Here you will find most of the informational info on Carnivorous Plants. If you need to know how a venus flytrap works or how long it takes for a pitcher plant to grow, this will be your go to!
In short, yes, yes they can. A venus flytrap can eat mealworms. I’ll give you the short and sweet answer below, then we will discuss the proper techniques when feeding a venus flytrap mealworms.
Feeding Venus Flytraps Mealworms
A venus flytrap can eat mealworms. You can feed them both dried or live mealworms. It’s better to feed them live mealworms as the squirming insect will trigger the venus flytrap to seal and release its enzymes for digestion. Make sure the mealworm is no bigger than 1/3 the size of the trap or it will be too much for the venus flytrap to try and digest. Too much food will not digest correctly and can harm your venus flytrap. If you feed your flytrap a dried mealworm, make sure you lightly massage the outside of the trap to trigger the secondary seal so it will release the enzymes to digest the insect.
Mealworms make a great and nutritious snack for your venus flytrap. They make a great snack, but it’s important that you ask yourself the question, does your venus flytrap need to eat mealworms?
The answer to that is probably not. Especially if you are growing your venus flytrap outside. Odds are you do not need to feed your venus flytrap any insects at all. Odds are it’s getting all the insects it needs just by being outside. Even if they are inside, they are usually catching houseflies or spiders.
Maybe a better question is, do you need to ever feed your venus flytraps any insects? The answer is probably not. Many people like to do this to show their friends or do it for fun on occasion. The truth is however, most venus flytraps just need a healthy does of sun and feeding them mealworms or other insects just isn’t necessary.
If Not Mealworms Or Insects, What Do They Eat?
Venus flytraps can actually live just fine without insects. Someone explained this to me this way one time, since then it’s made way more sense.
Venus flytraps are native to the North and South Carolina area. They are very hardy as they survive in the hot sun during the summer and freezing temperatures during the winter. They are a perennial plant that goes into a dormancy period.
The reason they eat insects is the soil they thrive in is almost completely devoid of any nutrients. They have evolved to live without their soil. They get almost all their energy and growth from the sun. The best thing you can do for your venus flytrap is give it a full days worth of sun. Mealworms and insects can help, but you have to be careful.
An insect or mealworm is like the fertilizer. You can give your flytrap some fertilizer but too much can kill them. Too much fertilizer for any plant can cause a lot of harm. It’s the same if you feed your venus flytrap too many insects. One trap per plant should only be fed one insect per every week or two. This will give them all the extra nutrients they need to survive.
I Really Want To Feed My Flytrap Mealworms
Okay, okay… I totally get it, it’s really cool to feed venus flytraps insects. Mealworms are great because you can easily put them in the trap and they don’t get away. Which makes them almost a perfect candidate to feed to a flytrap. You can actually feed your venus flytrap live and dried meal worms. Each way though, will require a little different method.
To feed a venus flytrap a live mealworm you won’t have to do a lot. Grab a pair of plyers or your fingers and place the meal worm in the trap and let the venus flytrap do its thing. One thing that is very important is that you make sure the mealworm is not bigger than 1/3 of the venus flytrap. Anything larger can be hard for the venus flytrap to digest and can harm it.
Once you have the mealworm the right size (you might have to cut it in half depending on the size of your trap) you just place the wiggling worm into the trap. The worm will trigger the hairs that closes the trap. If the worm continues to wiggle, it will trigger the secondary response from the flytrap and it will close even tighter.
This secondary trigger is an evolutionary trait that prevents a false positive for the venus flytrap. They expel a lot of energy closing their trap and releasing the digestive enzymes. If it closes and releases the enzyme and it’s just a leaf on the inside, it can harm the plant. When the trap closes and nothing is moving that secondary trigger doesn’t happen and the trap opens back up.
This helps the trap only move forward with digesting a real insect. It will need the nutrients from the insect if it goes through the process of closing and releasing it’s enzymes.
Can you believe we live in a time where you can buy live and dried mealworms online and have them shipped to your home? Craziness!
To feed a venus flytrap a dried mealworm, you will have to work a little harder. It will be simple to trigger the initial trap closing but it can be a little harder to make the flytrap trigger that secondary response that sends the digestive enzyme.
Once the trap closes, you want to gently massage the outside of the trap head. You will want to gently squeeze it closed tighter. Do this every 30 seconds or so for the next several minutes. This should trigger the hair on the inside after the trap closes and it should release the digestive enzymes.
If you want to learn more about feeding a venus flytrap, I have an entire guide on it below.
Can venus flytraps eat mealworms? I know it’s really tempting to make our venus flytraps eat mealworms but sometimes the best thing we can do for them is to just let them be. They will eat all the sun they need and should catch enough insects when left outside.
If you want to show off to a friend from time to time, that’s 100% acceptable. Just make sure not to overfeed the flytrap and make sure the mealworm is 1/3 or smaller so the venus flytrap can digest it.
These rules pretty much apply to feeding your flytrap any kinds of insects, but mealworms do work great if your dead set on feeding your venus flytrap.
If you want to learn all about feeding a venus flytrap and overall care, make sure to check out my venus flytrap care guide below! You can learn everything you need to know about growing and caring for a venus flytrap.
Also, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page where I show you all my carnivorous plants. I like to rescue plants from Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart. You can follow me on my journey with updates and videos all about carnivorous plants, much of my content is about Venus Flytraps! Check it out below! Make sure to subsribe to my channel to support my dream of starting my own carnivorous plant nursery in my own community! https://youtu.be/j6UkfpWpe7U
It was probably 2PM on a Saturday when my son asked me to make him a sandwich. I went to the pantry just to realize that we were out of bread. I really don’t like going to Walmart but decided to run down and grab some bread.
I walked through the door at the entrance and right in the middle of the lobby there was a rack of plants in death cubes. There were hundreds of Venus Flytraps just sitting there waiting to be bought and rescued.
I couldn’t resist, they were only $5 each so I went a head and bought 3 of them. I went to Walmart to get some bread and came home with Venus Flytraps. These carnivorous plants are so much fun but I also realized I was going to need some more stuff. So… Off to Lowes I go.
This is the death cube the venus flytraps come in. Obviously this one is a cylinder but the death cube is what they are referred to as.
More Carnivorous Plants At Lowes
I knew I was going to need a few things to rescue and save these venus flytraps I found at Walmart. I needed some distilled water, peat moss, perlite and pots for my new carnivorous plants. Normally I order this stuff on Amazon, but I wanted to hurry up and get these repotted.
I walked into Lowes and was surprised just how picked over all the pots and planters were. I was able to settle for a small kit they had that came with 3 small plastic pots that would hold my venus flytraps. You can see the planter and flytraps below.
This was right before I repotted the venus flytraps. The white plastic planters are in the back.
You can find similar pots and planters on Amazon if you would rather shop online, you can check them out below!
Last update on 2024-05-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
After grabbing a set of three planters to match my purchase of 3 venus flytraps I decided to do a little looking in the garden center. I noticed a bigger display down the isle a bit. Wouldn’t you know it, more carnivorous plants. This time I was able to find a nice little Sarracenia Purpurea. Check out the handsome little devil below posing next to his little death cube.
I’ve had some success and experience growing sarracenia pitcher plants before so I was so excited to have one of them and a Venus Flytrap! I had to go back to the section to search for a pot for this little guy at Lowest. I noticed on the bottom rack below the planters was another small death cube. All the death cubes at the little carnivorous plant display were Sarracenia. I picked it up to examine it and look what I found!
I was able to get my hands on the last Nepenthes Ventrata pitcher plant at Lowes. This poor little guy was discarded next to all the pots. It looked that meme you see where the people left the junk food in the healthy food section with the quote “Decisions Were Made”.
I’m a little nervous about growing this plant as they are more of an actual tropical plant that like humidity. The reason I pulled the trigger is the Nepenthes Ventrata are a hybrid between a lowland and highland plant. They are very tolerant of temperatures and substrate types. Most people have success with these in a window with indirect light most of the day. Keep it misted a couple times a day to give it some humidity. Also, the kitchen is one of the more naturally humidified rooms in the house. This nepenthes ventrata will sit right in our window sill in the kitchen!
Carnivorous Plant Haul Video
The video below shows all the plants I was able to get from both Walmart and Lowes. Also, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can get updates on how these plants are doing! I really appreciate your support!! If you hover over the icon in the upper left of the video, it will give you a subscribe option!
https://youtu.be/56h48DOaU6w
Start Your Own Venus Flytrap Garden
I’m so excited to embark on this little rescue mission to save these wonderful little plants! If you want to get started with your own little carnivorous plant garden, I’ll direct you to the right places below. If you want to get started with Venus Flytraps, they are super tolerant and can grow almost anywhere in the US if cared for properly.
I would definitely start with my Venus Flytrap Care guide. You can learn everything you need to know about caring for these awesome little bug catchers.
You can get everything you need on Amazon. I had to run to Walmart and Lowes simply because I was in a hurry to rescue these little guys. But, if you plan it correctly you can get everything delivered right to your home! Check out the planters I showed you up a little bit, you can grab those or any other plastic or resin pots or planters.
Venus Flytrap Plant
You can get the plant itself right off Amazon. Joel’s Carnivorous Plants sells them right from their Amazon store. You can click the photo above or the link below to check out the Venus Flytraps he has available. I recommend the one that’s linked below as it’s one of the bigger varieties of venus flytraps.
Venus flytraps are pretty picky with the soil you give them. They need soil that has little to no nutrients. The nutrients can burn their roots and case them to die. They need a substrate that has almost no nutrients. Any normal garden soil mix will almost certainly kill your plan. This mix above is primarily peat moss and perlite. If you want to learn how to make your own soil or substrate you can check out my guide to creating your own carnivorous plant soil mix below!
The only other thing you absolutely need to keep a healthy venus flytrap is distilled water. You can use rainwater if you have a way to collect it. However, it’s extremely affordable to head down to your local big box or grocery store and grab some distilled water by the gallon. It’s usually under $1 for a gallon. You can buy this on Amazon but it’s WAY more expensive, I strongly suggest getting your water local.
To learn more about how much to water and what types of water are okay for your venus flytrap, check out my watering guide below.
Thank you for stopping by to check out my carnivorous plant haul. I’m going to do my best to keep you updated on the health of these plants. I also have a YouTube channel where you can subscribe and watch my videos as I care for and talk about my carnivorous plants. I hope to see you stop by again!
Thank you for stopping by! I’m sure you are here because you either own or are considering owning a Venus Fly Trap and want to know if they will eat mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are arguably the most pesky and annoying insects. Biting you while you’re outside enjoying summer activities and making you itch. Wouldn’t it be nice if our beloved carnivorous plants could take care of them for us?
The short answer to the question “Do Venus Fly Traps eat mosquitoes?” is yes. Venus Fly Traps can eat mosquitoes, but it’s not likely. While the hairs in their mouths are known to be sensitive, mosquitoes are typically too small to trigger them once, let alone twice. Their bodies are small enough to navigate a fly trap’s mouth without triggering a reaction. Feeding a fly trap mosquitoes may not be the best option as the energy the fly trap uses might be more than what they get from the mosquito.
Use the table of contents below to jump to the area you want to learn about!
Since Venus Fly Traps are engineered to require their hairs to be triggered twice before going in for the kill, it is unlikely that a mosquito will become trapped inside. Although the chances are low, Venus Fly Traps are able to eat mosquitoes and there are no dangers involved!
