The Venus Fly Trap is probably so popular because it is the one carnivorous plant that you can actually witness the trapping of insects. A combination of color and scent will attract insects to the traps. An insect that lands in the trap will undoubtedly touch one of the trigger hairs on the inside of the trap lobe. If it touches two hairs one after the other, or the same one twice, the trap is sprung. The flytrap closes and the hairs on the edge traps its unsuspecting prey. As the insect struggles, the trap closes more tightly until it is closed completely and begins to secrete digestive enzymes which dissolves the insect and it is absorbed into the plant. After several days the trap will open again.

    Venus Flytrap are native to North and South Carolina but are endangered because of development. Because of this it is unethical and in some areas, illegal to take plants from the wild. The Flytrap does grow well in cultivation however, and is being reproduced through tissue culture and seed. There are many forms of Venus Fly trap, from pure green, green on the outside of the traps and red on the inside, and all red. Some form low growing rosettes and some grow their traps on long leaf stems. Many of the more rare forms are being successfully cultivated by growers.

Caring for Venus Fly trap

This is not a problem because a terrarium is a very suitable place for flytraps to grow. A one-gallon fishbowl type terrarium can easily hold many Venus flytrap. A piece of plexi-glass or plastic on the top can be adjusted to keep the humidity above 50% and a window receiving strong but not direct sunlight is perfect for your terrarium.

When you buy your flytrap, it may be in a small pot with a dome cover. As long as the plant is potted in the appropriate potting mixture you can leave it, although a larger terrarium will give you room for several additions (and you will probably find you want more vft).

If you are going to grow your flytrap outdoors, you will probably want to repot it in a larger, sturdy pot with other flytrap. Keep the pot in a saucer with water covering the bottom of the pot at all times. When you first put your plant outside, keep it out of direct sunlight until it is acclimated and then you can move it to stronger light. Never put a dome over an outside plant that will be in sunlight, it will fry!

A good potting mixture for Venus Fly trap is 60% peat moss and 40% perlite or clean sand. Always water your Venus Flytrap from the tray if it's in a pot or, if in a terrarium, use a spray bottle and wet the top of the potting mixture well. Terrarium kept plants that are top-dressed with sphagnum moss will probably not require too frequent a watering, although a light, daily misting is appreciated.

Never water your Venus Flytrap with tap water, the chlorine is poison to it. Use bottled distilled water or collect rain water, but not water that has run off your roof. If you must use tap water, collect the water and let it set out for several days to allow the chlorine to evaporate as much as possible.

If you take good care of your fly trap it will live a long time and will eventually flower. Unless you want to collect the seeds you should remove the flower since it will weaken the plant. According to the age of the plant you buy, the following is what you can expect.

Life cycle of the Venus Flytrap

Year 2: After the first dormancy the tiny plants will perform pretty much just like their larger relatives. traps will reach up to 3/8 of an inch, and the Venus Flytrap will grow to an inch or so across.

Year 3: Getting larger still with traps up to 1/2", now capable of catching something larger than a soil gnat. Third year Venus Flytrap plants will get to be a couple inches tall, and some more robust plants may even flower.

Year 4-5-6: Venus Flytrap Plants are now considered mature and will flower each season, and can self-pollinate to produce seed. These may also start to split beneath the soil level and can be seperated and repotted. Leaf cuttings may be taken to achieve more plants.

Year 7-8, beyond: Venus flytraps will live as long as they are kept in proper conditions. They will sometimes form monster bulbs the size of a golf ball or larger, producing traps well over 1" on larger leaves. Sometimes the plants will continue to split and divide, producing many larger sized bulbs each year.

1. Excessive heat. Keep indoor plants (especially domed or terrarium grown plants) out of direct hot sun.
2. Not enough humidity. Keep humidity well above 50%. If you live in a dry climate, you will not be able to grow the Venus Fly trap without a terrarium or humid enclosure.
3. Keeping your Venus Fly trap too wet for the amount of light it is getting. Plants that are kept too wet may rot. During the summer if kept outdoors, they can be kept very wet. Indoors they will require less water, but never let them dry out.
4. Excessive handling. They may seem like pets but the more you handle them the more stressed they will be.
5. Force feeding. It's fun to watch the traps snap closed over a bug but flytraps are gluttons and don't know when to stop. They'll eat until they die.
6. Allow them to produce flowers. Your healthy, mature flytrap will produce insignificant flowers on long stems. Cut the flower stems off as soon as you recognize them. Allowing them to flower will weaken and almost surely kill your flytrap. If you have more than one flytrap and want to try to produce seeds then you might feel that you can sacrifice one of them.

