowering .
Venus flytrap sometimes produces flowers. However, they do not add to the attractiveness of the plant. In fact, their appearance leads to the depletion of plant resources, and can negatively affect the production of leaves and traps.
Therefore, when a peduncle appears, it is better to carefully cut it. But flowering is an indicator that your flycatcher is healthy and you are taking care of it properly. nine0008
Winter holidays.
In the cold season, most houseplants "rest". And the flycatcher will be no exception. In winter, it is preferable to lower the room temperature slightly. In addition, the amount of watering is reduced to 1-2 times a month. During this period, the growth of the plant practically stops, part of the foliage turns black and dies. But in the spring, as a rule, dead leaves are replaced by young ones.
When growing a Venus flytrap at home, it should be remembered that the trap has a limited "lifetime", which is 4-5 circuits. After that, the traps, although they carry out photosynthesis, no longer function as a trap. nine0005 Problems that may arise when growing a Venus flytrap. Like other indoor plants, the Venus flytrap can get sick. Major diseases can be prevented with proper care.
Spring growth is very slow and weak - this means that the flycatcher has not "rested" in winter. Skipping winter rest, in most cases, will simply kill the plant.
Also, the Venus flytrap can die from lack of light or water. Therefore, these agricultural practices should be carefully monitored. And even watering with ordinary tap water can kill the flycatcher. Therefore, use distilled or rain water for irrigation. nine0008
And remember that all plants need proper care. Therefore, do not neglect our advice, and the Venus flytrap will delight you with its unusual appearance for many years.
The main conditions for keeping the Venus Flytrap at home
The Venus Flytrap is not a tropical plant, it comes from North America, so it is quite easy to keep it at home, but you need to know that the Flytrap is very demanding on lighting and quality the water with which it is watered. She does not need high humidity, a constantly warm location, or a large number of insects, as many people think.
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Venus Flytrap Hibernation - Exotica
(Video Instruction)
Many inexperienced flower growers believe that the Venus flytrap is a tropical plant all year round and that it should be kept warm year round. However, the truth is that the Venus flytrap is a very hardy perennial that is native to North America.
Flycatchers grow and bloom during spring and summer , and then die off every winter, and grow back in the spring from their energy reserves accumulated in the rhizome. The Venus flytrap hibernates, naturally, in autumn when grown outdoors or, which is important for Russians, indoors in an area where all seasons of the year are well expressed (warm summers and springs, cold autumns and winters).
In order for Venus flytraps to live long term, they must have a dormant period every year that lasts three to five months.
Experienced flower growers report that a minimum dormant period of 10 weeks is the shortest amount of time it takes for a Venus flytrap to grow well throughout the next growing season. Without a winter dormant period, the Venus flytrap will weaken and die within a certain period of time. nine0008
A sleeping Venus Flytrap doesn't look very pretty. In fact, most people who don't know that the Venus flytrap has a dormant period might think that the plant is dying. It has happened repeatedly that people have thrown away their plants when they went into dormancy, mistakenly thinking they were dying. Most of the leaves turn black, and the plant practically stops growing. During dormancy, the amount of watering and lighting changes for Dionea. Be sure to reduce watering to prevent mold. The soil during hibernation of the flycatcher should no longer be as wet as during active vegetation. At the same time, the Venus flytrap generally do without light during the dormant period, but this is not ideal .
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There are three ways to provide winter hibernation with Veninna flyceps:
1) In the open air
2) in the room
3) Do not provide wintering
Winter hibernation with venerein fly agaric 9000
This is the most simple and preferred method for overwintering flycatchers. If you are one of the lucky ones and you happen to live in a place where the winters are mild (temperatures are at least 4 degrees Celsius), then your flycatcher can easily winter outside in the open air, provided that you take some additional measures for her protection. Plants should be planted in the ground, in a swamp, garden or other soil that is suitable for carnivorous plants (minimum mineral fertilizers). Pots are too sensitive to ambient temperature and do not provide sufficient protection for plants throughout the winter. In addition, flycatchers are covered with autumn fallen leaves, as the temperature can drop to almost zero, then boards are laid over them.
Or you can just cover the plants with needles (as many in Canada do). The needles are collected in a bag, and the bags are laid out directly on the plants. Bags are used to quickly remove needles when winter is over. The main purpose here is to prevent the rhizome of the Venus flytrap from freezing. nine0005
Venus Flytrap hibernation indoors
If you are unlucky and live in a place where winters are cold (temperatures below 0 degrees) and you do not have a swamp garden or other way to plant a Venus flytrap in the ground, then you , you will most likely have to provide winter hibernation for the Venus flytrap indoors. There are several options for overwintering houseplants.
Cool window sill, unheated porch or garage
This is the best option if you cannot provide a flycatcher outdoors for the winter. If possible, it is best to place the plants on a south-facing window in an unheated veranda or garage. Ideally at night the temperature should be between 0 and 12 degrees Celsius.
Daily highs can hit 20°C and even 25°C and your flytrap will remain inactive as long as the days are still short. This will make your flycatcher grow slowly, but weak little traps will spawn. If the plant gets the sun while it sleeps, then it will still be able to photosynthesize and this will help keep the plant healthy. nine0005
Venus flytrap hibernation in the REFRIGERATOR
It is imperative to know how to properly provide for the Venus flytrap in the refrigerator if you decide to do so. This method is used as a last resort if the above you cannot use. Ideally, before placing the Venus flytrap in the refrigerator, you need to gradually prepare the plant for this, namely, it is important to reduce daylight hours and gradually lower the air temperature. In principle, for the Russians, with the onset of autumn, these two conditions are fulfilled by themselves. nine0008
There are 2 options when placing the venus flytrap in the refrigerator:
1. Placing the plants in the open root refrigerator
2.
Placing the plants in the refrigerator in pots
Bareroot seedlings in the refrigerator
plants can be removed from the pot and placed in the refrigerator with a bare root system. For this method, you need to carefully remove the venus flytrap from your pot and dip the plant in distilled water (or other well-settled clean water) and clean its roots from the soil. If the flycatcher has blackened leaves or traps, it is best to cut them off. This will give much less chance for the spread of fungal diseases and mold in the refrigerator. After cleaning the roots of the plant from dirt and removing blackened leaves, it is necessary to treat the entire plant with a fungicide solution, either by dipping or spraying. Now you need to wrap the Venus flytrap in a damp paper towel or sphagnum. The paper towel or sphagnum should be damp but not wet. Then the plant must be placed in a plastic bag. It is necessary to squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible to limit the risk of fungal diseases and close it tightly.
If possible, place the bag in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. At the same time, every two weeks you need to observe the flycatcher, check that it has not become moldy. nine0008
Potted plants in the refrigerator
First, to prevent the venus flytrap from getting sick with fungal diseases, it is necessary to treat the entire plant and the soil surface with a fungicide solution. The potted Venus flytrap is placed in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 months (usually the months of November - February). Every two weeks it is recommended to check the condition of the dionea (to make sure that there are no fungal diseases and molds).
Skip Venus Flytrap Hibernation
If you just want to enjoy your plant all year round, you can simply skip the dormancy. The Venus flytrap can live perhaps a few years without rest, but they eventually die without a dormant period (usually after 1.5-2 years).
Also, if you bought a Venus flytrap already in winter, then, provided that this flytrap has never digested insects, then in this case you should never put the plant in the refrigerator.