The second part of this question is whether or not you should feed your venus flytrap mosquitoes. I don’t really recommend using just on mosquito as a meal for your venus fly trap, keep reading below to see more.
Attracting Mosquitoes
When luring in potential prey, Venus Fly Traps use a sweet nectar that will attract the right insects. A perfect example of this is male mosquitoes. Male mosquitoes enjoy nectar and feast on it primarily. These mosquitoes are much more likely to fall into the mouth of a Venus Fly Trap compared to the female mosquitoes.
The females are the ones that bite you. Female mosquitoes use blood as a food source rather than nectar, which is what the males prefer. It is highly uncommon for a female to be caught inside of a Venus Fly Trap due to the fact that they are not attracted to the nectar. Although it is possible for both types of mosquitoes to be eaten, the females (the annoying ones that bite you) will most likely not be caught inside.
Which Carnivorous Plants Eat Mosquitoes?
Although the Venus Fly Trap might have trouble capturing mosquitoes, some other plants have an easier time. One plant specifically, the Drosera capensis, commonly known as Cape sundew.
Sundews are widely considered some of the easiest carnivorous plants to grow. It is a green and red plant with tentacles that extend out the sides. Insects are attracted to the plant and get stuck to the sticky tentacles. It also flowers for short periods of time during certain seasons. The flowers are typically colored pink and purple. These plants are most useful for houseflies but can also be effective against mosquitoes since any size insect can become trapped.
Can You Feed Venus Fly Traps Dead Mosquitoes?
While it’s unlikely for Venus Fly Traps to capture mosquitoes on their own, is it okay to feed them dead ones? The answer is yes! Feeding your fly trap dead mosquitoes is completely fine. Many people ask this question because of the use of bug traps or mosquito zappers. These devices can either kill or trap mosquitoes and other bugs, and many wonder if it’s okay to feed mosquitoes caught in these traps to their plants.
Although they will eat dead mosquitoes, it may not be the best idea to feed them to your venus fly trap. You will need to put the mosquito in the trap then manually trigger the hairs a few times in order for the fly trap to eat the mosquito. However, doing this requires a lot of energy from the venus fly trap. I don’t suggest just feeding your fly trap just one mosquito.
The amount of energy the venus flytrap will use to eat the mosquito will likely be more energy than they get from the small bodies of the mosquitoes. If you were feeding them a few mosquitoes or maybe a cricket and a couple mosquitoes, that might make more sense! You just want to make sure that when feeding your fly trap you give it enough for it to make sense. They have to use a lot of energy to close the trap and produce everything needed to break the insects body down.
Venus Fly Traps will accept dead mosquitoes as a meal as long as they are manually (and safely) triggered. Dead mosquitoes can be considered an option for carnivorous plant food, but there are many other choices that are far more nutritious!
If you want to learn more about feeding a venus fly trap, check out my in depth guide below for feeding them. We go over every option for feeding them including the option no one ever considers, not feeding them at all. See more below.
Venus Fly Traps will eat just about any type of insect that lands in their trap as long as it’s small enough. However there are more nutritious options than others – dead and alive! Mosquitoes are definitely not the best option, I have listed some of the best options for feeding your venus fly trap below.
It’s important to note that most fly traps do not need to be fed. Read my article above about feeding fly traps so you understand how much to give them. In most cases they do not need to be fed manually. If you are going to feed your flytrap manually and you don’t want the hassle of catching your own insects, check out below!
Crickets: Crickets are quite possibly the most common source of food for owned Venus Fly Traps and many carnivorous plants. They can also be easily suited to plants of many trap sizes. You can purchase smaller or larger crickets depending on the size of your plant. Anything you’re feeding your Venus Fly Trap should be 1/4 to 1/2 the size of its trap.
You can get crickets either dried or alive. Keep in mind, there is a process to feeding your fly traps dried insects. It’s more manual, you will have to trigger the hairs again after the trap has closed. If you don’t want to deal with that, just use a live cricket. You can actually get dried and live crickets on Amazon below!
Read more above on my guide to feeding fly traps to learn more about feeding them dried insects and how you can complete that process successfully.
Convenient - Live crickets are hard to keep, loud,...
Nutritious - Our crickets are fed a diet of leafy...
Delicious Treat - Pets love our dried crickets,...
Better Value - 1/2 pound of natural dried crickets...
Last update on 2024-05-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Meal Worms: These worms are freeze dried and perfect for any species of carnivorous plant. They can be cut up into smaller pieces to suit smaller plants, and can be fed whole to larger ones. Simply re-hydrate them with a few small drops of water and feed them to your plant! Be sure to soak up excess water before feeding.
Same rules for crickets apply to meal worms. You can buy them alive or dried. Check out your options below!
Last update on 2024-05-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Blood Worms: While the name of these worms may sound a little gross, they are one of the most nutritious things you can feed a fly trap. Similar to meal worms, they can be purchased in bulk and will need to be re-hydrated with water before feeding.
Last update on 2024-05-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Carnivorous Plant Eating A Mosquito Video
I know this is an article about venus fly traps and mosquitoes, but I think it’s important to point out that sundew carnivorous plants are actually more suited to eat mosquitoes. Check out this video of a mosquito getting stuck to a sundew and the sundew wrapping its waiting arms around it. It’s a fantastic time lapsed video showing a sundew devouring a mosquito.
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/FGki-FBnlDg
Conclusion
I hope reading this article answered all of your questions! If you were planning on using a Venus Fly Trap to fix your mosquito problem, or get a quick snack for your plants, I hope these alternative methods were helpful to you!
If you are looking to take care and grow a strong venus fly trap, make sure to check out my massive guide for caring for a venus flytrap. We go over every aspect of taking care of a venus flytrap. I think you will find it most useful!
I get asked by my friends a lot whether or not a venus fly trap in a terrarium is a good idea. It seems like a match made in heaven and venus fly traps growing in terrariums look super cool. I understand the excitement around putting your venus flytrap in a terrarium, the problem is I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.
Should you put a venus fly trap in a terrarium? No, you should not. I have done a lot of research around this and I’m going to get into all that below. At this point, after going over all the data and information, terrariums and venus fly traps just do not seem like a good match.
I should mention that I have had a lot of experience growing venus flytraps but I’ve never tried growing them in terrariums as it never made sense to me.
Also, if you are interested in venus fly trap care, check my ultimate guide to venus fly trap care below. It has everything you would ever need to know about caring for a venus fly trap!
I’m going to discuss in detail below why terrariums are not the best way to grow a venus fly trap. I think it would be false to claim that its impossible to have some success with growing them in a terrarium but I think there are just way better ways to grow them.
The best advice you could ever get is to find someone in your area that grows venus fly traps and ask them. Find out what they do and what works best in your specific environment. We all live in different zones and determining what’s best for each zone can be hard. It’s definitely not a one answer fits all with growing venus fly traps.
I want to share below why I think putting a venus flytrap in a terrarium is a bad idea.
If your heart is set on a terrarium, I strongly suggest picking up the book by Peter D’ Amato, The Savage Garden, on Amazon. It has entire section on what carnivorous plants work really well in terrariums.
Drainage
The number one problem I see with putting a venus fly trap in a terrarium is drainage. For a venus flytrap to grow healthy and strong they need a fairly deep system for their roots. They also need a media with good aeration and drainage. If the water is not draining this could lead to crown rot or root rot on your venus flytrap.
On a lot of terrariums I also see they just aren’t deep enough. Venus fly traps really like a lot of room for their roots to grow and stretch out. The water passes by providing moisture then drains out the hole on the bottom. This is ideal for venus flytraps. Most terrariums just don’t provide the right drainage for your plant to thrive.
Humidity
There is a lot of confusion around venus fly traps and how much humidity they need. I think a little humidity is absolutely fine and won’t hurt them, but a lot is just not needed. Many think that a terrarium provides a venus flytrap the humidity it needs to survive when they can grow really well without much humidity at all.
People often think that since they are strange and unusual plants that they must be exotic and grow in the jungle. This just isn’t the truth, they grow in North and South Carolina naturally. It does get hot and humid in the summer but they also must survive during a colder and less humid winter.
The most important thing to consider is that venus fly traps obtain their water through their roots, not their leaves. Its much more important to make sure the soil stays moist than the air around it.
Too much humidity will lead to the same problems as not enough drainage. It will definitely increase the chance of root rot/crown rot having that much humidity all the time. Even if the top of the terrarium is open its still providing a significant amount of humidity.
If you really think about what a terrarium is and what it’s trying to accomplish, it all makes sense. A terrarium is trying to emulate a humid jungle environment. Venus fly traps don’t grow in those areas, so why would you try to emulate that for your plant?
Too Much Heat
Venus flytraps love a lot of direct sunlight. In most areas the more direct sunlight the better. The problem with putting them in a plastic or glass container is the amplification of the heat and sun. This can create an environment that is way too hot for your venus fly trap.
If you typically have temperatures that stay under 100 degrees in the sun, your fly trap should be fine when it’s not living in a terrarium. But the amount of heat that builds up in an enclosed or semi enclosed terrarium would be just too much for your plant.
Dormancy
This is a big one. Venus flytraps go through a dormancy period that usually lasts from October/November through March. They lose their color and shrivel up. Many people confuse dormancy with their plant dying. Actually, I have a great article I wrote all about this, check it out!
The problem with a terrarium is the venus flytrap will get confused and skip its dormancy. They have the ability to detect colder temperatures and know when to go into their dormant stage. Being in a terrarium all the time with controlled temps makes it impossible for a venus fly trap to detect this.
Dormancy is incredibly important for the long term survival of your venus flytrap. Your plant can last up to a couple years without going dormant but it almost always kills the plant in the end.
You can force or trick a venus flytrap into dormancy but then you have to remove it from the terrarium anyway. You would need to remove it for such a long period of time that it’s not even worth moving back and forth from terrarium to pot. The best idea is just to use a pot in the first place.
Best Way To Grow A Venus Fly Trap
Okay, I think I presented a pretty compelling case with good reasons not to put a venus fly trap in a terrarium. What good is that however if I don’t give you an alternative!
In my humble opinion, the best way to grow a venus fly trap is with a pot that has good drainage. You want something that is a glazed ceramic or plastic/resin. This will ensure no minerals escape into the soil and burn the roots of the plant.
The drainage will keep the venus fly trap well aerated and will promote good healthy growth. Makes sure your pot is deep with room for your roots to stretch out and grow. Venus Fly Traps love a lot of room!
This was a super fundamental breakdown of the best way to grow a venus fly trap. Check out some of the articles I have written below that cover numerous different topics. These articles will help you determine the best way to grow a venus fly trap and the best way to care for them.
I may not be able to convince you, but check out the video below. Here is a great opportunity to see what they look like, but he also agrees with me and doesn’t expect much success long term.
Beware Big Box Store Terrariums
I see this all the time. I’ve never understood the concept behind selling venus fly traps in terrarium kits. At least until I started researching it on the internet. I started to realize that people just bought these assuming it was a good way to grow them.
I think these sales tactics really contributed to people thinking that a terrarium is good for a venus fly trap. What it really comes down to however, is sales. These things sell well but give bad advise on how to care for a venus fly trap. They are often sold with unhealthy and sick plants.
Even if your dead set on trying to grow a venus fly trap in a terrarium, please do a lot of research and get a healthy plant and good terrarium. It will cost a little more but in life you always get what you pay for.