Venus Fly traps that are showing signs of stress are not necessarily doomed. They grow from bulbs, which store a lot of energy for the plant. Leaves that have blackened and died are only leaves, and the plant can grow more as long as the bulb is healthy. The bulb should be a creamy white color. If the plant is really having a hard time, un-pot it and check for fungus or any rotting that may be occuring for various reasons. Dust the bulb with a fungicide and re-plant it. Even if most of the rest of the plant has died back, the bulb can still produce new growth. Some plants will die back quite a bit while acclimating to new conditions. Never give up on a Venus Fly trap plant until you are sure that the bulb has completely turned to mush. They can make amazing recoveries if you just correct their growing conditions.

Dormancy

If your Fly trap is an outside plant and your climate is right, you can allow it to experience a seasonal dormancy. In the fall it will slow growth and then begin to show blackening on the traps and leaves. Reduce the water and prune the plant where it blackens. In the spring, when it shows signs of growth, resume normal watering.

Most of us will be growing our Flytrap indoors and will have to force it to go into dormancy. Do this around November or December. There are a couple of methods you can use, based on your climate.

1. Put the FlyTrap, pot and all in a garage or storage are where it will receive very low light and cold but not freezing temperatures. Check on it occasionally and trim off any blackened leaves and traps but don't bring it into warmth. Water very lightly, it will rot if it gets too much water during dormancy. After 3-4 months, bring it back to the house, repot if necessary, and start watering normally. After a couple of weeks you should see new growth.
2. Remove the Fly trap from it's pot/terrarium shake off the excess soil and carefully trim all but the shortest leaves and traps. Trim them back almost to the bulb and then sprinkle with a little fungicide power. Wrap them in damp sphagnum moss, seal in a plastic bag. Put them in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 months. Check on them occasionally to make sure they haven't dried out and you don't see any mold or rotting. If so, trim it off, sprinkle on a little more fungicide and replace in the bag. Around March or April you can bring them out, replant in fresh medium, water normally and place them in a warm, bright location. After a couple of weeks you should see new growth.

If you purchased a healthy, growing flytrap in the winter, then you probably have one that was in forced dormancy during the summer. In this case your new flytrap won't need a dormancy period until the following winter.

Questions and Answers

Q. I have recently purchased a venus fly trap. I have not yet planted the seeds. I live in the UK and it is winter here. Should I wait till spring before I plant them?
A. You can start your seeds anytime as long as you plan to keep them in a terrarium. Remember that that vft grow very slowly. The first year, don't expect traps larger than 1-2mm and the overall plant to not get larger than (US)penny size. Look on my website at http://www.the-venus-flytrap.com/carnivorous-help-topics.html and click on the subject, "Reproducing your Carnivorous Plant". It talks about reproduction with seeds. It's using the Sarracenia as an example but the planting process is similar except for the cold storage. You may also get some useful information from "Growing the Venus Fly Trap". It takes a lot of patience to start CP's from seed.

Q. I read several different websites regarding the care and have found several different explanations. They range from only feeding a Venus Fly Trap the flies that it catches on its own and some fertilizer feedings if there are no flies to being able to feed them mealy worms and crickets. What is the correct way?
A. All carnivorous plants are native to boggy areas that do not have much in the way of organic matter. That's why they evolved traps and other ways to catch and absorb insects. They never need fertilizing. A few growers will use a very dilute form of fertilizer to make their plants get big faster, but it will weaken the plants and is not recommended. All of the nutrients your plant needs will normally be provided by insects it catches on it's own. Warm, moist soil generally breeds enough soil gnats to feed the plants even inside a house. If after a month or two of getting your plants you really don't see any gnats at all, then once every month or two you can throw a fly in one trap of each plant. Over-feeding is the fastest way to kill a carnivorous plant. One individual trap on a flytrap can only eat the equivalent of about 4 flys and then it's life is over. So if you do like some people do and constantly feed your plant, it will live a very short time. For that reason I hate to see plants go to children. They love them to death. Other than moisture and good light, these plants thrive on neglect. I love it! A Venus Flytrap will live for many, many years if you give it the few things it needs and don't pamper it. The most important thing for a Flytrap is moisture. An environment of at least 50% humidity is perfect. Some people keep their plants in rooms where they have a humidifier. In most areas of the country or in a dry, air conditioned house, you'll need to keep it in a domed pot or a terrarium. I like the fishbowl terrariums and they're very inexpensive to buy at a store like Walmart. Plant them in moist 60% peat moss/40% perlite mix and top dress with damp sphagnum moss if you can find it. Cover the top with a piece of plexiglass or plastic wrap and turn back a corner if it gets too wet inside. Keep it under a grow light or in a sunny window (but not where it will get sunburn). My living room has lots of windows on the north, east and west sides and is a perfect place for strong light loving plants. The only other requirement is that you give the plants at least 3 months of dormancy each winter. Remove the plants from the soil mixture, shake off the excess soil, trim the plant leaving only the smallest healthiest traps. Trim off any damaged looking roots and wrap the plants in damp sphagnum moss and stick them in a sealed plastic bag in your refrigerator. Check on them once a month to be sure they haven't dried out or developed any rot or soft spots and trim them if they do. In early spring, bring them back out, repot them and put them in good light. They'll take off in about two weeks. That's all there is to it. During the growing season you can pretty much ignore them other than to admire them.