Conclusion
I know I was on a bit of a soap box with this article but I feel strongly that terrariums are not the way to go for a healthy venus fly trap. I think it will give you a bad experience and sour you on growing these wonderful plants.
I’m not going to say its impossible, I just think it’s unlikely to be successful. Especially if you are a first time grower or inexperience with growing carnivorous plants such as a venus flytrap.
I urge you very strongly to check out some of my other pages above to help you decide the best way for you to grow a venus flytrap. I think you will agree after reading more info that a venus fly trap in a terrarium is not the best option.
If you found this article helpful, please feel free to share it in on your favorite social media, it will help me more than you could ever imagine!
Thank you for stopping by! Today we are going to talk about what to feed a venus flytrap and how to feed a venus fly trap. Were going to first discuss what to feed a venus fly trap and I’m afraid it just might not be as exciting as your expecting.
Note: Please press “show” above on the table of contents to jump to a specific part of this article.
We will then move on to how to feed a venus fly trap. There are some different methods and you can choose which way suits you! There are a lot of common misconceptions about the diet of a venus fly trap but we will make sure and spell any of those today.
Before we go too much further I did want to let you know about my ultimate venus fly trap care guide. Learn everything you would ever need to know about caring for a venus fly trap!
I think it’s important to note that there are many things to think about that is probably more important than what to feed a venus flytrap. Caring for a strong healthy flytrap takes a lot more than simply planting and dropping insects into its trap.
These plants are so much fun to grow and raise but do need some pretty special treatment. The treatment isn’t that difficult its just way different than other plants. If you already have a plant and want to know what to feed it, I also suggest taking a look at some of the articles below first!
If you already know everything below and your ready to feed your plant, skip it and let’s get to talking about what to feed a venus fly trap!
That should get your started. The more you learn about these incredible plants the better chance you will have to successfully grow venus flytraps!
The More Fun Quick Answer
I will expand on this below a lot but wanted to provide you with the quick answer to what to feed your venus flytrap. You want to feed a venus flytrap either live or dried mealworms, blood worms and crickets. Any insect it may eat in the wild will work great. If you can catch house flies and freeze them to slow them down, this will also work well. They also need to “eat” lots of sun!
What To Feed A Venus Flytrap
For the majority of owners the honest answer to this question is you probably don’t need to feed it anything. One of the most important things to “feed” your venus flytrap is lots of sun.
Venus Flytrap Catching a live fly!
Whether you grow outside or inside, exposing your plant to as much sun as possible is the best thing to feed it. Also, if you move it outdoors or next to a sunny window it’s probably feeding enough on its own.
Okay, I get it, that’s a totally boring answer! Don’t worry, if you want to, you can feed your venus flytrap. And there are things you can get to feed it that will help it grow strong if it’s not getting enough food naturally.
How Often To Feed A Venus Flytrap
Okay, you really want to feed this plant, I totally get it I feel the same way. It’s so satisfying to see your venus flytrap close its trap around it’s prey. And lets face it, this is the reason many of us own these amazing plants.
Lets talk real quick about how often to feed a venus fly trap. I know you want to know the what, but its so important to know the how often before the what. Over feeding the plant can kill it.
The general rule for how often to feed a venus flytrap is that you should feed each plant every other week. This means feed just 1 head from the entire plant every other week. This will be enough food to feed the entire plant. Do not feed every or multiple traps at a time this can be bad for the venus flytrap.
Rules To Follow
Now that you understand how often to feed a venus flytrap I think we should discuss some general rules regarding feeding your plant.
Avoid giving your venus flytrap any fertilizer or anything else labeled as “plant food”. They need nutrient poor soil, fertilizer will burn the roots and kill the plant.
Some people like to call venus flytraps meat eaters. I mean, we call them carnivorous plants, so they must eat like a lion, right? Wrong. No meat. If it can’t catch it naturally it shouldn’t be eating it. This means no chicken, beef or any other kinds of meat.
Try your best not to trigger the traps unless you need to. The plant expels a lot of energy when it closes the trap and can cause its growth to slow down. When the trap closes the plant is expecting to turn it’s victim into food.
Make sure what you feed your venus flytrap is only about a third the size of the trap. If the prey is too big and the trap can’t completely close it could sit for a long time and rot the food and the trap.
This one is important and the reason I only like to feed venus flytraps live food. The hair that triggered the trap to close needs to be triggered again for digestion to start. If you feed your venus flytrap a dead insect make sure you use a tooth pick to reach in and trigger the hair a few times to stimulate and trigger the digestion.
Feed Venus Fly Trap Live Insects
I do prefer to feed venus flytraps live insects if I’m going to feed them. It makes for something really fun to do when you have friends over. Just remember the rules above. Don’t over feed them!
One quick tip for feeding your venus flytrap live insects. Put the insect into the freezer for a couple minutes before giving it to your flytrap. You want to make very sure that if you put the insect into the trap that the flytrap is able to trap it. If the cricket jumps away it’s a missed opportunity for your flytrp.
The freezer slows them down a bit and makes them easier for your flytrap to capture.
Would you believe you can get live bugs and dried insects on Amazon? It’s crazy, but also awesome! We will talk about dried bugs down below in a bit.
Mealworms – These are a great source of nutrition for your venus flytrap. You can get these from pet stores but I prefer to buy them right off Amazon, link below. It’s incredible that we live in a time where we can order some mealworms and they arrive in a few days! If the worm is too long, make sure to cut them in half. This is especially true if you have a young venus flytrap.
Crickets – These little critters can also be a great live source of food for your venus fly trap. Again, believe it or not, you can buy these guys right on Amazon! They are available in 1 inch or half inch, I have linked to the half inch below as it’s likely your venus flytrap traps are not big enough to eat 1 inch crickets.
If you need to feed your venus flytrap insects, dried insects is definitely an option. As a matter of fact its debatable that this option is better, especially for beginning growers.
Mealworms have been known to burrow out of a flytrap trap which is counter productive and crickets are just quick sometimes. If you have no experience feeding venus flytraps live insects you may want to consider dried.
Just remember that if you decide to go this route you do need to trigger the hairs after the trap closes with a tooth pick or buy squeezing the sides of the trap gently.
You can also get all your dried insects straight off Amazon, check the links below to see price, user reviews and other important information.
Now that you have learned what to feed a venus flytrap lets talk about how to feed a venus fly trap.
How To Feed A Venus Fly Trap
Some of the stuff I’m about to cover is things I covered a bit above. I wanted to dig into it a little more. Also, if you jumped ahead to this part of the article, you may have missed some important things about feeding a venus flytrap.
What It Needs Most
What your venus flytrap needs the most in terms of food is as much sun as possible. I know this isn’t the typical answer when you think of the mighty carnivorous venus flytrap. Most people think of flies, and why wouldn’t they, it’s called a flytrap. The truth is they need a lot of sun. As much as 12-15 hours a day. If they aren’t getting enough sun they may never grow to their best potential.
It’s important to make sure that if you grow your venus flytrap outside that it’s in a spot that gets as much direct sun as possible. If you grow it on the inside make sure you move it t a window or outside when the sun is out. This will help your venus flytrap grow healthy and stay strong!
Feeding A Venus Flytrap Live Insects
Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox about sun and get to what you’re really here for. Lets talk about how to feed a venus flytrap live bugs. This is a risky endeavor, as your venus flytrap needs to make sure that if the trap shuts the bug gets caught.
Feeding your venus flytrap live bugs brings up a few issues. If the bug is able to escape before the trap closes the plant has wasted a lot of energy it needs by triggering the trap to close. The other risk is that even if your trap closes around the insect they are often times able to escape it’s clutches. This essentially ceates the same energy waste as missing the insect entirely.
I’m going to talk about some tricks to ensure your venus flytrap is able to successfully capture and digest a live insect.
One of the best tricks is to put the insect in the freezer for a few minutes before feeding your venus flytrap. This will make the insect stop moving. Once the insect starts to warm up after it’s been trapped the insect will trigger the hairs and begin digestion. Make sure not to leave the insect in the freezer too long or it will die. If it dies and you feed it to your trap you will need to manually trigger the hairs for digestion. We will talk more about this soon in the “feeding your venus flytrap dried insects”
You can also uses tweezers to get a good grip on the insect. Allow the plant to close around your tweezers and let go and slide the tweezers out. This is still a little risky but significantly reduces the risk of the flytrap escaping.
This seems a little less humane and it’s not something I do, but others have. You can always pull the legs from the insect. If your feeding your venus flytrap crickets you can pull the legs off so it will squirm a bit but can’t jump out. Again, it’s not my cup of tea as I think there are better ways. But when it’s all said and done you are feeding this insect to a plant, so whatever you decide!
Feeding A Venus Flytrap Dried Insects
There is a little more labor involved with this process. The insect is dead and will not stimulate the inside of the venus flytrap. Imagine how these plants have evolved. They know when they catch an insect that the little guy is going to wiggle and move around. If there is not wiggle or move around, they will actually open up and not digest the insect.
The way it works is… If you drop a dead bug in your flytrap and they don’t stimulate the hairs inside the trap it won’t trigger venus flytrap digestion. The enzymes wont’ release and the plant will open. This is a design to help them avoid wasting even more energy and resources on something that inadvertently triggered a trap to close. They really are pretty smart, aren’t they?
If you would like to learn more about how all this and much more works with a venus flytrap, click below to another article I wrote!
The trick to getting them to digest the dried insect is you have to stimulate the trigger hair after the trap has closed. The trap will actually close tighter once the hairs have been triggered to help avoid an escape. There area couple different things you can do to trigger the stimulation.
Gently (very gently) squeeze together to trap to help it close a little more and to stimulate the hairs on the inside. You can give it a few squeezes (as long as your gentle) to make sure it takes. This process helps the flytrap close down tighter and trigger the enzymes to come out and start digesting it’s prey.
The other thing you can do is to stick a toothpick or a bent paperclip, anything that has that basic shape, into the trap and stimulate the hairs manually. The trap should proceed to close a little tighter and start digesting the insect.
If the trap opens up a few hours later you know that this was not successful. If the trap stays closed for 5-12 days you know it’s working on digestion and providing energy the plant will eat up!
If you want more info on what a venus flytrap eats, I cover all that above!
Feeding A Venus Flytrap Video
Check out this cool video of people feeding venus flytraps. Not so much instructional, just really cool!
Conclusion
We have completely covered what a venus flytrap eats and how a venus flytrap eats. Venus flytraps aren’t that hard to take care of, they are just so different than regular plants. We really have to ignore most of what we have been taught about gardening and planting.
I’m so excited you are here to learn about venus flytraps and hope that this info has helped you in some way with your precious plant. Keep them in the sun, make sure they have appropriate amounts of water and throw them a bug from time to time. That’s the super simple formula for having a healthy and happy venus flytrap.
Thank you again for stopping by, here’s to everyone having healthy flytraps!
You have done your research and now your ready to take the plunge but you need to know where to buy a venus fly trap plant. No worries, I got your back! Today were going to talk about where you can buy a venus flytrap and how much a venus flytrap will cost.
Were also going to dig into what to look for with a retailer when picking out your venus flytrap. Venus flytraps aren’t that hard to find but getting a good one might require a little work and research.
You asked the questions, where to buy a venus fly trap plant and I’m giving you the answer, lets get going!
After learning about buying a venus fly trap, make sure to check out my ultimate guide to caring for a venus flytrap. I will help you make sure you keep your plant alive!
There are a lot of different places you can look to when finding a place to buy a venus fly trap. There are things you need to lookout for however. Before we start digging into that, I’m going to list the places you can buy a venus fly trap.
Once quick note and a favor I ask of you. Please, if you are going to buy a venus fly trap make sure to do the research. They are not a typical house plant and need special and very different treatment than normal house plants. They aren’t that hard to grow, they are just VERY different.
I have some really great resources linked below for you to really research venus fly traps before buying. All of these will be links within my site that I have spent time on for you unless otherwise specified.
If you have done your research and are ready to buy a venus flytrap, carry on!
This should be just about everything you need. Please make sure to join and online group on Reddit or Facebook. Also, there is an awesome forum you could join that has an entire army of people who are willing to help you grow healthy venus flytraps. Linked below.
The folks over at Flytrap Care are a great resource and have some amazing forums for help. I strongly suggest after you buy your venus fly trap to head over there and join the forums so you have a resource for any questions that might come up!
You can buy a venus fly trap from any of the sources below.
Local Nursery (Most Recommended)
Online From A Nursery
Local Big Box Stores (Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot)
Online Big Box (Amazon)
Small Local Sellers – These are usually looking to trade or get rid of a plant due to moving or not being able to care for.
I am going to get into each of the places to buy a venus flytrap above but first I want to talk about what you should be looking for.
What To Look For
It’s important to know what to look for so you can get your hands on a healthy and strong plant. Especially if your a beginner venus flytrap grower. It can be really hard to bring a sick plant back to life if you don’t have a lot of experience. This could bitter you on ever owning or buying a venus flytrap again.
Health And Size
This is probably the most important thing to look for when determining where to buy a venus fly trap plant. As a beginner grower you want the best experience possible and starting off with a healthy plant will really increase your chances of having a great experience.
Adult Venus Flytrap Plant
When looking at venus flytraps a healthy adult plant, which is typically 5 years old or more, will have at minimum 4 healthy fully formed traps. It is important to keep in mind that there is a large variety in plant genetics but please try to consider these general rules.
When looking at an adult trap they will typically be 1/2 inch to 1 full inch longer or even longer. Most of the venus flytrap should be green and healthy looking but do keep in mind that a few black or yellowing traps is a normal occurrence. The traps that aren’t yellow or black should look smooth, green and firm.
The inside of the trap could be all green or even have some red coloration. You might even come across a venus flytrap plant that has a long flower stock growing out of the middle. If the stems are 3 inches or longer and still doesn’t have any fully developed traps this may be a sign that the plant is not getting enough light and I would avoid.
Young Venus Flytrap Plant
Now lets talk about young venus flytraps. You may want to get a younger plant rather than the adult I spoke about above. These sill be much smaller and should have at least 3 more more stems (leaves) growing. The trap size can be anywhere from one eighth of an inch to a half inch long.
Look for the same characteristics as you did with the adults. Some traps could be a little yellow or black but the others should be smooth, firm and green.
Make sure to use common sense when buying a venus fly trap. Just look at the plant, it doesn’t take a botanist to see if a plant looks sick, diseased or just generally unhealthy. If the venus fly trap your buying looks wilted, wrinkled, discolored and doesn’t have any healthy traps, you probably need to move on.
If you are buying a venus fly trap online make sure you ask the vendor for a photo of the actual plant you would received if bought. Not a stock photo or a photo that they use for every plant, the exact plant you will be receiving. This makes it a little more like buying from a local nursery.
NOTE: PLEASE READ VERY IMPORTANT
When considering where to buy a venus fly trap plant please also consider when you buy a venus flytrap plant. Venus flytraps go through a long dormancy period and can appear sickly or even dead. I strongly recommend buying a venus fly trap in the late spring or summer time when they are healthiest.
I spent a lot of time writing all about venus flytrap dormancy, it’s important to understand, please click the link below!
If you are buying a venus fly trap from an online retailer you will likely get to choose if you would like your venus flytrap shipped with bare roots or potted. Both have their pros and cons and we are going to talk about each.
Bare Root
This is my preferred method but may not be the best way for a beginner or fist time grower. When you get a bare root venus flytrap shipped it comes without a pot or any kind of media (soil). The retailer appreciates this method because it keeps costs down for them but it will also typically cost less for you as well.
When shipped with bare roots the plant is will be wrapped in a wet paper towel and plastic bag to keep them moist while shipping. A venus fly trap can only live so long without soil. When you receive it, you need to be ready!
One of the reasons I prefer this method is it allows me to plant my venus flytrap into my preferred media and pot right away. Which brings me to my next point. There is no time to waste! You received your plant you need to make sure you are ready immediately to pot or plant your venus flytrap.
The quicker you can plant your new flytrap the better. They have traveled a long way without any fresh water or soil, they are ready to be planted! A newly potted venus flytrap can take weeks to fully acclimate to it’s new environment. It’s a very stressful time for your new plant. This is the main reason it’s not recommended for new growers and beginners.
If you run into problems during this stage it can be difficult to trouble shoot but as long as you picked out a healthy plant it should do just fine without any hitches. Personally, when I grew venus fly traps I would always buy this way. If I didn’t have the choice I would replant them into my own pot and media as soon as the potted plant was received.
Potted
If this is the first time you have bought a venus flytrap I do suggest going this route. If you have bought a healthy plant from a good grower they will have an established connection with their current potting media. You really don’t have to do any work other than unpacking them carefully and putting them in their new forever home!
A potted plant will require much less time to adapt to its new environment. If you are looking for ease and convenience and you are a beginner this is strongly recommended.
Ordering a potted plant will increase the cost of buying a venus flytrap plant by around $5 typically. The package will be heavier and requires a little more care to ensure the pot doesn’t get damaged.
I would suggest that if this is your first time buying a venus fly trap plant to order it potted. If you have a lot of experience with plants in general I think you should be okay with going the bare root route and repotting your venus flytrap.
This decision is all yours! I just wanted to provide some info to help you get there!
Source Of New Venus Fly Trap Plant
Where to buy a venus fly trap plant really comes down to the source. Where did you choose and why? Were going to talk about that right now. How to select the right place to buy a venus fly trap and what to look for with that retailer. This is all especially true if you are buying online.
If you are buying a venus fly trap online I wanted to provide some general guidelines to follow to make sure you’re getting a good strong and healthy plant.
Does the online nursery or seller specialize in selling carnivorous plants or maybe even just venus flytraps? I would typically suggest going with a merchant that does mostly because of the specialized treatment that carnivorous plants need.
Does the listing have several clear photos of each plant? Not just a general plant but the actual plant you are buying? If the photos are really small and hard to see this is a huge red flag. You can always ask for more photos.
Make sure the info provided for the plant is clear and easy to understand. A good grower will know a lot about this specific plant. Is it available bare root and potted? What strand of plant is it and do they have good care instructions? Any of these missing can be a red flag.
Big box stores often have really neat looking plastic domes or cubes. It’s tempting to buy one of these due to the seemingly easy of buying an all in one type kit. These plants are often not very healthy due to being cultivated in a way that wasn’t proper and being propagated too quickly. The funny part is, they aren’t any less expensive. You will pay around the same price for an unhealthy plant as you would a healthy plant from a legit grower.
I’m not saying its impossible to get a healthy plant from one of these kits or a big box store. I’m just pointing out that the price isn’t all that different but your definitely rolling the dice on these types of plants, so whats really the point?
Alright, we spent a lot of time on what to look for when buying a venus fly trap, now lets actually answer your question.
Where To Buy A Venus Fly Trap Plant (For Reals)
I’m going to list all the places I suggest you buy a venus fly trap. These are in order from my strongest suggestion all the way down to my least recommended. Keep in mind, all these are good options and you can get strong healthy plants from any of them as long as you follow the guidelines provided above!
Local Grower Or Nursery
This seems pretty obvious but I’m going to talk about it anyway. If you have a place that you can buy a venus fly trap locally then go there and do it. You can actually see and pick out the plant you want to buy. There is just no better option than this, it removes all the guess work.
The other HUGE bonus to going to a local grower is they can provide you care instructions for your climate and environment. If they are growing healthy plants they can equip you with the knowledge to grow them in your area. You can read online care guides until you are blue in the face (and you should before committing) but it’s rare to find one from someone in your exact location. Speaking with a grower who grows in the exact same conditions as you will be the most helpful by far!
Just do a google search for carnivorous plants near me or venus fly traps near me. This should connect you to some local nursery’s. Its better if you can find a nursery that specializes in carnivorous plants but this isn’t always an option.
Online Nursery Or Grower
I have seen man reputable online growers and sellers. Many of these will send you strong healthy plants and provide answers to all your questions. They may even send you additional photos at your request. My experience has been that these online growers are passionate and really want to provide the best homes for their plants.
As a matter of fact my aspirations are to grow my own carnivorous plants and start a local nursery for my area. So these online growers do hold a special place in my heart. I’m going to provide some of my favorites below.
Please, use all the guidelines I provided above but also take one really important thing into consideration. There are plenty of online growers but finding one that is close to you can be important. This will reduce shipping time and help get the plant out of the mail and to you sooner.
Another thing that might push you toward one or another is their selections. Growing these plants is not fast so they may or may not have more mature adult plants. You may need to do some checking if this is what your looking for.
See some of my favorite online nursery’s and where they are located below. If none are close to you, please do some additional research and see what you can find!
CaliforniaCarnivores.com – Obviously located in California this may be an option close to you. They are my go to for almost all carnivorous plant purchases online. They are extremely knowledgeable and are one of the most trusted carnivorous plant nurseries. The owner of the nursery is the author of the carnivorous plant bible, The Savage Garden written by Peter D’Amato. You can also get 10% off your order if you enter CPHUB at checkout, click their name above to check out their massive inventory!
Petflytrap.com – This is probably my favorite online retailer and are out of Texas. They aren’t super close to me but I will still typically choose them if they have what I need or want. Petflytrap are the oldest and most established. They have over 15,000 plants in their facility and sell different types of carnivorous plants. Check out their selection of venus fly traps by clicking their link!
Flytrapstore.com – These folks are great! They are located in southern Oregon. If you are in the Northwest this may be a great option! Click the link to see what options they ave available right now.
CarnivorousPlantNursery.com – I wanted to give the east coast some love here by having a grower from Maryland. These guys are great and have great selections of all carnivorous plant selections. Click their link to see their venus fly traps.
You can also buy from online nursery’s via Amazon. Check out a couple I really like below. Remember, you are buying from Amazon, but these guys do have nursery’s as well.
Joels Carnivorous Plants – This Amazon store has mostly venus flytraps and a few different carnivorous plants. I understand maybe wanting to go this route. People are more comfortable buying off Amazon oppose to a small grower. Check out Joel’s options at the link above!
Predatory Plants – These guys also have a nice selection of venus flytraps available through their Amazon store. They are definitely worth considering if you want to go the Amazon route!
You can also get the soil on Amazon! Check out the link to Organic Earth below!
If you are dead set on buying local vs buying a venus fly trap online from a grower then you can definitely get them at a local big box store like Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot. I don’t suggest this as a first option but you can definitely go this route. I have heard lots of stories about people getting strong healthy plants from these places.
Just be sure that you follow all the same guidelines above as you would with any other seller. If the plant looks healthy and strong it probably is! Just keep in mind that the nursery section of these stores will vary based on the employees working there and the care provided. Some of them have experienced plant growers and some of them have high school kids who have never grown a plant.