Q. I just purchased a Venus fly trap. It has a little dome with it. I put the pot in a bowl with about an inch of water and I placed it 6" under a florescent grow light. I'm currently using bottled water and I have a humidifier in the room. Many of my traps are black and crowed together from the packaging, and the rest of them are closed. Some leaves are bright Green and some are red. Is there anything else I should do for it? Is it in its dormancy stage or what? I'd appreciate any advice you could give me because I'm not sure how long this plant has been in the package. Thanks!
A. Sounds like you may have purchased a Red Dragon flytrap that was dormant but not trimmed properly before before going dormant or may have been packaged too long and was either too dry or was starting to rot. Trim off all the black or sick looking leaves and traps. If you think any of the roots may be rotting, gently unearth it and do the same with them. Be very aggressive about trimming it back to only good plant material. Other than that it sounds like you are doing the right thing. If you have a humidifier in the room, you shouldn't need to keept the dome on the plant. Don't try to feed it insects or any kind of fertilizer. If the plant is weak from shipment, that will just weaken it more. The plant should respond within a couple of weeks. If it doesn't, I'd go back to where you bought it and ask for a refund.

Q. I got my plant in the fall and have not let it go dormant yet. I live in Texas and am afraid I may have passed a natural time to do it. Is it too late to let it go dormant? I have been keeping it near a light to date. Should I put it in my fridge for a couple months? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Tim
A. It really won't hurt a small plant, under 3 years old, to miss a dormancy period as long as it's looking healthy. If it's looking tired or if it's an older plant it really should be allowed dormancy. (That means forcing it into refrigerated dormancy)

Q. I have just purchase my First Cobra Lily and have been reading up on how to care for them. But I am interested in knowing what kind of insects do they eat or prefer or what is their primary source of food?
A. Your Cobra Lily should get enough to eat even in the house by capturing gnats and the occasional fly that gets in. Carnivores are accustomed to thriving in very poor conditions so you really don't need to feed them. Too much nourishment will actually wear them out and kill them. You usually will have soil gnats if you keep plants but if you don't ever see any in the lily's pitchers then you can throw it a fly maybe once a month. How you water and temperatures are more important to the Cobra Lily. Please read this information on my website. http://www.the-venus-flytrap.com/cobra-lily-help.html. Good Luck with your lily.

Q. I received this plant for Christmas. Can I wait until the next dormant season to reduce it’s temp. or do I need to do it now? Also, if grown in a terrarium, how long do you let them be dormant?
A. You can keep your vft in it's terrarium this winter. Around next November the best thing to do is remove it from the soil, shake off the excess, trim it back almost to the bulb, sprinkle it with a little fungicide power, wrap it in damp sphagnum moss, seal it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 months. Check on it occasionally to make sure it hasn't dried out and you don't see any mold or rotting. If so, trim it off, sprinkle on a little more fungicide and replace it in the bag. Around March you can bring it out, replant it and put it in a warm, bright location.

Q. I am interesting in ordering 2 terrarium kits as Christmans presents and I live in Minnesota. Do you think the kits with plants would make it here successfully?
A. The plants are well packaged, insulated with sphagnum moss and wrapped in paper and can survive the shipment this time of year with less stress than they do in the summer months. As long as someone is there to receive the shipment within a reasonable amount of time, they will be fine. VFTs can even survive freezing temps for short periods of time. As long as they are kept inside under good light they will do well in any climate

Q. Well now that the pitcher plants have been planted and are in a good spot outside. I have noticed some changes going on. Not quite sure whats happening

• larger pitchers are browning and turning brittle
• small growth popping up but even some of them are browning
• I have trimmed the larger pitchers of a fair amount of leaves.