You never know what you are going to get at a local big box retailer but I have seen many people online getting them on sale for a buck on clearance and received a healthy plant!
I have also seen many people buy a venus fly trap from a big box store impulsively and not really understand what they got themselves into. Many people assume that if a local Walmart carries a venus fly trap they must be easy to grow in this area, which always isn’t the truth.
If you follow all the guidelines provided you will know what to do and how to pick the plant out!
Small Local Sellers
This is someone who posts an ad on a Facebook classified group trying to get rid of a plant or they grow on a very small scale. This could include someone moving that can’t keep their plants (this happened to me :(…. ) or someone who has excess and are ready to start selling on a small scare.
I know I’m starting to sound like a echo here but everything I’ve said above still applies. This may be a good way to get a good strong acclimated adult plant. They can also give you some advice on what has worked for them for growing in your area.
Make sure to inspect the plant to ensure it’s healthy and ask for extra photos if needed. Go through our checklist above to make sure the plants are strong and healthy, if they are don’t be afraid to pull the trigger! You will see lots of people trying to sell, buy and trade their plants in some of these bigger Facebook carnivorous plant groups! If you are going to buy a venus fly trap I strongly suggest you join some of the groups.
How Much Does A Venus Fly Trap Cost
Okay, you should know just about everything you need to know on where to buy a venus fly trap. Now I’m going to try and give you a little bit on what to look for with cost. Answering how much does a venus fly trap cost isn’t a super simple thing to do, but I’m going to do my best just to give you a decent idea of what to expect.
How much does a venus flytrap cost? You can expect a single adult common venus flytrap to cost around $10 USD. If the plant is larger I would be okay paying $12 -$15. For a small or young venus flytrap expect it to cost around $5-$8 USD. Some online merchants will sell multiple small venus flytraps in a single pot for an even better deal.
Keep in mind, these prices are for common venus fly traps. You will often see variance in prices based on the rarity of the venus fly trap type and species. For example, I have seen the large DC XL sell for $49.95 USD. If you want a more rare type, it will be important to do your research on that plant and compare prices at the different local or online nursery’s.
Venus Fly Trap Video
Okay, I know this might be just a little out of context but I wanted to show you a really cool venus fly trap video. The BBC has a video on youtube that is just incredible. If you were on the fence on whether to buy a venus fly trap or not, this should get you to hop on over. They are SOOOO cool!!
Conclusion
I probably just spent way too much time going over where to buy a venus fly trap plant but I really do care. I love these plants so much and want to make sure that others do too. Knowing how to find a strong healthy plant can really change peoples opinions on growing these special little plants.
I hope that you were able to learn something to day and I was able to answer your questions about where to buy a venus fly trap.
I spent a lot of time putting this all together, if it was helpful for you, please share on your favorite social media, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. It really helps me out anything you can do just means the world to me!
Here’s to having healthy, strong and long lasting Venus Fly Trap Plants!
Today we are going to talk about the best venus flytrap soil mix. Venus flytraps are very picky when it comes to soil and won’t live if you don’t get a very specific mix for potting. If you go outside in your backyard and grab some soil or buy your typical potting soil at the market it will quickly kill a venus flytrap. I want to make sure you have the best soil for a venus flytrap there is!
We are also going to dig into (see what I did there?) how to repot a venus flytrap from whatever it came in to your new pot. Were even going to talk a little bit about how to pick out a pot for your venus flytrap. And how often you should repot your venus flytrap.
I’m going to deep dive into the best soil for venus flytraps below but I wanted to give you the quick answer before we get too far in.
I have looked high and low and read many, many comments on everyone’s favorite venus flytrap soil mix for potting. This is the soil recipe that I found most common and most successful.
Make sure to also check out my venus fly trap ultimate caring guide below. Learn everything you need to know about venus flytrap care.
The best and most recommended venus flytrap soil mixture is 5 parts peat moss, 3 parts silica sand and 2 parts perlite. Aeration is important with venus flytraps and the silica sand really helps with creating a drainage and a healthy root system. You may also see silica sand referred to as white sand, silicon dioxide or just silica.
The reason the silica sand is acceptable is it’s a very hard mineral and is not soluble, it won’t release any additional minerals into the soil.
Now that you have the quick answer, lets talk more about what each ingredient means and why they are important. Lets also talk about what a venus flytrap needs from it’s soil mixture.
Also, before going too far, check out some of the other guides/information I have written right here on this website. You will find everything you need to take care of your venus fly trap!
This is kind of a misleading questions in a way considering it’s almost easier to say what does a venus flytrap not need from it’s soil. The answer you might not be expecting is nutrients. The soil needs to be void of any minerals or nutrients which is very opposite of most plants and goes against our typical planting knowledge.
The most important part of picking the right soil for a venus flytrap is making sure the soil is very nutrient poor. If you use regular potting soil or just plant the venus flytraps into the ground they nutrients in the soil will burn the roots and eventually kill the plant.
There are some experts who use a very diluted fertilizer on the leaves but it’s extremely risky and can go wrong very easily if your not experienced. This is not suggested for anyone starting out growing venus flytraps.
Let’s talk about each ingredient individually for a bit.
Peat Moss
Peat moss is great for venus flytraps due to it being very nutrient poor. Please make sure you don’t get anything that’s “Enriched” this means nutrients have been added. It’s easy to obtain as you can get it at just about any store that carries any kind of soil. Whether it’s big box or a local nursery you shouldn’t have any problems finding it.
Using a long fibered sphagnum moss can really help prevent the perlite from floating to the top during watering and heavy rains. This is something to keep in mind when picking out the peat moss, but isn’t absolutely necessary.
Watch out for the brand of peat moss you get. I know that Miracle-Gro and Scott’s both contain fertilizer which will kill the venus flytrap, so try to avoid those.
Perlite
Perlite is a volcanic glass that has high water content. This helps it aid in water retention and aeration. It also modifies the soils substructure keeping it loose, well drained and keeps it from getting too compact. Perlite is optimum for growing in a container it enables the pot to hold just enough water and oxygen.
Perlite is also going to be pretty easy to find, you will be able to get some at big box stores, local hardware stores and likely at local nursery’s.
Silica Sand
Silica sand is is a very hard mineral but it’s not soluble and it’s completely neutral. This basically means that it’s great for venus flytraps because it won’t release any minerals into the soil. It can really help with the formation of a healthy root system as well as promoting great aeration.
It’s also known as white sand, silica quartz and silicon dioxide. You will have the best luck finding silica sand at your local hardware store. I know that places like Lowes and Home Depot will have some available.
Mixing The Soil
Okay, now that we have talked about the ingredients to the best soil for venus flytrap lets talk about what to do with them.
Clean And Rinse The Silica And Perlite
I would recommend soaking the silica sand and perlite in distilled water. This will help get the dust off and prevent any unwanted minerals from entering the soil. I’ve heard of people talk about soaking the peat moss as well, but this seems like overkill and has never been an issue for me.
To do this just dump the sand and perlite into a plastic container or bucket. Poor enough water in to cover the silica and perlite. Swirl the water around for a bit and dump it out. Do this again until the water appears to be clear. Keep in mind, when you dump the water in and it’s clear you can reuse this water as it should still be clean.
Mixing The Soil (For Real)
Now your ready to start mixing all the ingredients. Add 5 parts peat moss, 3 parts silica sand and 2 parts perlite by volume.
Once all ingredients are added you will want to add some distilled water. It’s going to take more water than you think due to the perlite and peat moss being very absorbent. Keep adding and mixing together you will want to make sure that the peat moss gets completely saturated and that the perlite is all mixed in.
At first the peat moss may seem to avoid the water and it might not soak up well. Keep mixing and the peat moss will eventually soak up the water. If it’s cold it will be even worse, so just mix and be patient!
Once your all mixed up your ready to go! Your venus flytrap soil mis is ready and it’s time to start potting.
Pre Mixed Venus Fltyrap Soil
Life is busy you don’t have time to get all these different parts then clean and finally mix. Trust me, I have 3 kids, I COMPLETELY understand. If you want to grab a premixed soil you definitely have options.
Keep in mind, I believe the mix I presented to you is the best venus flytrap soil mix but there are more than one way to do this. The mixes may not be exactly the same as mine but you should be able to find something that works for you. Even Amazon has soil mixes you can buy.
If your not looking to pot a lot of venus fltyraps you probably don’t need to make a ton of your own soil mix. Take a look at the link below to see the soil mix I recommend on Amazon.
A great venus flytrap soil mix you can find on Amazon!
Choosing A Pot For Venus Flytrap
Now that we made the best venus flytrap soil mix, I’m going to talk quickly about what to look for when choosing a pot or planter for your venus flytrap.
Just the other day I actually spent hours working on an article all about choosing the right pot and what to look for, check that out below. I’ll paraphrase that article below but if you really want to deep dive and see some good examples, the article is great!
Make sure you get a pot that has good drainage holes for your venus flytrap. One of the best ways to keep them watered is with drainage holes and keeping the tray under the pot full of water. If the pot doesn’t have good drainage your venus flytrap will likely end up rotting at the roots.
You also want to make sure and look for something that is light in color. In the summer you don’t want your venus flytrap’s roots baking in a black pot. The lighter the color the less sun it will absorb keeping the roots nice and cool.
Avoid any kind of pot that is unglazed. The terracotta planters for example are very porous and can actually steal the moisture and dry out the soil. These pots can also leach unwanted minerals into the soil. If you need the look of terracotta grab a resin or plastic pot that mimics the look.
Make sure the planters are fully glazed. Some are glazed on the outside but not the inside.
Venus Flytrap Pots To Look For
Look for anything that is made out of resin or plastic. These will work the best. I have also seen some really neat fully glazed ceramic pots. These are great as long a they are fully glazed. I prefer the resin or plastic, you can check out some really nice resin and plastic pots below.
Just keep in mind that its very important to pick something that has good drainage holes. Most good planters and pots these days will have a drainage hole with a plug so you can choose to drain or not.
Now that you have picked out your pot and made the best soil for venus flytrap lets talk about how to plant!
How To Repot A Venus Flytrap
Alright, so you picked out the perfect pot for your venus flytrap. You either made or bought a great venus flytrap soil mix. You are ready to repot your plant to your custom soil mix and brand new pot!
Lets break this down into steps. It’s really not that hard to repot a venus flytrap but I’ll still break it down into steps for you below just to make it as easy as possible.
To start off find a good work area, somewhere you are not worried about making a huge mess. If you can repot outside, this is probably best.
Before we get started its important that you know what the rhizome is. The rhizome is the bulb-like white part that is just below the soil but just above the black roots. If you research plants especially plants that you can propagate the rhizome will come up a lot. Most of the leaves from the venus flytrap originate from the rhizome and this is where the plant stores its energy.
Steps To Repotting A Venus Flytrap
I wanted to outline some really easy steps for you below. This isn’t a super complicated process but it helps to see each step. Honestly, your going to remove the venus flytrap from the container its in. Clean off the roots of any soil or debris and put it in the new venus flytrap soil you made or bought. That’s the jist but I’ll break it down below.
Get The New Pot Ready
Here we go! You created the best soil for venus flytrap and now it’s time to introduce your plant to your soil. Grab some of your prepared soil and put in in your planter or pot. Fill it to the top then compress it a bit. Using your finger or possibly some other tool make a hole that is pretty deep. You want it to be deep enough that the roots and the rhizome have a lot of room to grow. Make sure the hole is deep enough that you don’t have to loop up the roots to get the venus flytrap to fit. It’s important to make the top of the hole a little larger so the rhizome can fit.
Uprooting And Preparing The Plant
Just like with other plants, gently squeeze the side of the plastic planter it came in. This helps release the soil from the planter. You will then turn the pot over and release the plant from it’s current pot. Make sure to hold it in a way that you don’t drop the plant.
Once it’s free, start breaking the soil away from the roots of the venus flytrap. Go very slow and be very patience with this process. If you were going to hurt your venus flytrap during repotting, this would be the time. You can also plunge the roots into some distilled or rain water to help release the soil from the roots. Just swirl it around a bit and the soil should just fall off.
Place Into The New Pot
The venus flytrap is now exposed and the soil is completely off the roots and rhizome. It’s time to repot it into it’s new home. The key to this part is to get the roots as deep into the hole you dug as possible. Use a stick or screwdriver to guide the roots as far into the hole as possible. You may need to adjust the depth of your hole at this point if the roots don’t go very deep. You will want the rhizome just below the soil in the hold you made.
Compact The Soil
Next, you will compact the soil around the rhizome. Do this very gently but do make sure to press it enough so that its snugly fit to the rhizome. You may want to grab some extra venus flytrap soil mix to put in around the rhizome. It shouldn’t be super deep but the white of the rhizome should be completely covered.
Give The Venus Flytrap A Big Drink Of Water
It’s been a long day for your venus flytrap, its finally time for it to rest a bit and have a drink. After a hard days work, don’t we all? Watering immediately helps eliminate any air pockets that may have developed. It can also help reduce any root shock that may have occurred from the repotting process.
It’s important to water gently from the top this will help reduce the chances of the perlite and silica (if used) from rising to the top of the pot. The harder the water hits the more the peat moss will want to separate from the perlite. You can even pour the water right onto the plant itself and allow the water to trickle into the soil. The soil should be pretty saturated on this initial watering.
Venus Flytrap Soil Q&A
Before getting to the end of teaching you about the best soil for venus flytraps and how to repot, I wanted to do a little Q&A. I think most of the questions and answers are sprinkled above but it’s nice to have all the biggest questions answered in one area.
Where To Buy Venus Flytrap Soil?
You can make your own or you can simply buy it from a local nursery or even Amazon. Amazon has some great carnivorous plant and venus flytrap soil mixes to choose from. Check the link below to see where you can buy venus flytrap soil on Amazon.
Just make sure it’s at the very least a peat moss and perlite mix. Most importantly make sure none of the ingredients have been enriched.
How Much Soil Does My Venus Flytrap Need?
This wasn’t covered much above. This will all depend the size of the pot and size of your venus flytrap. I did talk about how you need to fill your planter to the top and compress it down. So at least enough to fill the pot you purchased for your venus flytrap and plus a little extra in case you have a spill or need it.
Can Venus Flytraps Live In Normal Soil?
This one is a hard no. Venus flytraps come from bogs where the soil has very little nutrients. This is why the venus flytrap catches insects and eats them, they don’t obtain nutrients or energy from their roots. If the soil has normal amounts or is enriched with fertilizer or nutrients it will burn the roots and likely be a quick death for your plant.
When Should I Repot My Venus Flytrap?
Aside from your initial repotting a venus flytrap does like to be repotted once a year. The media (Soil) can get hard and compact making it hard for the roots to thrive and grow. Repotting will keep your venus flytrap soil aerated and fresh. The best time of year is to repot in early spring which is about the time they are coming out of dormancy. I also spent a lot of time writing an article all about dormancy, check it out!
I think that covers most of the questions you might ask.
Best Venus Flytrap Soil And Repot Venus Flytrap Conclusion
Thank you so much for stopping by and learning all about venus flytrap soil mixes and information. These plants are truly special and I’m happy your here to give your venus flytrap the best home you possibly can. I hope your
If this was helpful to you, please make sure to share on your favorite social medial platform. Facebook, Pinterest or Instgram, whatever you like best. If you have a website, feel free to link back to this info!
Thank you for all your support and may all your plants venus flytrap plants thrive and lead a healthy long life!
I get this question a lot, which are the best pots and planters for carnivorous plants? Carnivorous plants require a lot of care and making sure that you pick out the best pot for your carnivorous plant is obviously very important. Whether your looking to plan your venus flytrap, nepenthes or sundews this will definitely help you out! Although it may seem like a big decision finding the best pots for carnivorous plants is not as difficult as you might think!
Lets talk about the best planters and pots for your carnivorous plants. These venus flytraps look great potted!
When it comes down to it, what is more important to you? Do you want to just keep it simple and use what’s going to work the best at the lowest price? Or are you like most of us and you want your carnivorous plants to be living in something that not only works well but looks really cool.
I’m guessing that if your into carnivorous plants, you want to go with the “looks cool” angle. Don’t worry, were going to talk about all options today. I’ll give you some that I think look cool as well as affordable carnivorous plants pots and planters that will work well without breaking the bank.
Also, before I get too far, I wanted to point out that I have spent a lot of time writing up some other great information on venus flytrap. If your interested in venus flytraps these will be great!
You can check them out below!
Learn Everything you will ever need to know in my ultimate venus fly trap care guide!
Let’s start off with the carnivorous plants pots and planters that aren’t going to cost a lot but will work really well. Before we actually talk about the pots and planters themselves, lets talk about what to look for in a carnivorous plant planter or pot.
What To Look For
This will definitely always depend on which carnivorous plant you are wanting. Maybe you are looking for a venus flytrap pot or planter or maybe your looking to plant your nepenthes. I’m focusing more on things to look for with all carnivorous plants.
The rules I’m about to go over can be applied to almost all carnivorous plants. But keep in mind some carnivorous plants do require special treatment and it will be up to you to make sure and understand those things before committing to a planter or pot for your carnivorous plant.
One of the most important features of a good planter for a carnivorous plant is going to be the drainage. Something to consider is you may find that perfect pot that you just must have but it doesn’t have any holes in the bottom. This is fine, you can make your own holes with a common power drill.
It’s also important that you look at a pot or planter with lighter colors. Try to avoid anything that is black, dark grey or dark brown. When the temps get hot and the sun is out these planter or pots will soak up the sun and possibly cook the roots of your carnivorous plant.
You want to avoid unglazed terracotta planters as they are very porous and can dry out the soil. I’ve also seen people advise that these pots can leach salts into the soil over time which is not good for your carnivorous plant who needs mineral poor soil. If you really like the look, check out my link below you can find resin planters that have the terracotta look!
When it comes down to it, any planters or pots that are super breathable and porous you will probably want to avoid. You also want to make sure that the plants are fully glazed. I have seen some planters be glazed on the outside but not on the inside which is not good for carnivorous plants.
The Cheap Route – Plastic Planters
So, you not too concerned with the looks you just want a planter for carnivorous plants that is going to function well and also not cost much money. This would be a good option for someone who is growing carnivorous plants to sell. It’s important for the plants to do well, but you don’t want to waste any overhead on the planters.
Think of your plant as yourself and the planter as your shoes. Do we need to spend more than $50 to get a good pair of functioning shoes? No, not really. If we really want to impress though, we may want to drop $200 on a fresh new pair of Jordan’s or whatever the cool shoes are now a days.
This is the same with your carnivorous plant pots or planters. You can spend as much as you want to make them look cool! Just keep in mind that the affordable plastic container route is actually one of the most functional and cheapest and will keep your carnivorous plant happy and healthy!
These are pretty neat for smaller plants, you could make a venus flytrap look really nice in these plastic pots. I did confirm, these do have holes in the bottom for drainage already, so they come ready to go! Click Here To See Them!
How many of you just rolled your eyes at me? Ya, I know not the greatest comparison. And I’m sure most of you are saying, “Come on buddy, were better than cheap plastic containers, tell us about the cool ones!” FINE! Let’s take a look at some of the cool carnivorous plants pots and planters.
Resin Planters For Carnivorous Plants
Alright, so you scoffed at my plastic planter or pot idea and you want to see some of the finer things in life. Fair enough, lets take a look at resin planters or pots for carnivorous plants. Resin my have you duped however as its honestly just a fancier type of plastic. The important thing though, is it just looks a lot nicer. I have seen some REALLY cool resin pots and planters however.
Maybe something bigger you can create a small bog garden in? I found this one that looks kind of like a basket, it even already comes with a drainage plug. This could work really well for creating your own little bog garden and planting venus flytraps or many other carnivorous plants.
It also has a really cool self watering system that helps you determine the moisture in the planter. It helps you prevent root decay and over watering which is important with carnivorous plants. The drainage system is also a huge plus as this will be ready to go right out of the box, no drilling or customization!
Just remember, if you find one you like make sure it has good drainage or make sure you have something at home that you can use to drill a couple holes in the bottom to create your own drainage! Honestly, even a nail and hammer would probably get the job done for these resin pots and planters!
Glazed Ceramic Planters And Pots
So your not a plastic kind of person, that is completely fair. Lets take a look at some ceramic planters and pots. Just keep in mind, its important to make sure these planters for carnivorous plants are always fully glazed, especially on the inside.
I have found some of my favorites below you can click below to see a page from Amazon that has a ton of different kinds of glazed ceramic planters.
There are so many cool glazed ceramic pots and planters to choose for your carnivorous plants. I’m just going to list a couple here that I really like personally, click the link above though as there are so many to choose from. Out styles may not be similar but I almost guarantee you will find something you like above!
I think this would look great with a small pitcher or medium sized venus flytrap!
If your looking for something a little larger check out this really cool hand painted 10″ and 8″ set of 2 planters. They are double glazed and come with drainage holes and plugs.
These planters are ready to go with drainage holes and plugs!
Hanging planters can be absolutely beautifully matched with carnivorous plants especially if your looking to plant your Nepenthes or pitcher plants. They probably aren’t the best planters for venus flytrap or sundews. Just keep in mind that when your shopping for a hanging planter that all the same rules as above apply.
It’s important to note that it will be a little harder to keep water on the plants since there is no tray with hanging planters. You will also want to make sure that it still has holes for drainage. If you are hanging your carnivorous plants outside, drainage probably ins’t a problem. If you are hanging your plants inside then it is a little trickier to keep your drainage under control.
The other problem you might run into is the hanging pots tend to be a little shallower. You want to make sure you select a hanging planter that is a little deeper and gives the roots on your carnivorous plants room to grow.
The cool thing about the planter above is that it has a self watering system, which makes it much easier to keep your carnivorous plants watered. They also come in a bunch of different colors, not just white. I strongly suggest something like this to help with watering. They also come with drainage holes and included plugs.
Check out this super cool video below of the type of planter to look for and how to create a “Bog Bowl”. This is a really cool video that shows you how to plant a venus flytrap and pitcher plant in the planter that he has.
Carnivorous Plants Pots and Planters Conclusion
What it really comes down to is what you want! Just keep the few simple rules above about what to look for in a planter and you will have so many options are your finger tips. Between plastic and resin planters you have almost unlimited colors, styles and options.
I hope that this guide on the best carnivorous plants pots and planters was helpful to you. It’s a fairly simple and small part of your carnivorous plant but it is its home and where it will reside, so it’s important to your plant.
If this was helpful, please remember to share this article on your favorite social media platform, whether it’s Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. It really would mean a lot to me!
Like always, I’m so excited to talk to you today about Venus Flytrap dormancy. It’s a super common question I see about the venus flytrap. People often confuse venus flytrap dormancy with the plant being dead. Were going to talk about what a dormant venus flytrap looks like and what you can expect. Were then going to talk about how to tell if your venus flytrap is dormant or dead.
A venus flytrap when entering dormancy.
Also, before I get too far, I wanted to point out that I have spent a lot of time writing up some other great information venus flytrap articles.
Also, if you like this article and found it helpful if you could share it on your favorite social media platform, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or whatever you prefer. Even if you have a website a link back from your site would mean the world to me! Lets get on to venys flytrap dormancy!
Venus Flytrap Dormancy
One of the biggest misconceptions with Venus Flytraps or Dionaea muscipula is that the plants are tropical and need a year round dose of humidity and sun. What most people don’t realize is that they are actually very hardy perennial plants. People always want to assume that all carnivorous plants are from exotic, humid and hot locations.
The venus flytrap being a perennial basically means that they flourish during the spring an summer then die back and prepare for a dormancy period. During the winter the venus flytrap will go dormant and come back in the spring from the energy they saved in the root stock or rhizome.
When fall comes around the venus flytrap prepare for the harsher winter months. This is the natural way for this plant. Light freezes and frost wont kill the hardy venus flytrap but extended freezes can kill them.
I have seen some arguments popping up in carnivorous plants communities on the internet in regards to eliminating the dormancy period for venus flytraps but all the most experienced growers I have read about say that for prolonged healthy life for venus flytraps they should have a minimum of a 10 week dormancy period. Most growers will say 3-5 months a year are best.
One of the biggest problems and misconceptions are due to the plant surviving a fairly long time without going dormant. The truth is however, over a prolonged period of time the venus flytrap will weaken and eventually die if they aren’t allowed dormancy periods.
Caring For Venus Flytrap During Dormancy
Venus flytraps will require as much light as possible to stay healthy and strong during dormancy. If they are going to be in the dark it’s actually better to keep them in colder conditions, you will need something under 40 degrees.
If the temperatures are staying above 40 degrees they need to have as much light exposure as possible. If your in a zone 7 or lower in the more extreme latitudes you may need to employee a couple of the more commonly used over wintering options for their venus flytraps.
Since I mentioned zone 7 above, lets take a quick look at the climate zones to help you understand when I make these references.
Hardiness Zone Map
Okay, I’m sorry to jump away from the caring for venus flytraps during dormancy section but understanding the hardiness zone map in the US is going to help you understand what I’m referencing through the rest of this article. From here on out I’ll simple reference zones by a number. You can look up your location in the US and see which zone you are in or which zone you want to grow these cool carnivorous plants.
Hardiness Zone Map For Venus Flytraps
Okay, now that you understand the zones, lets get back to venus flytrap dormancy care.
Back To Dormancy Care For Venus Flytraps
Sorry about the detour there but now you will be able to follow along with the different zones, which is going to be important!
There are a couple different options of dormancy, it just depends on which zones you live in. Some growers create their own bog gardens and mulch them in the winter. Others actually choose an extreme venus flytrap fridge dormancy method. For the fridge method to work the flytraps will need to reach their full dormancy state before being placed in the fridge.
During the winter months the venus flytrap should receive less water. As the weather is colder the soil does not dry out as quickly. Using too much water can cause root rot or crown rot to become a problem. When this happens mold can definitely become a factor.
You want to keep the soil wet but less wet than you did in the summer seasons. But you also want to make sure that the soil never gets completely dry. It’s a balance, but the right amount of water during the winter months is very important.
Even when dormant the venus flytrap photosynthesizes and will need as much light as possible to get as much energy as they can during winter months. Since no bugs will be caught, its more important than ever to get them as much natural light as possible. In their most natural growing conditions the venus flytrap will actually continue to grow even in the dormant stages.
The exception to the light rule is if they are being kept in conditions lower than 40 degrees, much like I talked about earlier. They will actually enter a state of suspended animation when kept this cold. This method will work but is not the most ideal set up for your venus flytrap.
I want to talk more in depth about the different dormancy types below, indoor, outdoor and even the fridge method. We will even discuss skipping dormancy so you can decide which is best for you. But first, I want to discuss the venus flytrap dead or dormant discussion.
Is My Flytrap Dead or Dormant?
There are definitely a few things to discuss here with the dead vs dormant question. Unfortunately due to the special care needs of the venus flytrap a lot of people do kill these neat plants but always hope their plant is just dormant. The other thing I see a lot is people wanting their plant to come out of dormancy too quickly so they get impatient and try to get it moving rather than just leaving it alone.
You can see a dormant vs in season venus flytrap.
Is my venus flytrap dead?
You will know your venus flytrap is dead when the plant seems to go black and die quickly. The entire plant turns a dark sickly color and all that is left is a mushy pile of mass. If you were to freeze a piece of lettuce and let it thaw, this is similar to how a venus flytrap would look if dying. The key thing to remember is when dead, it will happen quickly.
Is my venus flytrap going into dormancy?
This is a completely different process that happens at much slower speed. The leaves will blacken and seem dead but this will happen over a span of several weeks. It’s also important to note that when a venus flytrap enters dormancy it will typically keep some green leaves.
Another thing to look for is the time of the year. Did your plant enter these stages during autumn or fall? If so, there is a really good chance that its going dormant. If your plant starts to seem to die during spring or summer it can be an indicator that it is dying.
Keep your eyes open for any kind of green. If there is green anywhere, it could just be that dormancy has been triggered. Unless the plant is obviously dead the best thing you can do is just wait it out. The best thing you can do to a dormant plant is just leave it alone. Other than the little bit of care they need, just don’t mess with it. If it is dormant the best way to kill it is to start digging around it and messing with it. It’s in a fragile state and should be left to do what it needs to do.
This is a dead venus flytrap.
Time For Dormancy What Do I Do?
Remember the image above with the hardiness zones? Okay, I’m going to reference it here. If you are in zones 8-11 congratulations you have the easiest jobs. You honestly don’t have to do anything. This is the venus flytraps natural climate and just leaving them alone during the winter months is enough. I’m staring out of my window right now at about 3 feet of snow in a zone 4 area, I’m completely jealous.
Outside Dormancy
If you live in zones 4-7 it is still possible to keep your plants outside, they just need a little more care. The carnivorous plants will need to be properly insulated. It’s recommended that you bury your potted plants in a bog garden. If your venus flytrap is in an above ground pot it can be more susceptible to the cold and wind.
Once temperatures get close to freezing it will be time to provide even more protection. You will want to cover your plants with a shade cloth or burlap. It’s important to secure the cloth at the edges with something heavy, like a rock or log. Then cover the cloth with pine needs, straw or leaves. This will help keep moisture in and help keep the plants from freezing.
Don’t panic if your area gets snow. Snow is actually a great insulator and will help keep them from freezing.
Purchasing a cold frame or mini greenhouse might be the way to save your plants during colder winter dormancies. I encourage you to check out my guide to cold frames and mini greenhouses on carnivorousplantshub.com below!
A bog garden can be kind of tricky but that’s okay, you can also build or buy what’s called a cold frame. See price info and what they look like on Amazon, click here for cold frames!
The other option would be good if your plants were still really small and in small pots. A mini green house would be a great way to go, and is actually pretty affordable. There is a great chance your venus flytraps will make it through dormancy in a mini greenhouse. Price and photos of the mini greenhouse on Amazon.
Inside Dormancy
If you are up in the colder climates or a zone 3 or lower you will want to bring your venus flytrap inside to a cold room. Maybe a garage or basement that isn’t as heated as the main house. It’s important to keep this room no warmer than 55 degrees. Plants should still be kept near a window to soak in as much light as possible.
It’s important to note that you would not want to keep it in the part of the house where people reside. The temperatures humans want to stay comfortable are way too warm for a venus flytrap dormancy. If the plant is brought out of dormancy too soon it can confuse the plant and eventually lead to its death.
Refrigerator Dormancy
Alright, you desperately want these plants but none of the options above work for you. This usually happens in one of two different areas. The first being that it just gets way too cold and the methods above wont work. Or, its way too warm year round and temps never go below 55 degrees. If you just can’t accommodate any of the other options above, this should be your last option as it’s the least likely your venus flytrap will survive.
Now you have decided the venus flytrap fridge dormancy is the only option, lets talk about it.
This is more of a process than just throwing your venus flytrap in the fridge for winter. It’s important to slowly decrease the photoperiod, which is the amount of hours it’s exposed to light. If you just take the plant from many hours of light a day and throw it in the fridge this can shock the plant and lead to its death. You want to slowly start giving it less light to make it a less shocking transition.
Whether you keep the venus flytrap potted or uproot them during fridge dormancy is completely up to you. Many people like to uproot due to the amount of room it takes to keep potted plants in your fridge.
If you keep them in a pot you want to put the entire pot in a plastic bag before putting them away in your refrigerator. Before doing that you will want to spray or dust the plant with a good fungicide.
Please check for any mold and fungus every couple of weeks. If needed continue to give the venus flytrap small doses of fungicide. You will ant to leave your plant in the fridge for at least 3 months.
If you don’t want to use up all that room in your fridge by keeping potted plants you can use the steps below to properly uproot and put in the fridge.
Remove any of the potting media around the roots until they are totally bare, please do this very gently.
Cut off any dying or dead growth.
Dip the entire plant in fungicide. You can mist, but I suggest dipping the entire plant.
Dampen some paper towels and wrap the entire plant in it. Make sure that the paper towel is damp and not soaked.
You are now going to seal the dormant venus flytraps in ziplock bags. Its important to push all the air out before sealing them.
The best place in your fridge will be the veggie drawer.
You do want to check for mold every couple of weeks and you can bring the venus flytrap out of dormancy in 3 months.
Youtube Videos On Dormancy
Sometimes reading can be just a bit too much. I wanted to make sure I left you a video you could watch that helped explain venus flytrap dormancy a bit. So grab some coffee, sit back hit play and relax!
Here is another video of someone using a cold box or winter box to prepare their flytraps for the dormant period.
Skip Venus Flytrap Dormancy
I have seen this debated and argued in the carnivorous plant communities. The people that seem to actually know what they are talking about say that skipping dormancy basically is a slow death for venus flytraps. Your plant might last a couple years without dormancy but it won’t live for the long run.
If you ask me, I say try your best not to skip venus flytrap dormancy as this isn’t the natural way for the plant. Even if you keep an indoor venus flytrap it’s still important to assist it in triggering dormancy so that the plant lives for many years. I know it can be a bummer to not be able to “enjoy” your plant for months at a time, but it’s whats best for them.
Flytrap Dormancy Conclusion
There is no perfect science or way to put your venus flytrap in dormancy. All we can do is try our best to mimic the conditions they have where they thrive in the bogs of North and South Caroline. No way is going to be perfect and there may be some trial and error.
The fact is that it’s hard to find anyone that is the all knowing expert for the exact area you live. If you can somehow find a grower in your area that has had success and speak with them this might be the best way to tackle dormancy in your area. It’s a lot of trial and error and if you can find an expert where you live who has already mastered your specific conditions it might be the best option.
Thank you so much for stopping by and doing your best to understand venus flytrap dormancy. It’s a tricky part of having these beautiful carnivorous plants but a very important one. I’m glad you care enough to do your research and find out how to best care for your plant.
I wish you the best luck with all your venus flytrap growing efforts. Once you get it down its one of the most rewarding things you could ask for! If you have some extra time, make sure to check out some of our YouTube content at our YouTube channel below. Check out this video of me unboxing some new nepenthes and sundews! If you like what you see, make sure to subscribe!
I have been studying and researching venus flytraps for years now and I’m excited to share all these interesting facts about venus flytraps with you. Some of these are fun venus flytrap facts for kids and adults and others are interesting venus flytrap facts. I think you will find that this plant just may be one of the most incredible that you can find anywhere!
If you have ever wanted to own a venus fly trap, make sure to check out my ultimate venus fly trap care guide below! You will learn everything this is to know about buying and growing your very own venus fly trap!
Before we get into the more interesting facts about venus flytraps, lets go over some of the basics. Even though it’s not as exciting the basic information is important to understand.
Scientific Name – Dionaea muscipula
Rank – Species
Diet – Carnivore
Average Life Span In Wild – 25 Years
Size – Plant – 4-12 inches – Trap – Up To 2 Inches Long
Just remember that like with any plant or animal, there are always exceptions to the rule. Some venus flytraps may fall outside of these norms, but these are just more the normal sizes.
If your wanting to know specifically how a venus flytrap works, I have written an entire article on just that topic. See how a venus flytrap grows, eats and it’s entire life cycle.
Click Here To See How The Venus Flytrap Works
Interesting Facts About Venus Flytraps
I hope your ready to be completely taken back by these amazing plants. I honestly couldn’t believe some of the information I read when researching these aggressive little carnivores. I think you will enjoy what you read below!
Venus flytraps are considered carnivores, they eat flies and other crawling bugs to give them energy.
To catch their prey, the venus flytrap has 3 little trigger hairs on each side of the trap. The insect must trigger these hairs 2 times in a 20 second period or the trap won’t close.
The need to trigger the hairs twice is a fail safe for the venus flytrap. They want to make sure if they use the energy to trigger the trap that it’s a real insect. This prevents raindrops and falling leaves from triggering the plant as much.
If one hair is triggered and the 20 second clock runs out, they reset and wait for another prey to trigger the trap.
Venus flytraps eat insects due to their incredibly acidic soil. This soil lacks nutrients so the must find their nutrition and energy elsewhere.
Venus flytraps grow in the unlikeliest of places, a bog. Bogs are devoid of much nutrient rich soil and are constantly wet, making it a hard place for a plant to grow. This is why the venus flytrap evolved to eat insects instead of relying on it’s soil.
Venus flytraps are very slow growers, if you grow one from a seed they will take 2-4 years to reach about 3-5 inches in height and be at full maturity. Click below to read an entire article I worked hard on all about how long it takes for a venus flytrap to grow! How Long Does It Take For A Venus Flytrap To Grow – Written by me, tirelessly!
How Long Does It Take For A Venus Flytrap To Grow – Written by me, tirelessly!
You can grow them from leaf cuttings however, this process will cut the grow time in half, 1-2 years.
If you grow venus flytraps from seeds they will have a lot of genetic variance from plant to plant. The plant that grows from seeds harvested from another plant will be very different from a genetic standpoint.
If you do leaf cutting and propagate the venus flytrap the plant that grows from the cut leave will be a genetic twin to the original plant.
The venus flytrap grow to around 5 inches in diameter. Each plant has hinged leaves with usually about 6 stems.
When a prey triggers the hairs on the venus flytrap, it snaps shut trapping the insect.
The venus flytrap then releases enzymes that break down the insect so they can “eat” it.
First the venus flytrap breaks down the insects exoskeleton then the plant uses the the nitrogen rich blood called hemolyph.
Venus flytraps being grown in planters.
The venus flytrap grows all over the world but it originates from the bogs of North and South Carolina. Many people think that since it’s exotic it must grow in tropical locations, this is not the case.
They need a lot of humidity and light to flourish.
Flytraps secret a fragrant nectar that lures the prey into their trap.
Once a flytrap has digested its prey it takes 5-12 days for the trap to reopen and prepare for its next meal.
The venus flytrap doesn’t use the entire insect, there is a shell of the bug that falls out of the trap once its finished. The insect is usually ushered out with a light breeze.
Althought they are called venus flytraps their primary food are not actually flies. The primary food is actually ants. They do eat flies but only about 5% of the time. Other insects they eat are slugs, beetles, spiders and even tiny frogs.
Venus flytraps can be pollinated and reproduce like other plants. The seeds that the flower produce mature after 4-6 weeks and become black and pear-shaped. These seeds are then spread and grow into new plants.
They can also reproduce asexually. The roots can create a bulb root and grow a brand new flytrap from the bulb. A gardener can then separate the roots and replant both to make 2 venus flytrap plants.
The conservation status of venus flytraps is listed as vulnerable. This is due to habitat destruction and over harvesting. You can see more about their conservation status by going over to the red list website, click here!
Our third president Thomas Jefferson gave growing venus flytraps a shot. He didn’t have a lot of luck but finally secured some seeds in 1804.
Charles Darwin once wrote an entire book on carnivorous plants, the venus flytrap inspired him, he was a huge fan. “It’s the most wonderful plant in the world” he was quoted saying.
Yes, robot Venus Flytraps are a thing. An article that was published in Popular Science, technicians in the US and South Korea have built robot replicas of the venus flytrap, how cool!
Although Venus Flytraps are referred to as meat eaters, please don’t feed your flytrap any actual meat. Meat such as hamburger can cause the venus flytrap to rot, turn black and die.
The circle of life is a real thing and the traps on the plant do not last forever. They will open and close an average of 6 times or so before permanently closes. It still helps by photosynthesizing but will no longer be able to contribute to the bigger plant by catching anymore insects.
It is believed that the name of the venus flytrap originates from the pagan goddess of love, Venus. The name is meant to symbolize the way the plant lures in its prey.
Wow, 30 venus flytrap facts, that’s more than I originally anticipated. I’m not shocked though, I can talk about these incredible little plants all day! Now that I have shared some interesting facts about the venus flytrap, lets do a little Q&A session!
Venus Flytrap Youtube Video
Okay, I know I just said we were going to do the Q&A but what would the article be without a cool video of Venus Flytraps? I’m not going to just share a bunch of Venus Flytrap Facts and not show you a video of them actually catching flies! So, lets get too it. Check out the awesome venus flytrap Youtube video below show the Venus Flytrap catching flies like an absolute BOSS!
Okay, like I promised lets move on to the Venus Flytrap Q&A session.
Venus Flytrap Fun Facts For Kids Q&A Session
I hope your ready to get your venus flytrap question answered. I scoured the internet for days tracking down the most common questions that people have about venus flytraps. I didn’t want to only share interesting facts about venus flytraps but I also wanted to hopefully answer some of your questions.
How does a venus flytrap work?
This is a great question and I spent a lot of time actually writing an entire article on this very topic. Please click the link below to read more about how exactly a venus flytrap works. If your too lazy and just want to keep reading, I like your style, many questions about how a venus flytrap works will be answered below!
Click here to read how a venus flytrap works!
Where do you buy a venus flytrap.
This is definitely one of the most common questions I get. If you can, the best way to buy one is to look for a local nursery that grows venus flytraps. If you don’t have any locally you can actually even buy them on Amazon. I have linked below to a nursery that sells via Amazon and has good reviews and will sell healthy plants. The nice thing about buying from Amazon is it’s user friendly and if you have any issues and get bad plants, Amazon usually has your back!
The link below will take you to a Medium Sized B52 Giant Venus Flytrap sold by Joels Carnivorous Plants. You can check the reviews and see what people are saying generally speaking he sells great healthy plants! Keep in mind that a lot of people buy venus flytraps without fully understanding their care. Just because someone bought one and it died doesn’t mean it was a bad plant, it’s more likely that they didn’t fully understand the care.
See Reviews, Price and Buy Venus Flytraps Here!
How much does a venus flytrap cost?
That is a great question and really aligns with the question above. You do have to be careful and watch out for people selling super cheap venus flytraps. You can expect to pay on average for a smaller plant $10. For a medium sized plant your looking at closer to $20. They obviously will range based on rareness and type of species but those are the prices you can expect. Click the link above to go on over to Joels Carnivorous Plants store on Amazon to price out the different plants he has!
Is the venus flytrap a flower?
Why yes, yes it is. Not the way you might think however. The trap part of a venus flytrap is not a flower. The venus flytrap does produce a flower however. The flowers grow in small clusters and can grow as tall as 12 inches with it being mostly stem. The flower is white and is pretty but doesn’t have any real distinct features. Often times people will cut their flower off to help save energy for the trap heads.
If you want to collect the seeds you will need to let the venus flytrap flower grow. There are other ways to grow new plants through propagation but some like to grow from the seed.
You can see how long these flowers get compared to the size of the plant.
Where does the venus flytrap grow?
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings with Venus Flytraps. Most people tend to think that these plants grow in jungles or in some exotic rain forest. The truth is, they just aren’t nearly that exciting. Are you ready for this? The venus flytrap grows naturally in North and South Carolina. And that’s it. Just those two states. They have since been successfully replanted and grow in other states and countries now, but they all come from North and South Carolina.
Most specifically, they grow in bogs within North and South Carolina. The bogs are actually the reason they eat insects for nutrition. The soil there is so devoid of nitrogen and is so acidic the plants had to evolve and learn how to get their energy by different means.
You can now find the through Florida and New Jersey. So no, they are not a tropical plan and actually will go into dormancy during the winter months. They can withstand the cold and will go into a state where they almost appear dead. They don’t die however they go through a similar stage as animals do with hibernation.
What does a venus flytrap eat?
Well, duh… They are called a FLYtrap, so they eat flies, right? Well yes, but mostly no. Flies are probably one of the cooler preys they lure but its certainly not the only. Actually, in most locations flies only account for about 5% of the venus flytraps total diet. The majority of their diet consists of ants and other crawlers. They will consume spiders, slugs, beetles and have even been known to trap and eat a small frog.
Although in most cases if the prey is too large the flytrap will open up and let it go due to the struggle. If the prey is too large the insect or animal can become covered in parasites and decay that can actually hurt the venus flytrap. The process of breaking down larger insects or small animals simply takes too long and can invite other nasty things that hurt the flytrap.
The venus flytrap is more likely to catch a spider or crawling critter than a fly.
How does a venus flytrap digest it’s food?
The venus flytrap has special glands that produces enzymes. The plant needs to collect nitrogen and phosphorous from the insect due to there being a major lack of these things in the acidic soil of the bogs they live in.
Once the trap closes on it’s prey the special glands get to work producing those enzymes we spoke about earlier (you read about, we didn’t actually speak), These enzymes will dissolve the soft parts of the prey but also kill fungi and bacteria. It then breaks down the insect to extract the nutrients its looking for. The flytrap then absorbs these nutrients into the leafs.
Once the venus flytrap has absorbed and taken everything it needs, which is usually 5-12 days, it will then open and let the exoskeleton fall or be blown out by the breeze.
Flytrap Wrap-up!
I just want to thank you again for stopping by, it really means a lot. I really believe these are special little plants and giving out some venus flytrap facts for kids and adults is so much fun for me. You being here just tells me there are others out there who find these plants very special.
I worked very hard on this article, if you can find it in your heart to give me some social love, it would seriously mean the world to me. Whether you share on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest or maybe you just want to link me to your site, however you are willing to help, it means the world.
